UK News
Nottinghamshire v Somerset, Leicestershire v Essex, and more: county cricket day four – live | Sport
Key events
Tea time scores
Division One
Grace Road: Leicestershire 187 and 428 v Essex 401 and 99-2 Essex need 116 to win
Trent Bridge: Somerset 310 and 355-7dec BEAT Nottinghamshire 193 and 166 by 306 runs.
Hove: Sussex 521 BEAT Glamorgan 155 and 268 by an innings and 98 runs
Scarborough: Yorkshire 469 and 246-6dec v Warwickshire 263 and 237-5 Warwicks need 216 to win
Division Two
Chester-le-Street: Durham 377 BEAT Derbyshire 118 and 237 by an innings and 22 runs
Blackpool: Kent 178 and 332 BEAT Lancashire 87 and 283 by 140 runs
Northampton: Northamptonshire 465 v Gloucestershire 268 and 387 Northants need 191 to win
New Road: Worcestershire 265 and 191-7 v Middlesex 339 and 283-6dec Worcs need 167 to win
To Scarborough: where Sam Hain (63) and Ed Barnard (280 are keeping Warwickshire hopes alive, a flying George Hill not quite able to get hand on ball. Ah, they’re going in for tea now, needing 216 off 35 overs, five wickets left. Enthralling stuff for those sitting sunning themselves on the bleachers.
Rehan Ahmed, unwanted by England, lurches left to take a super catch to get rid of Tom Westley at Grace Road. Scriven the wicket taker. Essex 86-2.
Gloucestershire are really getting stuck into their task at Wantage Road – the lead is now 176. James Bracey now 137, Will Williams, whose obstinance Lancs would have liked at Blackpool, 7 in 40 minutes.
While at New Road, Cullen (15) and Taylor (6) continue to hold up Middlesex – Worcs seven down, needing another 179.
Looks lovely and sunny at Grace Road, as the clouds stitch a blanket over Manchester. Walter and Westley moving things along. Essex 73-1 need another 143.
England Test XI: Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker to make their debuts
There are four changes from England’s XI at Lord’s. Jordan Cox, fresh from a magnificent 204 against Leicestershire, and Sonny Baker will make their Test debuts. Jofra Archer returns, as does Matt Fisher, replacing his Surrey teammate Gus Atkinson who, along with Ben Stokes, wasn’t considered for selection after breaking the curfew. There is no space this time for Shoaib Bashir.
James Rew could also make his Test debut at The Oval, if Jamie Smith’s wife goes into labour.
England XI: Ben Duckett, Emilio Gay, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root (capt), Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Jordan Cox, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue, Matthew Fisher, Sonny Baker
Somerset (thank you Anthony Gibson) were without Toms Kohler-Cadmore, Abell, Banton and Lammonby and Will Smede, and then were raided by England for James Rew and lost Lewis Gregory to a hamstring mid-game.
Somerset BEAT Notts by 306 runs – five wickets for Coverton
Overton with the final wicket as Ali swats like a man about to be stung and Alfie Ogborne takes the catch, running over to Overton for a bear hug. Happy handshakes all round. O’Neill undefeated on 54, Notts all out for 166 and defeated for the first time in 15 matches.
Trent Bridge: Somerset 310 and 355-7dec BEAT Nottinghamshire 193 and 166 by 306 runs.
Somerset 21 points, Notts 3 points.
The wheels have fallen off and rolled into the gutter at New Road. Worcestershire, 123-7 at lunch, are now 156-7. Three for Zafar Gohar, one for Seb Morgan.
An early Essex wicket at Grace Road: “In a variation to his first innings dismissal, Elgar’s caught at slip off Davey to give Leicestershire some hope.” says Mike Daniels.
“I’m worried about Ben”
Some quite worrying quotes from Brendon McCullum about Ben Stokes.
Half a big Somerset boot is across the line as Dillon Pennington becomes wicket number four for Craig Overton, driving to backward point. O’Neill stands, thoughtful at the non-striker’s end on 45. Mohammad Ali gets a snorter first ball but survives. Notts 153-9.
