Tanya Aldred"s roundup The first moments of the inaugural day of the Bob Willis Trophy were marked by the players standing in socially-distanced silence to remember lives lost during pandemic; before they moved into position on the field and, alongside the umpires, took the knee. At Trent Bridge, Haseeb Hameed, who left the red rose of Lancashire behind after joining Nottinghamshire over the winter, delighted those watching (virtually) with a fifty on debut. There is much affection for Hameed who first played for England at 19 and looked the business until injury hit and form deserted him – Trent Bridge is a fresh start. For the first half hour he was twitchy, strolling out of his crease between balls, rearranging his feet, but then came the strokes, the extra-cover drive, the caress to the boundary through mid-off. He made 68, and put on a hundred partnership with Chris Nash for the first wicket before being given out lbw. A familiar clatter of wickets rearranged the scorecard as Notts then lost 6 for 68 after lunch. Michael Cohen, Derbyshire’s rapid South African bowler, took 3 for 47 on club debut. After the rain break the game turned again, with Samit Patel, batting at No 8, punching a cameo 63 off just 70 balls before being caught at slip and Jake Ball and Joey Evison making hay. Olly Stone bowled like a hurricane against his old club Northants as Warwickshire turned the screw at Edgbaston. Stone took 4 for 39 as Northants were bowled out for 142. Warwickshire were wobbling at 85 for four but guided close to parity at the close thanks to 63 not out by 20-year-old opener Rob Yates; Ian Bell was out for 9. At the County Ground Gloucestershire plodded to a respectable position against Worcestershire, thanks to fifties from captain Chris Dent (92) and Graeme van Buuren. Somerset’s batting, their weakest suit, wobbled much as it did last season, nudged to respectability by a 107-run partnership between wicketkeeper Steve Davies (81 not out) and 72 not out from No 11 Steve Brooks who cracked 11 boundaries. There were three wickets for Ruaidhri Smith, who later hobbled off with an injury. Earlier in the day Jamie Overton, twin brother of Craig, announced that he had signed a three year deal with Surrey from the end of the season. Play at Chester-le-Street was interrupted by rain before lunch, but not interrupted enough for Durham who were bowled out for 103, with seven single figure scores. Ben Coad, who spoke during lockdown about his frustration with not winning England colours took 4-23. At the close Yorkshire were wobbling themselves after losing three wickets for two runs please CHK. Captain Dane Vilas fell just short of his century at New Road where Lancashire recovered after losing Keaton Jennings to the 10th ball of the day. Vilas put on 130 with Steven Croft. Leicestershire’s Deiter Klein took three important middle-order wickets. Lancashire fielded three debutants for the first time in 18 years. Middlesex and Surrey, two sides who underachieved last year, met at The Oval where Nick Gubbins hit a carefree and unbeaten 150, only his second in three years. Gubbins, who averaged 22 last year, played with great fluency, lofting Amar Virdi for six. The day’s other century maker was Heino Kuhn, who made his first red-ball hundred for Kent against the County Champions Essex on a smooth batting wicket at Chelmsford. Wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson also kept the score ticking along with 78 and there were runs for he who sups from the cup of eternal youth. Jamie Porter finished with 3-85 but Simon Harmer, the leading wicket-taker in 2020, bowled 22 barren overs. Mason Crane and 20 year old Ajeet Dale took three wickets apiece as Sussex slumped to 176 all out at Hove. Crane’s 3-23 were his best first-class figures in three years best by injury. Ollie Robinson took two quick wickets near the close to have Hampshire nervous at 77-4. Just popping back to say, thanks all - it’s good to be back. Brilliant sunshine now at Trent Bridge as Trego accelerates in from the Pavilion end for the last few balls of the day, empty white bucket seats watching in friendly-enough silence. The day belongs to Hass and Olly Stone and Heino Kuhn and Nick Gubbins. See you tomorrow! Close of play Lancashire closed out the day 265-6 against Leicestershire. Heino Kuhn is unbeaten on 140 as Essex finished at 344-6 against Kent. Gloucestershire are 246-8 v Worcestershire. Middlesex close the first day on 264-4 at Surrey, with Nick Gubbins bringing up his 150. Full roundup to follow. Somerset are all out for 296 against Glamorgan, while Lancashire’s Steven Croft is out lbw to Leicestershire skipper Colin Ackermann. Lancs are 258-6. Durham make a breakthrough as they defend their paltry 103 against Yorskshire, for whom Adam Lyth is out to Chris Rushworth with the score at 32-1. Samit Patel has made a 59-ball half-century for Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in their match with Derbyshire. Notts