The crowd spread on to the Oval outfield at lunch like a lapping wave, enjoying the picture-book day and entertained by Gus Atkinson’s first proper run out since the Boxing Day Test.
Atkinson opened the bowling against Essex from the pavilion end, that now familiar toes-together, baby-steps approach, an opening spell on the money but he had to wait until after 6pm for his reward - Michael Pepper bowled tifter and boots. The pitch was friendly and Dean Elgar (92) and Paul Walter, with an excellent 101, duly tucked in, adding 183 for the first wicket. Surrey’s bowlers clawed back in the afternoon leaving the match evenly poised.
Joe Root, too, was making his County Championship debut for the summer, Yorkshire cap pulled tight, scooping up a bread and butter edge from James Coles at first slip and trundling through five overs. Yorkshire’s bowlers were thwarted by a merry sixth-wicket partnership between Sussex’s Tom Price (93) and John Simpson - who reached his hundred off the day’s penultimate ball.
Josh Tongue grabbed five wickets at Trent Bridge, for the fourth time in just eight first-class games for Nottinghamshire, but Warwickshire kept their nerve. Tongue fired down some brutish balls, though Beau Webster may regret the whooping drive at a wide one which zipped into his own stumps. Ed Barnard, visibly pained from the non-striker’s end, went on to an impressive 134 not out, Chris Woakes made 64.
Zak Crawley batted prettily for 27 before he was subsumed into Kent’s dismal collapse to 99 for seven, after choosing to bat at New Road. The lower order spruced things up, Matt Milnes last man standing on an undefeated fifty. Beyers Swanepoel, belatedly in Worcestershire colours after his plane flight fiasco, grabbed three wickets.
Marcus Harris, with his second century of the season, once again propped up Lancashire, against Durham; and Kiran Carlson did the same as Glamorgan fought back against Leicestershire, until he set off too eagerly and was run out, scrambling back, for 95, flat on his face for five seconds of disbelief. Sean Dickson was also out just short of a century.
At the County Ground, Anuj Dal slipped in his run up, injuring his ankle, and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher – Luis Reece his injury replacement. Shoaib Bashir, playing in his third match of the season for Derbyshire and getting overs under his belt at last, picked up two wickets, but Miles Hammond starred for Gloucestershire with 140 not out.
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