Ben Stokes blasts Durham century, Essex v Yorkshire: county cricket – live!

Ben Stokes is out

A rare moment of peace at New Road, the only sound coming from the cathedral bells, after Durham declare their innings on 580 for six following one of the most incendiary innings you’ll see from Ben Stokes – 161 from 88 balls – in his first outing since being named as England’s official Test captain. Like all good things it had to come to an end, Stokes eventually holing out after lunch attempting an 18th six and walking off to warm applause from the locals. Nay bother, his 17th – driven straight off Ben Gibbon’s first ball of the afternoon – had already secured the record for a County Championship innings, surpassing the 16 times that both Andrew Symonds (1995 Gloucs v Glam) and Graham Napier (2011 Essex v Surrey) sent over the rope. Five of the badgers came off a single over from Josh Baker in the morning, the sixth ball falling just short of the rope after a duff connection. And spare a thought for David Bedingham, whose excellent 135 was utterly eclipsed and on another day would be the headline performance. Fine catching from Worcestershire to send both of them packing but their task now is an uphill one. Good job they spent a day of their pre-season walking up the Malverns….

A brisk stroll about Old Trafford to buy a windball for my nephew’s sixth birthday, from the man under the awning selling Lancashire gear. It’s chilly out. Luke Wells has continued hitting fours in exactly the same way through mid-off. on 28, while Keaton Jennings has curated 10 off 49 balls. Lancs 46-0.

Lunchtime scores DIVISION ONE

Chelmsford: Essex 321-4 v Yorkshire

The Rose Bowl: Hampshire 342 v Gloucestershire 31-3

Old Trafford: Lancashire 18-0 v Warwickshire 315

The Oval: Surrey 401 all out v Northants

DIVISION TWO

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 58-2 v Leicestershire 320

Hove: Sussex 392 v Middlesex 44-2

New Road: Worcestershire v Durham 549-4 (STOKES 147 not out, 82 balls, 8 fours, 15 sixes)

And with that, it is time for lunch! Scores to follow.

Gingers of the world unite.

Ali’s on-the-spot report on Stokes’ sixathon

Aye chihuahua … this has been some innings from Ben Stokes at New Road … and we’re pretty sure it’s the fastest century by a Durham batsman in first-class cricket, coming from just 64 balls. Stokes strolled out in the third over of the day and 90-odd minutes later sits 131 not out from 74 balls, having smoked 14 (FOURTEEN) sixes and missed out on the hallowed six sixes in an over when he didn’t quite connect with the final ball from 18-year-old Josh Baker and it went for a one-bounce four. David Bedingham was 81 not out when Stokes arrived … he’s currently 115 not out and Durham are 529 for four after 120 overs.

Updated at 07.57 EDT

For your pleasure:

And to 18-year old Josh Baker – you’ll dine out on this, I promise.

That’s 46 runs for Stokes off his last eight balls….

Stokes century!

What can you say?! Five sixes in a row off poor Josh Baker, the sixth sailing flat but bouncing just before the rope. Ben Stokes, as a man once said of another allrounder, who writes your scripts?

Right, Division 2:

Ali is keeping you posted from Durham, where Stokes is duly writing his own fairy-tale with eight sixes and six fours in his 88 not out. Bedingham 111. Durham 482-4.

Sussex are all out, 392, with Shaheen Afridi collecting 3-97, and a fifty for George Garton. Middlesex lost Robson for a duck ( on his first run-out since returning from West Indies, chastised).

Atkinson (46) and Joverton (51) getting stuck in at The Oval, 368-8.

Not an ideal start for Gloucestershire…

Before we visit Division Two, Parky has picked up his third at Old Trafford: Warwicks 315 all out. Sibley, not out 142, the third time he has carried his bat for Warwicks, and the first time since September 2019. Keaton Jennings strides to the crease.

Fifty for Stokes!

Ben Stokes appears to have had his Ready Brek this morning, bringing up an unbeaten half-century from just 47 balls with five fours and three sixes – all but one of them utterly crunched. Poor old Ed Barnard has been launched in the direction of the hotel a couple of times to spark a conference out in the middle. And at the other end David Bedingham has just brought up his 13th first-class hundred from 120 balls, with 14 fours and one six. Beautifully correct innings from the right-hander, who started out on 69 first thing. Durham secure maximum batting points with ease, too, with the score on 438 for four in the 112th over.

Captain, my captain: Ben Stokes cracks another on the way to fifty. Photograph: David Davies/PA

Updated at 07.20 EDT

After an hour’s play, a trip round the Division One grounds:

At Old Trafford, Dom Sibley looks like he is going to carry his bat, Warwickshire, 302-9. One difficult chance has gone begging this morning, a drop, Hannon-Dalby, at short leg

At Chelmsford, Essex grind on, Walter moves to his maiden first-class hundred. Well played! Essex 270-3.

Hampshire are all out at the Rose Bowl, for 342. Van Buuren 3-53, Amir 3-57. Roll-up for the Abbot, Abbas and Barker show.

And Northants are still fighting to grab the last two Surrey wickets, 315-8. Atkinson and JOverton have put on 44 for the ninth wicket.

A spring day’s work: Paul Walter reaches his maiden first-class hundred at Chelmsford. Photograph: Gavin Ellis/TGS Photo/REX/Shutterstock

Updated at 07.06 EDT

A couple of early wickets at Surrey, where Atkinson has hit three fours in his 19 not out. A good spot by Gary:

Ben Stokes is in!

And a wicket! Ben Gibbon picks up his second first-class victim as Scott Borthwick plays across one and is pinned in front of the stumps. Durham are 360 for four and the next man is getting a warm round of applause.

Mind you, Hassan has a way to got till he tops Murali’s 66 in 6 matches in 1999.

