Surrey will go into the final week of the LV= Insurance County Championship title race in pole position after Essex fell to a three-wicket defeat against a Hampshire side inspired by Liam Dawson.
Continuing an outstanding season, Dawson made 119, contributing to a fifth-wicket stand of 184 alongside James Vince as they took the game away from second-placed Essex at Chelmsford.
Dawson had come to the crease with Hampshire, set 267 for victory, having been reduced to 32 for four but went on to make his third century of the season while Vince made 89.
It means Essex will go into their final fixture 20 points behind reigning champions Surrey, who held on to draw against winless Northamptonshire at the Kia Oval.
With relegation looking inevitable, Northamptonshire gambled against the leaders as they enforced the follow on with a first-innings lead of 172, but they could not make it pay.
Surrey openers Dom Sibley and Rory Burns batted diligently in the hour before lunch against some testing new-ball bowling from the visting seamers and throughout the final two sessions in some of the best batting conditions of a rain-affected four days.
By the time bad light brought about an early close, they had reached 142 without loss, with Burns on 71 and Sibley 67.
Relegation-battling Kent salvaged a draw from their rain-hit match against Somerset after being made to follow on at Taunton.
The visitors were bowled out for 235 in their first innings, 169 shy of Somerset’s total, after being reduced to 31 for four before Joe Denly pitched in with 73.
Somerset put them back in with the hope of some quick wickets with a possible 41 overs remaining, but Kent made it to 44 for two before the players shook hands early.
The draw was enough to put Kent one point above Middlesex, who dropped into the bottom two after an eight-wicket defeat to Warwickshire.
Opener Sam Robson carried his bat for an unbeaten century but it was not enough for the hosts, who were bowled out for 251 in their second innings.
Following afternoon rain, Warwickshire had only 10 overs in which to chase 58, but Rob Yates and Ed Barnard made it across the line with nine balls to spare.
There was an early end to play at Old Trafford where rain forced a draw between Lancashire and Nottinghamshire.
There were only 15 overs played on the final day, with Lancashire reaching 272 for seven in their first innings. But with Nottinghamshire yet to bat there was never any prospect of a result.
In Division Two, Worcestershire moved within touching distance of following Durham into Division One after their match with the newly-crowned champions ended in a draw.
With a result out of the question, Worcestershire were restricted to adding one bowling point as Durham captain Scott Borthwick made a chanceless century and Ollie Robinson contributed 84 to a first innings score of 371 for four at the close.
Worcestershire go into the final week as strong favourites to go up after closest challengers Leicestershire saw their match against Yorkshire ruined by the weather.
More rain on the final day robbed Leicestershire of the chance to chase the win they realistically needed to stay in the hunt.
It also finished as a draw between Derbyshire and Sussex after rain brought about an early finish at the County Ground.
Sophie Ecclestone set for England return in T20 opener in India – Heather Knight
Sophie Ecclestone will make her England comeback in Wednesday’s T20 series opener against India, with captain Heather Knight declaring the spinner “fit and firing” after four months out.
The world number one white-ball bowler needed surgery after dislocating her shoulder in August while taking part in the Hundred, missing the home series against Sri Lanka and the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.
But she stepped up her recovery during England’s recent training camp in Oman and is ready to return to action at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
“Sophie has missed a bit of cricket with the injury she had but she’s going to be fit and firing, so I’m looking forward to seeing her bowl,” Knight said.
“I don’t think bowling will be an issue, she’s been doing really well, but fielding there might be a bit of nervousness. I’ve had injuries myself where it’s about getting over trusting your body.
“I’m sure in the heat of battle Sophie will be fine, she’s tracking really well in training, diving around and things like that, but we’ll keep a close eye on her because she’s obviously a key player for us.”
England have not toured India since 2019 but Knight was among a handful of players who played in the country’s inaugural Women’s Premier League and believes it is the perfect place for her side to develop.
“It feels a long time since we’ve been to India, but now the WPL is a staple in the calendar there’s going to be a lot of cricket here for English players,” she said.
“I always feel I learn a lot about my game playing in Indian conditions. It really tests you as a cricketer in terms of skill level, how you deal with the noise, the heat and the other things that tend to happen in Indian tours.
“It’s a really good place to accelerate development and I’m excited to see how we cope with it.
“I’m really excited to see what sort of crowd we get too. Hopefully we get a few in after the WPL earlier in the year and we can silence the crowd, if there is one.”
England have one doubt for the series opener, with Charlie Dean set to sit out due to illness.
Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson handed their first central contracts by ECB
Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been handed their first central contracts by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
England Women have once again issued 18 full-time deals, with the retired Katherine Sciver-Brunt and the dropped Freya Davies the only omissions from last year’s list.
Bouchier is rewarded following a season that ended with her cracking a career-best 95 against Sri Lanka in the final ODI of the campaign, while Gibson made her debut in the T20 leg of this summer’s Ashes contest.