Regulations, regulations. Over to you Mike Daniels: “Apparently the regs are that the 15 mins is taken if there’s a chance of a result and it’s the last innings of the game, whereas the 30 mins taken here was because that’s mandatory when there are 9 wkts down in any innings.
“That’s the combined wisdom of the scorers and the match referee at lunch. Apparently you can take the 15 mins and the 30 mins subsequently if it’s the last innings of the game.”
On a Monday in June?
100 for James Bracey
A second hundred of the season for James Bracey who has stitched Gloucestershire’s second innings together. Daz Ahmed was lbw just before lunch, so Matt Taylor joins the vigil. The lead over Northants 125.
Lewis Hill out at last for 127 – Essex need 215 to win
Could be interesting…. especially as Essex are without Jordan Cox in their second innings. All hail last man out Lewis Hill, bowled t’ween bat and pad heaving for the rope, for 127, walks off chastising himself. A second wicket for Critchley. Three each for Snater and Harmer.
Lunch at Trent Bridge, where a furious Craig Overton stalks off after missing a catch at slip in the last over before lunch, bowled by Jack Leach.
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 193 and 138-8 v Somerset 310 and 355-7dec Notts need 335 to win
While at Grace Road they will play on till 1.30 – thanks to Mike Daniels for the info.“Scorer tells me they’re playing on for half an hour or 8 overs, rather than 15 mins. Don’t know the regs myself.”
They’re playing on for 15 mins at Grace Road too, where Lewis Hill is still keeping vigil on 113, but has lost Josh Davey after 65 minutes of defence. Leics 414-9 lead by 200.
Lunchtime-ish scores
Division One
Grace Road: Leicestershire 187 and 414-9- v Essex 401
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 193 and 129-8 v Somerset 310 and 355-7
Hove: Sussex 521 BEAT Glamorgan 155 and 268 by an innings and 98 runs
Scarborough: Yorkshire 469 and 246-6dec v Warwickshire 263 and 139-4 Warwicks need 314 to win
Division Two
Chester-le-Street: Durham 377 BEAT Derbyshire 118 and 237 by an innings and 22 runs
Blackpool: Kent 178 and 332 BEAT Lancashire 87 and 283 by 140 runs
Northampton: Northamptonshire 465 v Gloucestershire 268 and 306-8
New Road: Worcestershire 265 and127-3 v Middlesex 339 and 283-6 Worcs need 231 to win
A Thomas Rew stat that I missed yesterday – he is the third youngest Somerset centurion after Trevor Jones and Marcus Trescothick. He beats brother James by one precious day. They’re playing an extra 15 mins at Trent Bridge to try and get this game polished off.
Worcestershire had been enjoying a fruitful morning – but have just lost Roderick for 20, lbw to Eathan Bosch, a name he must always have to spell out over the telephone. (I feel his pain). Ben Allison 71 not out. Worcs 117-3 need another 241 to beat Middx.
They’re on at Wantage Road, but James Bracey (93) and Daz Ahmed are hanging on in there. Gloucs 398-7 lead Northants by 101. Ahmed, who came through SACA, is playing in his second f-c match.
Jack Haynes, Nottinghamshire’s last real hope, get a wobbler from Pretorius that shimmies past, and touches, the outside edge, Notts 104 for eight.
100 for Lewis Hill
Well played Lewis Hill! Back-to-the-wall innings of the year? Over six hours of concentration. Leicestershire 397-8 and Essex’s frustration grows.
To Scarborough, where George Hill is also polishing his all-round credentials – 65 not out yesterday, 3 for 23 with the ball today. Warwickshire are listing badly – three wickets down this morning – 97 for four, 355 more to win.
Patterson-White has a waft and is caught at second slip by Craig Overton scooping the ball off the turf with both hands – Pretorius with the wicket. Notts down and nearly out – 87-7.
Elsewhere, Simon Harmer has extracted Tom Scriven from the Grace Road pitch, but Lewis Hill’s nearly-six-hour opus continues. He’s now got Josh Davey (5 in 23 balls) for company. The lead over Essex is 148.
