Derbyshire-Martin Andersson
Derbyshire batted beautifully on day one and two, scoring quickly and confidently. Whilst batting is usually very tricky on wettish green wickets early in the English summer, Derbyshire made it look easy, with five out of the top seven scoring over fifty runs. Martin Andersson was the standout though, making 228. His innings was positive and attacking, including 26 fours and 2 sixes.
Worcestershire-Dan Lategan
When a side scores that many runs like Derbyshire did, it is very easy to become deflated, however this was not the case for Dan Lategan. His second innings 89 was long but hard fought. This was very much the same for his 49 in the third innings. He capitalised on deliveries with width outside the off-stump, cutting and driving with distain.
Sussex-Henry Crocombe
Crocombe and Robinson both picked up five-fors to bowl Leicestershire out for 245. While it took Robinson 15.2 overs to take his, Crocombe managed his in 11.5. He bowled a good tight line outside the off stump that caused the batsmen to nick off, with three out of his five wickets coming from outside edges. If a Leicestershire loss wasn’t certain already, he claimed both Wetherald and Hill in two balls reducing Leicestershire to 52/4 in a chase of 481. He went on to take two more in the innings.
Leicestershire-Ben Green
Overall, Leicestershire was poor. Their top order struggled to get going and their bowling wasn’t great either. Ben Green made 43 not out and picked up three wickets. If it wasn’t for Ben Green’s lower-order stand, they may have been looking at a first innings total of 180. He grafted hard for his wickets in the first innings and was very economical. In the third innings he bagged two more.
Surrey-Ben Foakes
Ben Foakes could be pushing his way back into the England setup after Jamie Smith’s poor ashes. Surrey was reduced to 65/6 and looked to be in big trouble. However, Ben Foakes and Tom Lawes steadied the ship and managed to put on a respectable total. His innings of 128 was calm and controlled, blocking the good balls and putting away the bad balls. Whilst Lawrence and Smith also made big hundreds, it was Ben Foakes’s innings that brought them back from the brink of defeat and helped them selvedge a draw. If he can continue this form, he will surely be considered for the Test side this summer.
Warwickshire-Dan Mousley
Mousley came in with Warwickshire at 116/1 and in a very good position. He settled quickly and combined well with Sam Hain in a 212 run partnership. He found gaps well, with 100 out of 144 of his runs being fours. This forced Surrey into a tricky position and if it wasn’t for the wicket flattening out, they may have won by an innings.
Essex-Matt Critchley
Critchley played a beautiful array of shots targeting the leg side with flicks and pulls but also playing some lovely drives. His tenure at the crease was patient and disciplined. Despite coming in at a difficult period that favoured bowlers, he looked completely at ease. In the end, he fell for 173, his highest first-class score. To top everything off he picked up the last wicket in the second innings and finished with figures of 5/9 in the third, making this one of the greatest performances of all time.
Hampshire-Tom Prest
To be honest there were no real standouts for Hampshire as their players were all equally as bad. Essex won by an innings and 137 runs looking in control the whole game. However, if I had to pick someone it would be Tom Prest. He scored a valiant 55 despite the loss being certain. In addition, he also picked up one wicket in his four overs.
Glamorgan-Mason Crane
Crane played some tidy shots to bring up a well earnt fifty that helped take Glamorgan to their 302. With the ball he was even better taking a five-for. Whilst he did overpitch at points, for the most part he bowled a very good length that made batters misjudge whether to play of the back or the front foot. Crane used his spin to turn the ball past the outside edge. This left the batsmen pinned LBW and bowled. As if this wasn’t enough, he added three more wickets to his tally in the final innings.
Yorkshire-Dom Bess
Dom Bess was very much a workhorse holding up one end and bowling a tight line. His spell was economical (going at 1.78) on a slow turning wicket. Crucially, he built pressure for the seamers and picked up three wickets. Furthermore, Bess played a nice, quick lower-order cameo of 32. He then took a further four wickets in the third innings.
Middlesex-Lewis Du Plooy
The drizzly, overcast conditions looked very bowling friendly, so it was no surprise when Gloucestershire chose to bowl. Du Plooy came in at 51/2 where no side was clearly in control of the game. When he finally got out Middlesex were 435/8 and looked in a great position to win the match. His well worked 182 was one of the main contributors to Middlesex winning.
Gloucestershire-Miles Hammond
In a game were Gloucestershire struggled, losing by and innings and 14 runs, Hammond shone. He finished the first innings with figures of 2/2 off one over. Hammond came into bat when Gloucestershire were 26/3. Patiently, he anchored down the innings accumulating 77 off of 172 balls and spending nearly 100 more minutes at the crease than anyone else.
Durham-Emiliano Gay
Emiliano Gay is a very exciting prospect, and this was shown in his hundred against Kent. He used his strengths to great effect, flicking off the pads with ease and cutting with control. Additionally, the left-handed batter scored quickly and took Durham to a total of 335. Gay will likely be one of the top performers this season and should score bucket loads of runs. It will be interesting to see whether he commits to Italy, or he chooses to represent England in the future.
Kent-Keith Dudgeon
In a game disrupted by Storm Dave, Kent struggled. While they were let off by the storm and managed to salvage a draw, they played into the batsman’s hands and failed to make runs. However, Keith Dudgeon showed his class. He picked up four in the first innings and scored a valuable 22 runs. He claimed one more before the game was suspended and two more when play resumed on day three.
Somerset-James Rew
James Rew timed well and hit hard through the covers, making 64 of 139 balls. He was then pretty solid with the gloves taking three catches (one of them being a great diving catch down the leg side). In his second innings he played more aggressively, hitting to all parts of the ground and scoring 122.
Nottinghamshire-Dillon Pennington
Dillon Pennington claimed Lammonby early in the innings reducing Somerset to 14/2. Later on, he then cleaned up the Somerset tail quickly and effortlessly, taking all of the last four wickets. Pennington angled the ball across the right-handed batsmen very nicely, which caused them many problems.
Lancashire-Jimmy Anderson
Jimmy Anderson rolled back the years on Saturday picking up five wickets. He bowled just outside the off-stump challenging the edge and the stumps. These areas cause the batsmen many issues and left them looking very uncomfortable especially early on. With some decent swing on his side Anderson ripped through the top order claiming four wickets out of the five that reduced Northamptonshire to 41/5.
Northamptonshire-Ben Sanderson
Ben Sanderson was involved in the game with bat and ball in Northamptonshire’s draw against Lancashire. He took five great wickets in the first innings and then scored a very valuable 22. Sanderson then managed to survive 35 balls to stop Lancashire from getting the final wicket and winning.
Struck for a duck 