have passed 250 for the loss of seven wickets. “Glad to see county cricket back; soon, people will be mourning its imminent yet elusive death again,” says Abhijato Sensarma. “Glad to see Hameed score a half-century; soon, he might fall into the relative unknown with a drought of runs again. And glad to see inexplicable collapses and admirable innings on the first day itself; soon, they’ll just be another entry into the annals of cricket, yet significant because of its circumstances. But if there’s only one constant through it all, it’s Darren Stevens!” Lancashire have passed 250 for the loss of five wickets as Croft looks to dominate the attack, while Balderson finds his way in first class cricket. The Knight. Somerset No 11 Jack Brooks has moved onto 45 not out. The bowler has put on 67 with Davies for the final wicket thus far. Durham are all out for after Yorkshire’s Coad removed Potts and Rushworth in quick succession, leaving Harte not out on 33 at the other end. Croft has now passed 50 for Lancashire. He was playing second fiddle to Vilas before but is now the main man in the partnership with Balderson on debut. Croft is now into his 16th season as a first class cricketer, so should know what he is doing. Hampshire have enjoyed a solid start in response to Sussex’s 176. Organ and Weatherly have an unbroken partnership of 22 from seven overs. They will be hoping for a lead from the first innings. I said Vilas and Croft were having no issues against Leicestershire and then the South African nicks off to Azad in a second slip position for 90, leaving Lancashire on 227-5. Balderson is now in for Lancashire on his first class debut. There was an incredibly catch from Ian Bell in the slip cordon earlier. Croft gets onto his front foot to pull Taylor for an arrowed four to the boundary. Leicestershire are not troubling this Lancashire pairing who have put on 129 for the fifth wicket. Some big chat in the live stream comments on YouTube where Lancashire fans are mocking the fact the Yorkshire stream only has 34 viewers. It’s great to have county cricket back. Durham have made it to 100, mainly thanks to Harte’s 32 not out, only the second batsman to reach double figures in the lineup. He might need to add a few more to make a game of it against Yorkshire. Durham still have two wickets remaining. Despite the very long break, Vilas has come in today looking like he has scored centuries every day of the last month. The South African has moved onto 88 not out, having arrived at the crease with Lancashire on 97-4 - they now have 213 for the loss of no further wickets. Croft is batting very well with him, too. Good afternoon! Unlike Tanya, I do not get to enjoy the Trent Bridge press box, instead I am watching Lancashire against Leicestershire mainly but I will keep across everything else. The squall seems to have passed here at Trent Bridge but the groundsmen are currently brushing damp covers, so it will be a while. I’m going to write the round-up now, so handing over to Will Unwin to tide you over till the close and document Durham’s magnificent fight back from 86-8. A Middlesex hundred? You saw it here - well played Nick Gubbins, 102 not out. It’s chucking it down at Trent Bridge, the groundsmen attempting to unroll some unwilling and very heavy covers; while the first century of the Bob Willis Trophy goes to Heino Kuhn! It is also his first red-ball hundred for Kent. TEATIME SCORES CENTRAL GROUP Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Northants NORTHANTS 142 All Out (Stone 4-39) The County Ground: Gloucestershire v Worcestershire GLOUCESTERSHIRE 173-2 (Dent 72 not out) Taunton: Somerset v Glamorgan SOMERSET 164-8 (Davies 42 not out; R Smith 3-23) NORTH GROUP Chester-le-Street Durham v Yorkshire: DURHAM 74-6 (Coad 2-21, Thompson 2-12) New Road: Lancashire v Leicestershire. LANCASHIRE 171-4 (Vilas 56 not out; Klein 3-42) Trent Bridge: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire: NOTTS 109-0 (Nash 57, Hameed 45) SOUTH GROUP The Oval: Surrey v Middlesex MIDDLESEX 164-3 (Gubbins 84 not out) Chelmsford: Essex v Kent KENT 220-4 (Robinson 78; Kuhn 97 not out) Hove: Sussex v Hampshire SUSSEX 157-9 (Salt 68; Dale 3-20) Notts lose another - 192 for seven - as the clouds draw in from the river end and the Notts flag with a new crest flaps above the pavilion. Alas. When I was talking about the worst batting performance of the day, I had taken my eye off Durham who, despite the rain delay, have lost six wickets for 74. Kent have passed 200 in the safe hands of Darren Stevens, Kent’s spring of eternal youth. I loved this quote, from June. I don’t want to finish. It’s not just my mind that doesn’t want to finish – neither does my body. I’m not ready. I’m as fit and as light as I’ve been in 10 years. The weight is flying off me. I feel like I’m at the start of my career again but with all this knowledge – and my body and mind are fresh. Whenever it might be, whether that is this summer or