Rew highlights
Thanks to WashingtonIrvine BTL for the link to the Rew brother’s batting partnership yesterday and Tom’s first century. So young, so talented.
Thomas Rew! What catch, diving to his right in front of first slip with open mitt, and only wearing the gloves because brother James was called up by England yesterday. T Rew and James Coles are currently battling for allround performance of the round. A pair for Lyndon James, a second wicket for Overton this morning.
Notts 75 for six and looking lightly to slip to defeat at fortress Trent Bridge for the first time since May 2024 against Hampshire
And there’s the next big wicket for Somerset, HH, who turns Overton off his hip and into the gloves of Thomas Rew. Notts 69 for five and HH is another player, like Saif Zaib until this round, who hasn’t been able to match last year’s plenty.
Stories of women’s cricket in Scotland wanted!
Fiona Reid and Bunny Warren are trying to find hidden stories of women’s cricket in Scotland over the last 150 years. If you have any, do contact them at Fiona.Reid@bayfirth.co.uk . Find out more here
Weather watch – no play yet at Northampton
Mostly positive, with sunny spells, though there are some showers moving north and east. At Wantage Road, they’re starting to mop up.
A huge wicket! Joe Clarke is bowled by Jake Ball, who was substituted in half way through the game because of Gregory’s hamstring. Delight for Somerset, despair for Clarke who was done for pace. Notts 51-4,
Big Craig with the second over of the morning, after Joe Clarke tickles four off Jake Ball’s first ball of the day. Not many in the white tip-up seats. And that’s a maiden.
Eyes first to Trent Bridge, where Notts are trying to avoid their first defeat of the season, and their first since May 2025 when they lost to Durham at Chester le Street. Anthony Gibson thinks it is a bowling morning moving onto a batting afternoon.
Good morning Mike Daniels in the Grace Road scorebox. “Will it be a Headingly ‘81 day here or will Leicestershire subside to another tame loss?
“It’s frustrating for their supporters to see the optimism generated by last season’s promotion dissipated by the performances this year.
“Yes, there are mitigating factors with key players missing for either the whole or part of the season and a great overseas signing subsequently withdrawn by the SA Board, but the batting hasn’t generally been good enough from the established players. Days like yesterday, when grit was shown, are more frustrating as it shows what has been missing from the first innings, and too many innings so far this year.
“The workmanlike bowling attack was never going to be strong enough to win games in Div 1 so the onus was on the batting, and it hasn’t delivered.
“There’s still time to put strong performances in this season and supporters are hoping they’ll show the fight they showed yesterday in the coming games.”
Deepti Sharma popped Pakistan dreams.
Ollie Robinson ruled out of the second Test
Due to that knee soreness he felt after the first Test. He will stay with the squad and undergo rehab work ahead of the third Test. Which means England’s bowling attack will have at least three changes from Lord’s – minus Stokes, Atkinson and Robinson.
Scores on the doors
Division One
Grace Road: Leicestershire 187 and 326-7 v Essex 401
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 193 and 47-3v Somerset 310 and 355-7
Hove: Sussex 521 BEAT Glamorgan 155 and 268 by an innings and 98 runs
Scarborough: Yorkshire 469 and 246-6 v Warwickshire 263 and 44-1
Division Two
Chester-le-Street: Durham 377 BEAT Derbyshire 118 and 237 by an innings and 22 runs
Blackpool: Kent 178 and 332 BEAT Lancashire 87 and 283 by 140 runs
Northampton: Northamptonshire 465 v Gloucestershire 268 and 264-7
New Road: Worcestershire 265 and 33-2 v Middlesex 339 and 283-6 Worcs need 325 to win
Sunday’s roundup: Mahmud’s six continues Kent’s revival
Hasan Mahmud poured cold water over the Blackpool sandcastles with a career-best six for 69, nine wickets in the match, bowling Kent to a 140-run victory over Lancashire. He lifted the match ball as he led Kent off, enveloped in a huge hug from head coach Adam Hollioake as he crossed the rope – not a bad debut performance.
