The Specsavers County Championship is now in full swing – it\'s like it has never been away. If you haven’t been obsessively checking scorecards throughout the day you might have missed some things. Cricket writer Peter Miller rounds up the best of the action from Week Three.
Let it snow
We have seen more pictures of snow in the last week than we did over the whole of the winter as a number of matches – including Glamorgan’s visit to Derby – were interrupted by snow flurries. This is not the first time that snow has had an effect on cricket in Derbyshire and it has happened even further into the months that we generously refer to as our summer.
In Buxton on 2 June 1975 a massive downfall of the white stuff interrupted a match between Derbyshire and Lancashire. Lancashire had batted first on the first day on 31 May and both teams went their separate ways for a Sunday League match. When they returned on the Monday it was a winter wonderland in the middle of summer. No play was possible that day, but they returned on the Tuesday and Derbyshire were bowled out for 42 and 87 on a pitch that had not been covered, to lose the game by an innings.
Rampaul Rampage
There were a number of eyebrows raised when Surrey announced they had signed West Indian seamer Ravi Rampaul – he had not played first-class cricket in three years when he made his Surrey debut against Nottinghamshire. While he struggled to keep the run-rate down in that opening game he still finished with eight wickets in the match, including 5-85 in the first innings.
Against Somerset on a very flat pitch Rampaul was in the wickets again with another five wicket haul in the first innings.
Those naysayers that thought Rampaul was past his best appear to have been a long way off the mark and Surrey’s Director of Cricket, Alec Stewart, seems to have pulled off a stunning bit of business. Rampaul brings experience and nous to a seam bowling line-up that is still finding its feet in Division One.
Bell, Robson, Vince or...?
Lots of batsmen have been making a case for their inclusion in the England line-up. There are spots up for grabs and players are scoring runs aplenty in attempt to claim a place.
Sam Robson made just 26 runs this week, but his efforts at Lord’s the week before were surely enough to get the selectors interested again. Ian Bell made another half-century against County Champions, Yorkshire, and has made it clear that he is far from finished as a top class middle-order batsman.
Perhaps the most impressive performer has been Bell’s Warwickshire colleague, Jonathan Trott. The former England number three is averaging 160 in Division One with only Robson and Kumar Sangakkara having made more runs. It is a real shame that he has called time on his international career, but great that he seems to be enjoying the county game.
Chances are it will be James Vince that makes his Test debut against Sri Lanka next month; he didn’t play this week but made an excellent hundred in the second round of matches. Meanwhile, Alastair Cook has been talking up his Essex colleague Nick Browne but that would be a real punt if the selectors went for him.
Runs, Runs, Runs
It isn’t just potential England players that have been making runs – everyone has been at it in the County Championship this season, with six players already passing 300 runs in first class cricket. While weather played a part in the number of draws this week, it is very telling that there have been only two wins in Division One and only three in Division Two after 19 matches. There have unquestionably been more batting friendly conditions this season and the reason seems to be because of the new toss regulations which mean that the visiting can choose to bowl first. Poor bowlers.
Reasons To Bragg
For Glamorgan there was a much improved performance after the opening match that saw them lose badly to Leicestershire. Against Derbyshire they batted first and made it to 377, built around a fifth first-class hundred for Will Bragg. He now sits on top of the first-class run scorers and averages list, and after a disappointing 2015 he has made a fine start to this new season.
There were wickets for Michael Hogan and Andrew Salter as Glamorgan took a first innings lead against their hosts. Salter came into the side for Mark Wallace who was left out of the side for the first time since 2001. Rain, sleet, hail and snow (or a combination of them) meant that the game finished as a draw but it was a big improvement from the loss in the first match of the Championship season.