The spectre of the Ashes loomed over day one of a new Championship season, every innings, every wicket, a play in one act sent straight to the laptop of Brendon McCullum.
England Lion Emilio Gay won the race to the first century of the season for Durham, a classy innings, fierce on the loose ball, and in tricky conditions at Chester-le-Street. When he was finally out, a fourth catch of the day to Kent’s Zak Crawley, he had pocketed 128 from just 140 balls.
Crawley’s turn with the bat went about as well as Jamie Smith’s and Ollie Pope’s over at Edgbaston, two boundaries before falling lbw to Matthew Potts for nine.
At Grace Road Tom Clark embroidered a stylish 101, as Sussex gave promoted Leicestershire a bloody nose in the morning session, racing to 155 for two by lunch. Lion Tom Haines made a giddy half-century and James Coles, of mega-deal Hundred fame, a pretty 28. An England and Wales Cricket Board bowling scout, watching from the wings, then saw Ollie Robinson remove Rishi Patel in the four overs of Leicestershire’s innings possible before stumps
At Taunton, Somerset performed their usual rescue act, this time from 14 for two against the champions. Tom Abell stroked a flawless 108, and he and young James Rew (64) added 140 for the fourth wicket against Nottinghamshire. One of Rew’s drives lilted through covers like a lullaby. Craig Overton clubbed 32.
Rain wiped out much of the day at Sophia Gardens but Glamorgan, back in Division One for the first time since 2005, had a tricky start. They lost four wickets in six overs against Yorkshire including the fancied Asa Tribe, who donated Jonny Bairstow a pillowy catch. Ben Kellaway and Colin Ingram rebuilt to 99 for four at stumps.
History was made at Southampton, where Noah Thain became the first full substitute in County Championship history under the ECB’s new experimental rule change. He replaced the Essex captain, Tom Westley, whose finger was fractured by a snorter from Hampshire’s Sonny Baker. Wobbling at 67 for three, and with Westley retired hurt, Matt Critchley (97no) and Charlie Allison (60no) rebuilt calmly. There was a minute’s silence at the start of the match in memory of Hampshire and England legend Robin Smith, who died during the winter.
There was also a minute’s silence at Lord’s, to remember long-serving groundsman Mick Hunt. On a stodgy day, Leus du Plooy’s 98 not out helped Middlesex to 279 for five against Gloucestershire.
It was a tough day for Worcestershire’s bowlers at Derbyshire, where Martin Andersson shimmied a rapid unbeaten 134. Worcestershire are without South African signing Beyers Swanepoel, whose desperation to get to New Road was such that he left for the airport with seven overs of a domestic one-day final to go and then found that a furious South African had withheld his no-objection certificate. “Beyers would probably say he’s made a bit of an error in hindsight,” said the Worcestershire chief executive, Ashley Giles.
Lancashire were the only side who won the toss and batted and could be happy enough with their work against Northamptonshire thanks to 90 from Josh Bohannon, 87 from Luke Wells and 71 from Michael Jones.
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