Kent’s dismal start to the season has been transformed, with three wins in four games. Lancashire’s though, has slipped dangerously – this a third defeat in four. Marcus Harris was stranded on an immaculate 91, though for a time, as the crowd on the bleachers soaked in the afternoon sun, the unlikely seemed possible, as Keaton Jennings (61) and Liam Livingstone (47) stuck to the task.
Sussex leaped to the top of the Division One table with an innings victory over Glamorgan at Hove. Glamorgan batted with furrowed concentration second time around, with half centuries for Ben Kellaway (55) and Asa Tribe (64), but Sussex chipped away. Captain Tom Haines snaffled three wickets as did double-centurion James Coles, who put the full stop on a magical match by bowling Ryan Hadley.
Durham coach Ryan Campbell, buoyant after the innings defeat of Derbyshire, confirmed he expects Ben Stokes to play for his team next week. He also praised Matthew Potts, whose eight for 66 cannoned Durham to victory. “When you find out you’re not going to be selected [by England], you can go one of two ways,” said Campbell. “You can be down in the dumps, or you can be Matthew Potts and take eight wickets. It just shows the qualities of the man.”
Potts’ four wickets in 19 balls ended Derbyshire’s resistance, though Harry Came carried his bat for 105. Earlier Lewis Moody, on his fundraising cycle ride from Newcastle RUFC to Twickenham, had called in to Chester le Street.
Eighteen-year-old Tom Rew hit his maiden first-class century for Somerset, a delightfully racy knock, as they dominated Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
England pulled Jordan Cox, fresh from his 204, out of Essex’s match against Leicestershire early as cover for Jamie Smith, whose partner is due to give birth to their second child. On the pitch, a dogged Leicestershire second innings, following on, hauled the game into a fourth day.
Preamble
Hello! Monday morning and there’s three empty places at the breakfast table – Chester-le-Street, Blackpool and Hove have all left early.
But there’s still lots to chew over – can Somerset’s bowlers run through the rest of Notts? Will Leicester’s dogged Sunday be in vain?Will Yorkshire pickle out Warwicks, Middlesex, Worcester and Northants stride up the table? All this and more, from 11am. Do join us.
The family of Shaun Burton, say they are “devastated” by the loss.
Source link
Key events
In the opening half an hour against Cape Verde, Mikel Oyarzabal, the centre-forward, did not get a single touch.
Kyle Green gets in touch: “Your highlighting of Lalas and his absurdity is something that has prevented me from wanting to watch the coverage on Fox. While every channel has its pros and cons I just can’t.
“I’m 45 and probably the youngest of anyone who remembers him as a player instead of an opinionated insert insult here. As for the match this could be more competitive than it looks on paper Spain need a win the pressure is on them. Saudi Arabia could hold out for a draw and see what happens in their last match. “
News from the England camp, and it seems to be good news on Declan Rice.
“I’m ready and fit, raring to go. I was feeling a little bit of neural pain in my hamstring, which I was managing from after Christmas with Arsenal for a very long time. Obviously, not a lot of people would have known that. It was all behind-the-scenes stuff but it was a smart decision.
“In the end, that last 20 minutes is probably where you pick up the most, and it’s where you play a 70-minute match. But that last 20 is where you really feel your body going for it. And I think it was a smart decision because the last few days I felt really, really good.”
Alex Reid has penned today’s weekend special Football Daily.
Portugal v Uzbekistan on Tuesday enticingly pits the incredibly nice, incredibly 41-year-old-superstar-tolerant Roberto Martínez against Fabio Cannavaro, who’s won a Ballon d’Or as a player and the Chinese Super League as a coach. While the fixture following that game really does see the dream of Thomas Tuchel – in his first international job with England – taking on Queiroz, who is in charge of his ninth national side with Ghana.
The expected formations are 4-2-3-1 for Spain, and 5-3-2 for the Saudi Arabians.
