Somerset defeat Warwickshire by an innings and 82 runs in County Championship Division One match at Taunton with Jack Brooks taking 4-44; Ben Mike makes 99no but fails to save Leicestershire from 10-wicket defeat to Middlesex in Division Two clash; in-form Notts see off Worcestershire
Saturday 30 April 2022 19:51, UK
Somerset rounded off a superbย team display by defeating Warwickshire by an innings and 82 runs inside three days of their County Championship Division One game at Taunton.
After starting with three successive defeats, Tom Abell's side, who made 458 in their first innings, are well and truly up and running after they completely outplayed the champions.
They swiftly took Warwickshire's last first-innings wicket in the morning to dismiss them for 209 and secure a lead of 249, then bowled them out for 167 second time round.
Jack Brooks led the way with 4-44 but it was an impressive collective effort, with all five bowlers used getting among the wickets and maintaining pressure on the batters, with Craig Overton claiming 2-41 and Jack Leach 2-35.
Sam Hain (43, 116 balls) and Will Rhodes (29, 93 balls) added 68 in 30 overs for the fourth wicket for Warwickshire but it was an isolated show of defiance in an innings in which two wickets fell within five balls on four occasions.
Chris Dent scored a superb double century and batted all day to frustrate Division One leaders Surrey and usher Gloucestershire towards safety on day three in Bristol.
Responding to Surrey's imposing first-innings 603, Gloucestershire reached the close on 443-2, thanks in large part to Dent's defiant knock of 207 not out - an innings spanning eight hours so far.
The Bristolian, rediscovering his best form when it was most needed, shared a record-breaking opening stand of 296 with Marcus Harris, who scored 124, and then staged an unbroken third-wicket alliance of 147 with Miles Hammond, his fellow left-hander finishing undefeated on 75.
Nick Gubbins scored twin centuries in a County Championship match for the first time in his career as Hampshire set Lancashire 351 to win at the Ageas Bowl.
Left-hander Gubbins followed his innings-rescuing 101 not out with an effortless 130 to give Hampshire a hefty lead on a pitch which had previously benefited the bowlers.
He joined forces with Ben Brown, who scored a high-quality 72, to put on 144 for the fifth wicket to grind down Lancashire. Hampshire were eventually bowled out for 344, with the visitors reaching nine in six wicketless overs by the close.
Harry Brook fell narrowly short of a maiden career double century before lunch on day three as Yorkshire edged towards victory in their clash with Kent at Headingley.
Brook, Division One's second-leading run-scorer behind Kent opener Ben Compton, continued his superb start to the summer by advancing from 131 overnight to 194 and taking his tally of runs to 512 in five innings this summer as Yorkshire replied to Kent's 291.
They started day three on 326-5 with a lead of 35 and were bowled out by mid-afternoon for 591 - Yorkshire's highest first-class total against Kent - and with a lead of 280.
Later in the day, Kent resisted to close on 118-2 from 50 overs, with Compton unbeaten on 67, giving them plenty of hope they can avoid a third defeat in four games to start 2022.
Ben Mike was left stranded on 99 as his thrilling counter-attacking innings failed to save Leicestershire from a 10-wicket defeat in three days at the hands of hosts Middlesex in their Division Two clash at Lord's.
Mike followed his 4-15 24 hours earlier with a magnificent display of hitting, beating his previous career-best of 74, only to run out of partners one short of a richly-deserved century.
His efforts took the visitors to 272 second time around and ensured Middlesex, who were a bowler light due to an injury to Tom Helm, had to bat again.
However, Toby Roland-Jones' 3-67 meant the hosts needed just 52, a target openers Mark Stoneman and Sam Robson chased down in just over 10 overs to seal a second win of the season.
Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire completed a third win in four matches with a day to spare despite Ed Barnard's heroic 163 not out for Worcestershire.
Ben Duckett, who has a century and three fifties from his first five innings, top-scored with 78 as Nottinghamshire overhauled a target of 233 to win by five wickets, with Joe Clarke posting his first half-century of the season and hitting the winning boundary off the last ball of the day.
Worcestershire had been bowled out for 339 in their second innings, with four wickets each for England's Stuart Broad (4-72) and last season's leading Championship wicket-taker, Luke Fletcher (4-65).
Derbyshire's Shan Masood fell agonisingly short of a runs record on the third day of their match against Glamorgan at Derby.
The Pakistan opener was out for 42, failing by three to beat the most first-class runs in April set by Nick Compton who scored 715 for Somerset in 2012.
Marnus Labuschagne had earlier scored 130 from 199 balls out of Glamorgan's 387 with Sri Lankan fast bowler Suranga Lakmal taking 5-82.
Derbyshire wiped out the slender deficit of 19 and with Wayne Madsen cruising to an unbeaten 58, they closed on 170-2, a lead of 151.