Issy Wong remains in the group despite a difficult year that saw high expectations meet mixed form on the field.
In addition, supplementary development contracts have been handed to rising stars Mahika Gaur, Lauren Filer and Bess Heath, all of whom broke into the international setup over the summer.
While the men’s side moved recently to a system of multi-year contracts, with several leading players tied into two and three-year arrangements, the women’s squad remains on 12-month agreements.
Yet the ECB has announced that the terms include “significant structural improvements” as well as increased bonuses for victories over the strongest opposition and the previously-announced upgrade to match fees, which are now equal with the men’s team.
England director of women’s cricket, Jonathan Finch said: “Maia Bouchier and Danielle Gibson have been part of our group over the summer, have performed well and will be important players for England moving forward.
“The introduction of development contracts is a key step for us and allows us to support a wider group of players in their ongoing development and we will work closely with the regions to manage the players’ development and workloads.
“After a record-breaking Ashes summer, we have a really exciting 12 months of cricket ahead and we feel this group of players will form the foundations of our side that will take us through various bilateral series and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.”
England conclude their 2023 calendar on tour in India, with three T20s at Mumbai’s storied Wankhede Stadium this week followed by a one-off Test at the DY Patil Stadium.
For many, including Sarah Glenn, it is a first chance to experience cricket in India, where England last toured in 2019.
As a leg-spinner, Glenn is particularly keen to explore her game in a nation that has produced some of the finest slow bowlers ever.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s series opener, Glenn said: “I’m really excited. I’ve never played in India before or in front of Indian crowds, so it’s something new for me.
“It’s something I’ve always looked forward to and wanted to be part of.
“This tour is more than just games, it’s a chance to develop my game here, learn off others with how they go about it and see where I can take my spin bowling.
“I’m always looking to improve, so I’ll have a play around with it and see what is the best way to take wickets.”
Will Jacks looks at positives after England central contract snub
Will Jacks might be one of the figures charged with leading England’s ODI revival but he discovered he had missed out on a central contract through social media.
A total of 29 individuals received an annual, multi-year or developmental England deal in October but despite playing in every international format in the last 12 months, Jacks was curiously absent from the bunch.
Even more striking is Jacks’ admission that he was not forewarned by director of men’s cricket Rob Key ahead of an announcement, the timing of which midway through a faltering World Cup was criticised.
Jacks has since had some feedback about the snub but the big-hitting all-rounder takes the positives from not being tied down and is likely to explore the lucrative T20 franchise market in the next few months.
Representing England remains his top priority, though, and he has been tasked with opening the batting alongside Phil Salt, who also did not get a central contract, as Jos Buttler’s ODI side look to draw a line under a woeful World Cup in the series opener against the West Indies on Sunday.
“It’s a bit of a difficult one, I didn’t really find out at all,” he said. “I knew everyone was hearing and I was waiting, hoping I would find out and then I didn’t. I ended up seeing it on Twitter like everyone else did and that was obviously disappointing.
“Maybe it came one or two tours early and maybe if I’d played a little bit more, maybe I would have had one. They said it is always about why other people have one above me which is understandable, nothing really negative about me.
“It’s just what it is and I just want to move on. You never know, it could work in my favour. It means I’m free to plan my winter and my life but I will be using this tour and hopefully the rest of the year to prove my case to hopefully get one for next year.”
Jacks has made a dozen appearances in his embryonic international career but his fearless approach with the bat and ever-improving off-spin make him an appealing option for England’s next Test assignment in India in the new year.
But Jacks has committed himself to the SA20 – South Africa’s domestic T20 competition – which clashes with the five-match series on the subcontinent.
“Obviously England is the pinnacle and I want to play as much as I can but what (not getting a contract) has done is it’s almost managed my expectations,” Jacks said.
“The India Test matches have obviously been in the back of everyone’s mind for the recent period – such a massive series and there’s all the talk about spin and the need for all-rounders and having a deep squad.
“Instead of me thinking that I was going to be picked, I’m now thinking ‘if they wanted to pick me then realistically, I would have been given a contract’. The fact that they haven’t given me one probably says something.”
Jacks is set to be in India at some point early in 2024, having been one of nine Englishmen retained by their Indian Premier League franchises, despite a thigh injury ruling him out of contention for Royal Challengers Bangalore last year.
Having missed out on England’s miserable defence of their 50-over World Cup, Jacks is desperate to be involved in the T20 equivalent in the Caribbean in June.
The 25-year-old is therefore eager to take his chance on a reconnaissance job in these three ODIs followed by three T20s.
“I just want to play some cricket,” he added. “I love playing for England but if I’m not selected then I’m very happy playing T20 cricket.
“There’s a World Cup coming up in June here so it will be good to get used to these conditions and that’s a priority for me.”
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