Around the Grounds: Plays of the Day

Division One:

Durham continued their distinctly average few weeks, collapsing to Amjad Khan (5-43) and Ntini (4-53) who shared 9 of the 10 Durham wickets between them.  Amjad now has 22 wickets @ 29 and Ntini 18 @ 23 to form a very potent new ball pair.  No Durham batsman passed 30 in their innings and as the day ended Kent's first innings lead was approaching 200 after a rapid 99* from just 106 balls from Darren Stevens.

Adam Lyth's form shows no sign of dipping as he cracked his second hundred of the season for Yorkshire against Hampshire. He now has 755 runs at 68 to top the Division One run scorers chart.  Yorkshire well in charge at 300/3.

Ryan ten Doeschate lived up to his unexpectedly high career batting average of 50 with an unusually sedate 85 off 173 for Essex against Lancashire.

At Taunton wickets tumbled - you don't hear that often - and for the second time in recent weeks Warwickshire capitulated for a derisory first innings total, this time 127 all out.  Alfonso Thomas excelling with 5-41.

Division Two:

19 year old Atif Sheikh impressed with 3-78, but off only 12 overs - his high economy rate largely accounted for by his faintly ridiculous 14 no balls, giving away 28 extra runs in the process.  Good talent, needs to work on his run up!

Andrew McDonald hit a maiden Championship fifty with 86 off 163 balls but was running out of partners with Leicestershire ending on 263-8 - he'll be hoping someone can hang around long enough for him to pick up those 14 runs.

I've covered Mal Loye's knock below, but his partner Nicky Boje warrants a mention with 77 at a very decent lick.  Alas no Surrey bowler is worthy of mentioning here....well go on then, Tom Jewell picked up his maiden first class wicket, and a good one too, Andrew Hall caught behind for just 5.