The Saudi team features two Donis changes: Ali Lajami, a defender, and Nasser Al Dawsari, a midfielder, are preferred to Mohammed Abu Al Shamat and Mohamed Kanno. You may recall Salem Al Dawsari, the Saudi captain, as the man who scored the winner against Argentina.
An entertaining read, even for those of us who have just seen the clips.
In a conversation where his co-panelist is casually reminiscing about his days playing alongside Messi or exchanging shirts with Ronaldo Nazário at the World Cup, what exactly is Lalas going to talk about – coming on as a second-half substitute for Earnie Stewart in a friendly against Scotland in 1998? Helping the Kansas City Wizards finish last in the 1999 MLS Western Conference? Did Lalas enjoy an elite playing career? No. But does he do the background reading that could compensate for his relative lack of standing in a conversation with titans like Henry and Zlatan? Also no. But is he charming or funny or charismatic or otherwise magnetic on screen? Eh, no.
For the record, I once interviewed Alexi Lalas on the challenge of playing against Romario in the 1994 World Cup. He had this to say:
“He could kill you in so many different ways. If you remember from that World Cup, he scored so many types of goals. That ranged from solo adventures to an outside-of-the-right-foot half-volley off a corner kick. Romario was both the most difficult to play against and the best that I have faced.
“Roberto Baggio was doing his thing, but in terms of consistency and living up to the hype, he [Romario] was the best. As with all stars, there was a moment when the fans sit up in their seats, and that was a feeling I got with Romario. When it got close to him and the potential for his involvement in a play was there, everybody sat up in their seat. They knew that something spectacular would be happening.”
Saturday’s match reports here.
The Saudi Arabia coach, and Blackburn legend, Georgios Donis, spoke about the challenges facing his team: “Spain is not the same team when Yamal or Williams are on the bench.
“While they still have plenty of possession, they lack the individual one-on-one penetration when these two are missing. I’m not saying it’s a problem for Spain, but when those players are missing, they play in a different way. We saw this very clearly against Cape Verde.
“We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, and it’s very important that when you play against these kinds of teams, you should enjoy the experience and respect the opponent, but not too much.
“It is very hard for any team playing against Spain to have any time in possession. So what we must do is to be more in control of our movement and compact, and when the ball goes through the lines, be able to defend dynamically.
“It’s nice to see miracles in football, and we’ve seen favourites losing against underdogs. Of course, it’s great for Saudi football to have a great memory of the result against Argentina, but we aren’t drawing anything from that.
“I think we’ll feel more pressure in that [Cape Verde] game than we will against Spain.”
The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up… It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”
Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.
The teams – Lamine Yamal starts
Spain: Simon, Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella, Gonzalez, Rodri, Yamal, Olmo, Baena, Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Llorente, Merino, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Pino, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.
Saudi Arabia: Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Tambakti, Lajami, Al Amri, Al Harbi, Nasser Al Dawsari, Al Khaibari, Al Juwayr, Al Buraikan, Salem Al Dawsari. Subs: Al Aqidi, Al Kassar, Majrashi, Yahya, Al Shehri, Al Boushal, Kadesh, Al Johani, Al Ghannam, Al Hajji, Al Hamdan, Mandash, Kanno, Thakri, Abu Al Shamat.
Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)
Perhaps one of the Saudi -players can write themselves into this high-grade selection?
Perhaps it can be their goalkeeper.
Madrid screening of Spain v Saudi Arabia cancelled due to heat
The public screening of Spain’s World Cup match against Saudi Arabia in Madrid on Sunday has been cancelled because of extreme heat forecast for the Spanish capital, officials said.
The match, due to kick off at 6pm local time on Sunday, had been scheduled to be shown on a giant screen installed by the Spanish football federation (RFEF) at a fan zone in Plaza de Colón in central Madrid.
Madrid city council and the federation decided to cancel the screening after national weather agency AEMET issued an orange heat warning – the second-highest level – for the Madrid region, with temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
“The decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the health of attendees, event staff and support services involved in the event,” Madrid city hall said in a statement, apologising for any inconvenience.
