Is the County Championship sport’s most competitive league right now?

4. Both sides find something in a draw

At Scarborough, two sleeping giants met as Yorkshire and Warwickshire fought each other to a standstill in the sea breeze. That might sound unfair, but since 2015 they have won a Covid-truncated Championship/Bob Willis Trophy and two One-Day Cups between them, a poor return given their histories, local significance and resources.

The draw helped neither to improve on that record, though it proved to be the right kind of hard-fought cricket they will need to play to get the wins they will need.

What may work for Yorkshire is giving Will Luxton an extended run in the side. Still only 23, he seems to have been in and out of the XI for years now, but, opening for the second time this season, he made a career-best 167 and then 69, which may be his ticket to the slot until the end of September. If he is the future of the club, his coach and captain should back him.

Faced with an unreachable target of 453 in 15 overs and a day, only Dan Mousley sold his wicket cheaply as every Bear dug in to see out the draw. Those scoring rates (indeed, the old-fashioned idea of batting time) won’t win many matches, but it forges team spirit – which is crucial to Warwickshire after a dismal few weeks in the Blast – and provides a platform to push on. They are five points off the lead.

5. Potts fires Durham to the top

It’s a very different story in Division Two, where Durham can probably start programming Trent Bridge and the Oval into their satnavs ready for 2027.

Despite Harry Came’s 105 being the highest score of the match, Derbyshire were swept aside by an innings at Chester-le-Street, Durham extending their lead over third-placed Kent to 30 points.

Kasey Aldridge picked up five for 19 in the first innings and Matthew Potts eight for 66 in the second. That both are handy bats is merely a bonus, but a welcome one in a county pro.

It seems that is probably the fate of Potts, overlooked for England again despite his proven value bowling long spells in home conditions. It may be expected of such a wholehearted cricketer, but it is to his credit that he responded to disappointment with a 10-wicket haul. He may be down the international pecking order, but he is a local hero for sure.

6. Lancashire as soft as old Blackpool rock

The break for the Blast came at a bad time for Kent, so they will have made the long trip to Blackpool wanting to re-establish momentum. There, they simply kicked sand in the face of a moribund Lancashire to do exactly that.

Liam Livingstone’s five wickets on day one cheered the locals, but a dismal effort in the first innings – 87 all out, Keith Dudgeon picking up six wickets – put the home side on the back foot. Chris Benjamin whacked a century in Kent’s second dig and Hasan Mahmud matched Dudgeon’s haul to ensure that Jimmy Anderson’s men got nowhere near their target of 424.

Lancashire have injuries, but they are consistently underachieving again. They will have to take a leaf out of Kent’s book if another season (probably Anderson’s last) is not to slide away. Two trophies in the 21st century is just not acceptable.

This article is from The 99.94 Cricket Blog