There was high drama on the county circuit as the tenth round of matches in this season's LV= County Championship began to draw to a close today. Essex were humbled for a record-low of 20 by Lancashire, while Yorkshire went to the top of Division One by completing victory over highly-fancied Middlesex, and Durham won a thriller against defending champions Warwickshire.
There was again rain, mainly in the midlands, to affect matches in the LV= County Championship, but between the showers, Yorkshire took the upper hand over Middlesex, Nottinghamshire fought back against Derbyshire, Glamorgan had the better of day two against Kent, and the game at Chester-le-Street is nicely poised heading into day three.
10 years ago today (13th June), the first Twenty20 Cup matches were played in England and to celebrate the anniversary, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has launched a new video with highlights of the competition so far.
The opening match on that day saw Hampshire take on Sussex with four other matches taking place around the country and Surrey went on to win the first title.
Showers played their part as the tenth round of the LV= County Championship attempted to get properly underway around the country today. The opening days of the matches at Southampton between Hampshire and Gloucestershire and Arundel between Sussex and Surrey were abandoned without a ball bowled, while most others were affected to some degree.
There were centuries for Alex Lees and Kyle Coetzer as two of the 10th round matches in the LV= County Championship began today. The remaining matches will start tomorrow and are previewed below.
Looking ahead to this week's fixtures in the LV= County Championship, there are some interesting games ahead. Using some of the stats below provided by Opta, perhaps you can beat the bookmakers.
There were draws all round as the ninth round of matches in the LV= County Championship drew to a close. However, there were a couple of interesting finishes as Kent only just escaped against Hampshire and Middlesex were set a difficult target by Sussex before pulling out.
Bat continued to dominate ball in round nine of the LV= County Championship, with most of the matches looking destined to be draws heading into tomorrow's final day. Only at Wantage Road was there a result as Northamptonshire completed the anticipated win over Worcestershire to move further clear at the top of Division Two.
Runs continued to flow on the county circuit as the sun shone and Keith Barker, Nick Compton and Freddie van den Bergh completed centuries. The best of the wicket-taking action again came at Wantage Road, where Worcestershire look to be on the brink of defeat against Northamptomshire.
There were centuries for Varun Chopra, Michael Lumb, Chris Rogers and Jim Allenby on a high-scoring day of matches in the LV= County Championship. Worcestershire were the only side bowled out on the opening day of round nine fixtures as Northamptonshire's pace attack proved too hot to handle at Wantage Road.
We preview tomorrow's round nine LV= County Championship matches and look back at last night's Graham Napier-led demolition of Surrey.
Round eight of the LV= County Championship gets underway this week with a seven fixtures as Sussex (Division One) and Northamptonshire (Division Two) look to stay at the top.
Meanwhile, Somerset, Surrey, and Kent are still waiting for their first win. Using the stats in this article, can you beat the bookies by placing your cricket bets with bet365?
A doughty unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 70 in 23 overs between Ben Brown and Chris Jordan helped Sussex earn a draw on the final day of their LV= County Championship Division One match against Nottinghamshire at Hove. There was also a win for Worcestershire in Rotterdam in the Yorkshire Bank 40.
It was another sun-drenched day on the county circuit, with wins for Durham, Essex, Northamptonshire, Middlesex, Somerset and Gloucestershire in the Yorkshire Bank 40.
In the LV= County Championship, Ricky Ponting tormented Derbyshire a little longer before their game at Derby ended in the anticipated draw, while Nottinghamshire moved into a good position with a day to go at Hove.
There was last-ball drama at Aigburth as Gloucestershire only narrowly escaped with a draw against Lancashire. Elsewhere, there was a tense nine-run win in the Yorkshire Bank 40 for Worcestershire and a debut Surrey century for Ricky Ponting.
There were welcome wickets for Chris Tremlett as he ensured that his name was kept in the thoughts of the England selectors on the day that they bowled poorly at Lord's. Elsewhere, Daryl Mitchell led Worcestershire's bonus points charge against Essex and Somerset avoided the follow-on to escape with a draw against Yorkshire.
There was enough cricket played in between the rain delays today to provide some interesting talking points. Shivnarine Chanderpaul made up for a delayed start at Derby by hitting an unusually brisk century, while Adam Lyth found himself on a hat-trick at Taunton, and Jack Shantry out-bowled Alan Richardson to be Essex's unexpected tormentor at New Road.
Rain again decimated the day's county cricket action, with the opening day of the second division match between Northamptonshire and Hampshire at Wantage Road abandoned without a ball bowled.
There were wins for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Sussex, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire in today's Yorkshire Bank 40 matches, with the Foxes' win over Somerset coming during a match in which well over 600 runs were scored and which saw three centuries. The Championship match at Southampton between Hampshire and Lancashire finished in a draw.
There were draws at Chester-le-Street, New Road and Chelmsford today as the seventh round of the LV= County Championship drew to a close. In Southampton, the final day is set up nicely thanks to another five-wicket haul from Lancashire captain Glen Chapple.
The demise of Somerset in very much the talking point on the county circuit at the moment, with the county giving further ammunition to their critics by collapsing for 108 to lose inside two days to Sussex. Elsewhere, Worcestershire built on Alan Richardson's eight-wicket haul yesterday thanks to a Moeen Ali century, while Durham took the upper hand over Middlesex.
There were two eight-wicket hauls in the LV= County Championship as the seventh round got into full swing today. Alan Richardson has now taken 20 wickets in his last three bowls after starring against Kent and now Gloucestershire, while Steve Magoffin added to Somerset's Championship woes by leading their humbling for 76.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has unveiled a new and ambitious strategic plan with the goal of delivering successful England teams at all levels, producing a vibrant domestic game and increasing and enthusing participation during the period 2014-17.
The latest strategic plan - Champion Counties - has been designed to build on the outstanding success of the 2005 plan - Building Partnerships - and the subsequent 2009 initiative - Grounds to Play.
A round-up of the day's county cricket action plus previews of tomorrow's round seven games.
