Yates secures Warwickshire win as Hameed guides Notts to safety Rob Yates inspired Warwickshire to an effervescent seven-wicket win against the champions Essex with just eight balls to spare. A match that had been too tight to call all the way through inched, then tipped, Warwickshire’s way as Yates, unbeaten on 120, was backed up by a touch-perfect Hanuma Vihari and Sam Hain, who reached his fifty with a six. Simon Harmer, destroyer of so many fourth‑innings dreams, went wicketless. Yates brushed the winning runs and was applauded off the field by Essex. It was the second game in a row that Warwickshire had pitched a flawless run-chase and Essex’s first first-class defeat in 22 matches. In the gallant pursuit of the season, Ricardo Vasconcelos and Rob Keogh twinkled and whooped along to 357 for Northamptonshire, with six overs to spare, to beat Glamorgan by seven wickets. After a sporting declaration by Glamorgan, Vasconcelos hit 185 not out, his highest first-class score, and Keogh 126, his second hundred of the season, with the player’s balcony bouncing as Vasconcelos brought up his 150 with a six over mid-on. Matt Parkinson, who bubbled all through the winter with England without playing a match, pocketed seven for 126, a career best, as Lancashire thrashed Kent by an innings and five runs, moving to the top of Group Three. Kent lost three early wickets for four runs, including the captain Daniel Bell‑Drummond for 114; and despite doughty defence from Joe Denly and Heino Kuhn, Parkinson skittled the final wickets after tea. Haseeb Hameed notched his second century of the match as Nottinghamshire, following-on, batted through the day at New Road without losing a wicket to draw with Worcestershire. Hameed and his opening partner Ben Slater, who both finished unbeaten on 114, faced 635 deliveries, the highest number of balls in a County Championship match. It took Yorkshire just over an hour to polish off Sussex, winning by 48 runs. Dom Bess, who admitted he had come back from India hating cricket, took the final wicket to finish with six for 53. Gloucestershire pulled a draw from the undergarments of defeat as a last-wicket stand from Josh Shaw and Dominic Goodman defied Hampshire. A full 22 overs were left when Goodman, playing in only his second match and still a student at Exeter University, joined Shaw, with Gloucestershire clutching an 11-run lead after following-on, but they stood their ground. Brad Wheal finished with four for 59. Obstinacy was the name of the game at the Riverside where Derbyshire had to bat out 96 overs. Wayne Madsen and Matt Critchley shackled themselves to the crease for much of the afternoon. Both fell in quick succession but the wickets came too late for Durham. Neither side has yet won a game this season. Thanks for all your great company over the last four days - what a round that was. Warwickshire steal the headlines, but some smashing wins from Northamptonshire, from Lancashire, Somerset, Middlesex and Yorkshire. Great tenacity too from Derbyshire, Notts and particularly Gloucestershire. Too many gongs to hand out, so I’ll scatter them widely - hope Has grabbed one, and Vasconcelos and Yates, Parky, Bess and Josh Shaw and Dominic Goodman. And everyone else who has slipped my mind in the jumble of numbers and names. See you again on Thursday. Good night! Northants beat Glamorgan by seven wickets Hampshire draw with Gloucestershire Well played Josh Shaw and Dom Goodman! Durham draw with Derbyshire Warwickshire beat Essex by seven wickets Well, well, well! Rob Yates 120, applauded off the field by the Essex fielders. Back to back wins for Warwickshire and a surprise defeat for the County Champs. Plucky Gloucestershire! Missed out on avoiding the follow-on by one run yesterday but here the last wicket pair of Shaw and Goodman have put Hampshire off for three quarters an hour, Goodman 0 off 32 balls. Just a handful of overs left. A wicket! At Edgbaston! With 12 runs needed. Sam Hain gone for 60. A lovely email from stowaway, Wrik Ghosh: “Hope you’re enjoying the game! Have just finished my shift at the vaccine centre at Edgbaston and have managed to get out onto a balcony in time for the Yates hundred! Must be one of only a few spectators, loving it!” So glad - you deserve it. And with a sweet sounding push down the ground for four, Rob Yates reaches 100! What a great innings, 11 fours, one six, he takes his helmet off and is cheered to the rooftops and beyond by his teammates. He had blunted Harmer, something that not many Championship players can say, in. only his 21st match. Popping back to post this: Northants need only 35! And with an oooh and and an ahhh off Dan Lawrence’s bowling, I’d better get started on the round-up; but I’ll update regularly from this match should wickets start to fall. Warwicks now need only 69 runs. Thanks Mes (via Dave Bracegirdle) for this: “Hearing that Haseeb Hameed has faced the most deliveries in any county championship match EVER - 635 deliveries.” Nottinghamshire draw with Worcestershire Hameed and Slater finish 114 not out; two hundreds for Hameed in the match. Great defensive rear-guard by Nottinghamshire. A simply gorgeous shot by Sam Hain who on drives Sam Cook for four, just 74 needed. Hain 27 and untroubled Rob Yates 85. Northants only need 77 with a hundred now for Rob Keogh to go with Vasconcelos’s 144. And Harmer comes off