Officials urged supporters to watch the match indoors in air-conditioned spaces and avoid prolonged exposure to the heat.
Large parts of Spain are experiencing unusually high temperatures for June as a mass of hot air from North Africa moves across the Iberian Peninsula.
A total of 13 of Spain’s 17 regions are on orange alert for heat on Sunday, while the northern Basque Country bordering France is on red alert, the highest level.
Authorities advised residents and visitors to take precautions during the heatwave, including drinking water regularly, staying in cool environments, limiting outdoor physical activity during the hottest hours of the day and taking extra care of vulnerable people. AFP
Can Saudi Arabia repeat the magic of 2022?
Argentina arrived in Qatar on a 36-game unbeaten run. When Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 10 minutes, a comfortable afternoon seemed in the offing. Saleh al-Shehri and Salem al-Dawsari had other ideas, Argentina had three goals disallowed for offside in the space of 13 minutes and the greatest comeback in Saudi Arabia football history was made. Argentina went on to lift the trophy, while defeats to Poland and Mexico meant the Saudis did not reach the knock-out stage.
Unai Simon over David Raya is a controversial choice for De la Fuentes. The Arsenal keeper could lay claim to being Europe’s best this season.
“Those at the Champions League final had a few more days, so I got there on the Wednesday night,” Raya says. “I arrived a bit before Fabián [Ruiz]. I was saying hello to some of the others in reception when he arrived. I went to say congratulations; that was almost the first thing I did. I couldn’t really talk [to him] after the final; I just didn’t have it in me. The next day we talked about the game properly. Just two mates chatting … I was happy for him that he could lift the trophy for a second time.”
A high pressure game for the European champions, as Sid Lowe reports.
“If we had scored one, the game would have changed,” Martín Zubimendi said. Immediately after the game, De la Fuente had offered a simple analysis: when the ball doesn’t want to go in it doesn’t want to go in, he insisted. Spain had racked up 27 shots, after all. Ferran Torres had hit the bar and seen another clear opportunity saved. Vozinha, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who stopped that, saved six more and was named the man of the match. “There’s nothing to reproach the team for,” Rodri said. “We generated chances but couldn’t put it away; the good thing is they created almost nothing.”
We wait to see what role Lamine Yamal will play today. His coach would surely like to be able to use him.
The worst mistake we could make would be to compare him to anyone. He is the midst of a process. He has exceptional footballing maturity and lives it all with total naturalness. He has great serenity and strength. We have to let him follow his path but those players who have something different are ready for that. They’re geniuses, like Dalí [who] can paint a picture, or Michelangelo. They’re different. What is exceptional to us, isn’t to them. In those extremes, they feel comfortable. Why? Because they are different. What we think is exceptional, they consider normal.
Preamble
Spain’s campaign did not get off to a flying start, and Luis de la Fuentes may wake up in the night to visions of Cape Verde’s Vozinha. He will have Georgia on his mind ever since Monday. Saudi Arabia are no pushovers and gave Uruguay a scare in their opening match. Memories of downing Argentina four years ago still abound, and so Spain might beware. They can ill afford to go into the final game with Uruguay at a disadvantage. All eyes on Lamine Yamal, whose fitness situation remains opaque, though Spain need their other forwards to come to the party.
Kick-off 5pm UK, 1pm ET, 2am AEST. Join me.
A topless man can be seen driving erratically in Edinburgh before abandoning his car and attacking a black man and a delivery rider.
Source link
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoHSBC UK & Visa test AI shopping with live payments
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoMouser warns against viral hacks to cool overheating phones
-
Business & Technology3 weeks agoValarian lands USD $50 million backing for sovereign AI
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoKane tops England influencer rankings after Mexico win
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoSNP & Palantir launch AI tools for SAP transformations
-
Oxford News4 weeks agoDWP now checking bank accounts for Universal Credit and Pension Credit
-
Oxford Events4 weeks agoHenley Festival 2026 highlights: Five nights of unforgettable performances and festival moments
-
Business & Technology4 weeks agoOde launches free AI voice service for poem recommendations