Murali reigning supreme for Lancs. Photograph: Phil Noble/PA

No extravagant celebration from Hassan Ali (after 22 Lancashire wickets, perhaps it is enough?), as McAndrew is lbw for 15. Warwicks 282-8.

Morning from Worcestershire, where Durham resumed on 339 for three and have stepped on the gas already, David Bedingham slotting four fours from Ben Gibbon’s opening over to move into the 80s and overtake Scott Borthwick. More cloud cover today as Ben Stokes leans over the balcony to my right, no doubt taking in the majesty of Worcester cathedral over yonder.

And we’re off, a gentle two runs coming off the first over from Tom Bailey.

Love this picture from a hundred years ago today – the start of the 1922 cricket season. Striding purposely out of the Old Trafford pavilion are: captain Miles Kenyon, Frank Watson, Lol Cook, Ernest Tyldesley, Dick Tyldesley, Harry Makepeace, Walker Ellis, Cec Parkin, Peter Fairclough, Charlie Hallows and wicketkeeper Ben Blomley. With many thanks to Ken Grime and the Lancashire Heritage Foundation.

Just spent fifteen minutes looking at the proofs of Paul Edward’s new book Summer Day’s Promise. It’s a belter for anyone who keeps the candle burning for county cricket – due out later this summer. Siddle up to him at Cheltenham and Southport and he’ll sign one for you too.

At Old Trafford now, where both teams are in their semi-circles, stretching, and the weather is behaving itself, despite the scorecard displaying the weather in Manchester which says, now: light rain, next: light rain, later: light rain.

Thursday’s round-up

Among the first public pronouncements from Ben Stokes in his new role as England’s Test captain was a desire to bat at No 6 and thus maximise his impact as an all-rounder. As such, he plumped for the same berth when making his first appearance of the summer for Durham at Worcestershire.

On a tranquil opening day at New Road this meant sitting on the balcony of the Graeme Hick pavilion and watching others make hay in watery sunshine, however. The visitors won the toss and reached a commanding 339 for three courtesy of Sean Dickson’s third hundred of the season.

After Dickson’s organised 104 from 184 balls came unbeaten half-centuries for Scott Borthwick (80) and David Bedingham (69). Ed Barnard struck twice as the hosts plugged away dutifully – including England’s Alex Lees, bowled off the inside edge for 27 – while debutant Ben Gibbon claimed his maiden first-class wicket when South Africa’s Keegan Petersen edged behind on 50 in the afternoon.

Gibbon, a 21-year-old left-armer, signed for Worcestershire at the end of last season after combining league cricket in Cheshire with a job in construction. “It is hard graft and I’m happy not to have to do it any more,” he said at the time, perhaps not realising how challenging the pitches at New Road can be.

At muggy Old Trafford, Dom Sibley chugged to a selectorial elbow-nudging century, batting all day for his 118 not out. A combination of quite glorious drives, with the high elbow just so, and inelegant nudges, it was his first century for Warwickshire since he made twin hundreds against Notts in September 2019.

An inveterate fiddler between deliveries, adjusting waistband, trousers and box, Sibley looked in no strife against the Lancashire attack as, after a slow start, he stepped onwards, all that winter practise, and the decision not to tour with the Lions, coming to fruition. His hundred came with a squeeze into the offside, followed by appreciative banging of the balcony by his teammates and a sweaty hug with Chris Benjamin, who was lbw shortly afterwards for 47. Very nicely done: 227 balls, 13 fours.

Two hundred miles away, Rory Burns, another dropped England opener, was doing something similar, off 245 balls. Anchoring an innings for Surrey that did not get going at the other end until Sam Curran came in and, with a gentle evening murmur passing slowly around the Oval, hit Northamptonshire’s Simon Kerrigan back over his head for six.

To complete the circle, Alastair Cook made an even slower hundred for Essex, after they rebuilt from the ruins of nought for one with the first 34 deliveries of the day Yorkshire sent down being dot balls. Cook faced seven bowlers during his second hundred of the year, including Joe Root, playing for Yorkshire for the first time since resigning the England captaincy.

A run-heavy day for Sussex against Middlesex, with yet another opening century, this for Tom Alsop, on loan this season to Sussex from Hampshire; while the 21-year-old Ali Orr was dropped three times, before being caught at slip on 99 just before tea. There was confused delight when Cheteshwar Pujara was dismissed for 16. At the Rose Bowl, Felix Organ scampered to a hundred, and James Vince 78 for Hampshire against Gloucestershire. Mohammad Amir finished with three for 51.

At 152 for one, things were looking promising for bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire, but Glamorgan’s Marnus Labuschagne grabbed three wickets with his part-time spin, as they lost six for 117 after tea.

Scores on the doors DIVISION ONE

Chelmsford: Essex 234-3 v Yorkshire

The Rose Bowl: Hampshire 310-8 v Gloucestershire

Old Trafford: Lancashire v Warwickshire 273-7

The Oval: Surrey 261-6 v Northants

DIVISION TWO

Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Leicestershire 285-8

Hove: Sussex 354-6 v Middlesex

New Road: Worcestershire v Durham 339-3

Updated at 04.55 EDT

Preamble

Hello! As I write this, there’s a distinct air of sogginess in the air, with rain forecast to sweep in from the north west later, pausing play at Old Trafford, Cardiff and New Road, but probably sparing the south.

The wait for Ben Stokes continues this morning, with Ali poised at New Road with his fountain pen. There, Sean Dickson made a compact hundred yesterday, precipitating a glut of runs from openers round the grounds, a doffed hat to Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Alastair Cook, Tom Alsop and Felix Organ.

Time just to wonder which of the games will spring a surprise, moving out of the regular trot of yesterday, into a canter.