after 26 overs (0-57) as Tom Westley gives Dan Lawrence a throw of the dice. Warwickshire in not one iota of trouble, though the run-rate is slightly bubbling - 83 needed off 21 overs. Warwicks 173-2. Lancashire beat Kent by an innings and four runs Wow! A career-best 7-126 for Matt Parkinson. Much better from Kent in the second-innings, led by a century from Bell-Drummond and 80 from Jordan Cox, but no-one could stick around. Lancashire’s mammoth 525 set the platform. Lancashire nearly there.... reports suggest Ollie Robinson is farming the strike but I wager he can’t protect Miguel Cummins for an hour and a half. Kent 351-9. Notts have now passed their record opening stand against Worcestershire; and Northants plough on under Keogh and Vasconcelos - 127 to win, catching up with Warwicks who only need 97 now. A second hundred for Hameed! What a match! A hundred in 288 balls. A virtual clap on the back and a pocketful of pride. Would love to think this would free him of whatever daemons are still lurking. Hameed on 98; Madsen and Critchley have put on 109 for Derby; Cockbain and Higgins have cobbled together 30; Kent trail by 10 runs, 2 wickets in hand; and at The County Ground Vasconcelos is 107 not out! As Essex crunch down the steps at the City end, crows circle the ground. It this a sign? Essex gather in a circle for a final-session pow wow and Siddle has the ball. Tea-time scores GROUP ONE Riverside: Durham 475 all out and 175-2dec v Derbyshire 267 and 198-3. DERBY NEED 186 TO WIN Edgbaston: Warwickshire 284 and 140-2 v Essex 295 and 244 WARWICKS NEED 116 TO WIN New Road: Worcestershire 436 v Nottinghamshire 276 and 213-0 GROUP TWO Rose Bowl: Hampshire 470 all out v Gloucestershire 320 all out and 133-4 Grace Road: Leicestershire 233 and 199 LOST to Somerset 318 and 118--1 BY NINE WICKETS Lord’s: Middlesex 268 beat Surrey 154 all out and 130 by 10 wickets GROUP THREE Canterbury: Kent 169 and 345-8 v Lancashire 525 all out The County Ground: Northamptonshire 364 AND 198-2 v Glamorgan 407 all out and 311-5dec NORTHANTS NEED 157 TO WIN Hove: Sussex 221 all out and 186 LOSE TO Yorkshire 150 and 305 by 48 runs. A wicket! Paul Walter! His first ball of the innings! Caught behind off the bat’s bottom edge and Vihari has to go, with the utmost reluctance. Is this the breakthrough?Warwicks 126-2. Gosh, I’d taken my eyes off Northants. Vasconcelos (86) and Keogh (51) are motoring along to 167-2 - 188 to win, which must still be in the mix. Essex are leaking runs, Harmer’s last over just went for ten. This doesn’t even have the feel of a contest at the moment. They need a Joe Root type golden over. Sir Alastair? Five for Parky! Milnes lbw for 14 -Kent 327-8 - and Parkinson becomes the third spinner to take a five-fer in 24 hours after Bess and Carson! Who ever said Championship cricket in April was a bad idea. Harmer, meanwhile, is wicketless and Warwicks need only 147. An email wings its way through the ether from Mike Daniels. “As I’m happily watching Warks’ serene progress to victory against Essex my mind is turning to the start of the national 60+ County competition on Tuesday. “We’ll (Warks) be hosted by Staffordshire and matches will be played across the country. As a matter of note, senior cricket is growing fast. We’re putting out three 50+ and 60+ sides this year and two 70+ sides whilst there are a number of counties who put out even more. The cricket played is of a good competitive quality and if any readers find themselves in the vicinity of a game when spectating restrictions are relaxed then come along and have a watch.” Thanks Mike and good luck! Has has now spent 12 hours at the crease. More than he spent in the entire 2018 and 2019 seasons put together I’d wager. Slater 92, Has 83. Notts 183-0 and they now have a 23 run lead. Kent suffering one of their collapses, and this one smells terminal. Joe Denly is bowled by Danny Lamb, Heino Kuhn lbw to him, both in the thirties. Darren Stevens is caught off Parky for a (whisper it)a duck. Kent 311-7 with 45 needed just to make Lancs bat again. I’m just waiting for GBH to start. But we’ve had 40 minutes and Vihari and Yates are still there. Maybe it won’t happen. Is that possible? If I was writing a traditional (ie bluntly rude) 1980s school report on Slater and Hameed, my twopennethworth would read:”showing overdue application.” Twenty-first century me just thinks Allelujah! Notts 169-0, Slater 84 not out, Has 78 not out. Great read here by Ali on Zainab Abbas, who’ll be a face/voice of the Hundred. Highly qualified, a huge cricket fan and with squillions of social media followers. Peter Siddle is not very happy about that lbw being turned down, he stands at the batsman’s end for an age and then keeps turning back to give a steely stare/gab at the batsman. The runs had dried up here at Edgbaston and Rob Yates has had enough. He lofts Harmer for a straight six. A bolt from the blue. While at The County Ground, Vasconcelos reaches fifty at a run a ball, but ,disaster, Thurston and Curran fall in consecutive overs. Northants 87-2 need another 268. Harmer dusts his hand in the pitch, sunglasses on, jumper pulled characteristically low over his bottom, he steps in from the pavillion end. Ten Doeschate crouches under the helmet. Yates watches and prods. A third Derby wicket falls at Chester le Street, du Plooy lbw to Ben Raine for 29. Derby 99-3, 285 needed.