next year, I’m 100% ready to get going. There’s still plenty left in the tank. Samit has just run three - Notts, 170-6. In other news, Sussex and Northants are still rivals for the worst batting performance of the day - Garton and Carson have carried Sussex to 134-7; Procter and Sanderson have inched Northants to an almost respectable 140-8 from the depths of 91-8. If you want to keep half an eye (just half an eye, mind) on England v Ireland , Adam Collins is at the Ageas Bowl where James Vince has just taken a wicket. Durham have lost their fourth wicket, Bedingham the third batsman to fall in single figures and oh and no! Hameed lbw to Reece for 68 despite a big stride forward. He slow-steps back, but that was encouraging. A double century at the beginning of last season against the students was representative of nothing in his subsequent year. Let’s hope this 68 - a little slow and scratchy to start, moving to confident and flowing later - leads to more fruitful times. And, there goes ANOTHER! Mullaney for 6 - and ANOTHER Trego for 1. Well, of all things, can it be really? Yes! No! Ho! Hi! Oh, my eye! My mind may be wandering, but I confess. I believe it is a Notts-up. “Super hot in my little village nestling in the hills of Southern Piedmont, trills Finbar Anslow, “and am seriously considering a second plunge into the river. Was just wondering about Somerset’s deducted points from last season....... Will they be deducted now, or next year? Couldn’t we just quietly forget about them?” Finbar, how delicious that river sounds. Somerset’s points will stay on the books for now and be deducted next year. And an unexpected bowling bonus point for Derbyshire, as Joe Clarke flashes at the nippy Cohen and is caught behind, the ball after stroking him through the off-side for four. Around the grounds: Durham are in the dumper at 40-3 after the rain break; Lancs in the sink at 109-4, three wickets for Dieter Klein; as are Somerset at 107-4 and oh dear god Northants - 91-7, four now for Stone. Here at Trent Bridge, Michael Cohen, Derbyshire’s South African fast bowler, runs in from within spitting distance of the press box. He’s swift. A most quotable quote from Lauren Willis, Bob’s widow, in Alyson Rudd’s piece in today’s Times. “The County Championship is the most unsexy competition in sporting history. It needs to be sexed up. If the tournament is a success they may reconsider the format. As hard as Bob tried, he couldn’t do it, but these extraordinary times might have done it instead.” Discuss. Hameed fifty! With an extra-cover drive just for CCLive. Every six overs the fielders decamp to the boundary en masse - but for what? To sanitise their hands of course. Ben Duckett goes for a quick-fire 9, and Joe Clarke, who has scored a century in his last four innings at Trent Bridge, joins Hameed, still on 49. A first first-class wicket for young Atichson. Olly Stone (3-25) steaming in at Warwickshire where Northants are in a spot of trouble at 72-5 A bit slow off the mark on this but Jamie Overton, the younger of the Somerset’s identical twins, is moving to Surrey at the end of the season on a three-year deal. This feels a bit like a move to Manchester City - more money and glamour in return for more time on the bench? A post-prandial breakthrough! Chris Nash lbw for 59 to the last ball of the first over after lunch. Now, we see if this is dismal 2019 Notts or new sparkling-2020 Notts. LUNCHTIME SCORES CENTRAL GROUP Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Northants NORTHANTS 68-3 The Bristol County Ground: Gloucestershire v Worcestershire GLOUCESTERSHIRE 84-1 Taunton: Somerset v Glamorgan SOMERSET 92-3 (Lammonby 40 not out) NORTH GROUP Chester-le-Street Durham v Yorkshire: DURHAM 12/0 New Road: Lancashire v Leicestershire. LANCASHIRE 72/2 Trent Bridge: Derbyshire v Nottinghamshire: NOTTS 109-0 (Nash 57, Hameed 45) SOUTH GROUP The Oval: Surrey v Middlesex MIDDLESEX 72-1 Chelmsford: Essex v Kent KENT 125-3 (Robinson 52 not out) Hove: Sussex v Hampshire SUSSEX 73-5 And that’s lunch: Notts 109-0, the sun still shining Hass not out 45, only one rain delay across the country and everything in the garden is rosy. Lunchtime scores to follow. Haseeb cover drives for four, beautifully, head over knee (rather than last year’s arse over elbow) to bring up the Notts century partnership for the first wicket; at Chelmsford Ollie Robinson and Heino Kuhn have done the same. Kent 124-3. “I tried to sum up my disappointment with Sky Sports that they’re not showing any live cricket from the counties over the next few days and are instead showing repeats of previous tours alongside the highlights from the 2017 Blast, but ran out of characters,” thunders Tom VDG. “With fans unable to attend matches, as well as the need to grow the awareness of the game, it’s quite poor that none of it is being aired when their air time is being filled with repeats. Allowing people to watch regional live cricket could light the blue