County Championship lower division round-up: Champions Essex return in form
- Published
Zak Crawley (right) made 50 for Kent on his first Championship appearance since being dropped by England
Essex might not have won anything this season but they showed One-Day Cup winners Glamorgan that they still have the winning mentality on their return to County Championship action.
After bowling out Glamorgan for 134 in Cardiff, Essex then closed on 92-2, to move within 42 runs of their hosts.
They lost Alastair Cook for a third-ball duck but Nick Browne (50 not out) and Dan Lawrence (29 not out) put them in a strong position in this opening encounter in Division Two following the mid-season split.
The damage with the ball was done earlier by Zimbabwe-born Netherlands international Shane Snater (6-39) and South African Simon Harmer, whose 3-46 took his season's tally to 42.
While the Durham-Surrey match was called off because of Covid-19 protocol, the other game in Division Two belonged to the visitors as Northamptonshire recovered from 147-5 to close on 232-5 against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
After an opening stand of 67 between Emilio Gay (44) and Ricardo Vasconcelos (37), five wickets fell for 80 before Adam Rossington (66 not out) and Harry Gouldstone turned things round.
Gloucestershire have Pakistan Test batsman Zafar Gohar making his debut.
Division Three
Sussex's very young side, thought to be the youngest in their County Championship history at an a average age of 19.64, recovered from 97-6 to reach 254-9 against Worcestershire at New Road.
Including their new signing, Derbyshire all-rounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Sussex included six teenagers in an entire XI of uncapped players.
Archie Lenham, who is already a regular in their T20 Blast side, made his first-class debut, But it was fellow tailender Jack Carson who stole the show with an unbeaten 81.
Ali Orr had earlier led the way with an excellent 51, before being lucklessly run out. But Carson, Dan Ibrahim (48) and Lenham (20) all showed up their top order as they rescued Sussex with escalating stands of 41, 45 and 66.
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At Lord's, the decision by Middlesex to bat looked questionable when they slumped to 14-3 against Derbyshire.
Mark Stoneman, making his debut following a move across the river from Surrey, lasted only three balls before being trapped in front by a Sam Conners inswinger for a duck.
But Robbie White struck his maiden first-class century to rescue the hosts, sharing a century stand with Martin Andersson, who made a season's best 53.
White, who had previously passed 50 six times without registering a ton (including 99 against Kent last year) made an unbeaten 101 as Middlesex reached 218-5 before bad light trimmed 28 overs off the day.
Fifteen wickets fell in the day at Grace Road as Kent rallied from 116-7, doubling their score to reach 232, before then reducing Leicestershire to 66-5.
Jack Leaning led the recovery with an unbeaten 75, aided by 42 for the eighth wicket with Matt Milnes, then 68 for the last wicket with James Logan, before he was run out for 21.