Batting performances
At no. 7, Jordan Clark’s 107 rescued Surrey from a precarious position of 70/4 and propelled them to 339/8 on the opening day of their division 1 match against Nottinghamshire, who elected to bowl.
On a 12-wicket day in Canterbury, Robert Yates (53* off 171) and Grant Stewart’s (50 off 45; 5 sixes) contrasting half-centuries stood out as Warwickshire appear poised to take the lead in the first innings.
At Taunton, only 57 overs were available, but unbeaten fifties from James Rew (77*) and Kasey Aldridge (55*) – in an unbroken stand of 116 – ensured Somerset’s recovery after they were in grave trouble at 41/4 in the 13th over.
After Gloucestershire elected to bat against Durham, opener Chris Dent ensured that they finished the day with a respectable total of 280/6. While he patiently held one end with an 85, it allowed others to score more quickly. Notable among these were Miles Hammond’s 52 off 46 balls and Grant Roelofsen’s 42, which aided in increasing Gloucestershire’s scoring rate.
Yorkshire’s openers sent Worcestershire on a leather search after they elected to bowl on a day interrupted by rain. Adam Lyth’s unbeaten 78 included 15 fours, while his companion Finlay Bean’s 69* included 10 fours. The duo helped the visitors score at a rate of 4.6 and establish a solid foundation.
On the opening day at Hove, Sussex’s batsmen had a field day, accumulating 376/7 in 96 overs. 150 runs were scored by the openers, with Tom Clark falling four runs shy of a century and Tom Haines scoring 86 runs at a much faster rate. Haines’ 96-ball innings included 60 runs gained via fours to give Sussex a robust start. Even though there were hiccups after the partnership, they were mitigated by fifty-plus scores from the middle order. Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s unbeaten 50-ball 52 brought Sussex closer to 400 runs by the end of the day. Oliver Carter’s patient and steady 56 helped Sussex surpass the 300-run mark, and Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s unbeaten 52 off 50 balls pushed them closer to 400 by the end of the day.
Bowling performances
It was cut short by rain, but Kyle Abbott had an outstanding day in the field at Taunton, taking 10-4-20-4 and causing a run out that left Somerset floundering at 80/5. The pacer had a role in each of Hampshire’s five dismissals on the rain-shortened opening day.
After Kent elected to bat first in Caterbury, O Hannon-Dalby’s 4-45 and Henry Brookes’ 3-55 allowed Warwickshire to dismiss them for a meager 171 runs.
Lyndon James took 4-74 on the opening day to have Surrey reeling at 70/4 after dismissing Jamie Smith and Tom Latham in consecutive overs, and then late in the day added two more victims as the hosts slipped to 323/8 from a comfortable 304/6 in the last half an hour.