touchpaper for some people starved of live sport and encourage them to attend local matches in the future.” “Even if it was shown on the free taster channel they offer, it would be something. Instead, it remains marginalised and forgotten by all apart from the die-hard fans. I know the ECV have provided Youtube streams in the past, but it’s not the same.” “Surely, the monthly £18 subscription needed to pay for Sky Cricket could actually include some domestic cricket too.” I’m surprised, it seems like a win-win for Sky who have had a field-day with their library footage during lockdown but must be desperate for live cricket. This would normally be peak domestic-cricket TV time with the Blast. “Morning Tanya,” Morning David Horn! “Oh, afternoon, actually but county cricket can do that to you. If there’s one thing I’d dearly like to see this late summer, it’s a boatfull of runs for Haseeb Hameed. I don’t really mind if he never plays for England again, although that would be lovely, it would just be great to see the young man enjoying his talent again.” A lot of love being sent Hameed’s way this season, as he has a feral swing at Aitchison but fails to make contact. With just less than half an hour to go till lunch, Chris Nash pulls Conners to the boundary and grabs the first fifty of the Bob Willis Trophy! Some swishing outside off stump, but plenty more swashbuckle - six fours and a six and an unbroken partnership of 92 with Hameed (34). I’ve relaxed into not watching Hass’ every ball. Is that bad? A lyrical email from John Mearns on Minor Counties cricket, prompted by the new book The Wicket Men by Tony Hannan, mentioned in last week’s Spin. Loved your shout for Minor Counties cricket! Cricket first got it’s claws into me in 1961 when Minor Counties played The Australians at Jesmond, still with it’s wood pavilion, and Swiss chalet design. I remember watching the visitors coming out to field, tall men, with heavy 5 o’clock shadow and thousand yard stares. Alan Davidson, Ken Mackay, Wally Grout (fielding on the boundary in front of us, Barry Jarman keeping) played, and, best of all, Norman O’Neill, casually hitting sixes into the cemetery at one end and Osborne Avenue at the other. For Minor Counties I’m pretty sure Boycott played, John Hampshire too; Stuart Young, of Durham, bowled well and quickly - many thought he wouldn’t have been out of place in the Test side. And a local player, Bobby Smithson, who scored 70 odd and with whom I would play in the same club side 10 years later - though with considerably less success. An early lunch taken at Chester-le-Street. Not one of these I’d wager: Incidentally, I had a Feast last year for auld tymes sake- what a crushing disappointment that was. Drinks have been taken here at Trent Bridge where Notts have eased along to 55 for 0 - a vast improvement on last year, though plenty of time for that mid-innings collapse muscle-flexing to be used this afternoon. Elsewhere: it is still hosing down at Chester-le-Street Durham (12-0), Lancashire (43-1) have recovered from that hapless start; a wicket for Josh Tongue at Bristol where Gloucestershire are 32-1; Somerset opener Edward Byrom bowled by Graham Wagg for 22 (38-1). Disappointment for Ben Curran and Emilio Gay, Northants 22-2 against Warwickshire; a mini-recovery by (wicketkeeper) Ollie Robinson and Heino Kuhn at Chelmsford (Kent 68-3); just the one wicket at The Oval, Middlesex 46-1; and Phil Salt digging in at Hove with Sussex 50-1 against Hampshire. It’s August 1 and the first day of the season, so they’re off for rain at Chester-le-Street with Durham 12 for 1. At the London derby between two sides who under-achieved last season, Surrey are on top. They claim this (Sam Robson) actually as the first wicket of the Bob Willis Trophy, and who am I to argue ? Middlesex hope for better things under a new captain, Eskinazi, and a new vice-captain, Toby Roland Jones - who didn’t make the final XI today. May the cricketing gods bring him many wickets, further international honours cruelly taken away by injury. That first wicket of the season did you say? Oh dear Kent. Daniel Bell Drummond, Jordan Cox and Jack Leaning all out in the first half hour of the day. One for Jamie Porter, two for Sam Cook as the County Champions stretch into their cricket boots and find they fit very nicely indeed. I really, really honestly don’t want to rub it in but I can’t tell you what a treat it is to see cricket in real life rather than on the telly; you are able to get distracted by watch what you want to see rather than what the TV boss has in mind, eg the umpires trundling from square leg to behind the stumps between overs, the players slumping into position, chewing the cud, in the slips, the (slightly worrying) blanket of cloud blow sideway across the ground, the idiosyncrasies of Conners’ run up. Hass elegantly leaves as I type, seems slightly concerned about his foot movement and is walking out towards square leg after each ball.