Just like the famous fast bowler it was named after, the Bob Willis Trophy has burst into life to make a spectacular introduction to English cricket.
After four months of waiting for cricket this summer, and despite all nine opening group matches being played behind closed doors, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s latest invention has made a dramatic debut.
Eight of the nine games in this opening round of fixtures ended in a positive result to loudly bang the drum for the joys of red-ball cricket – at a time when there had even been talk of doing without it altogether.
Bizarrely, the three teams currently leading the way, all on 22 points, in their respective South, Central and North groups, are the three sides who last year finished in the bottom three of Division Two in the County Championship – Middlesex, Worcestershire and Leicestershire.
And two of the games, Derbyshire’s amazing county record run chase to beat Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge and 2019 bottom club Leicestershire’s win over Lancashire at Worcester went well past six o’clock to keep the watching and listening online audience on their toes.
Whoever said red-ball cricket was boring?
North Group
Leicestershire had just eight balls to spare when they completed their seven-wicket win over Lancashire on neutral territory at Worcester.
Although Steven Croft’s unbeaten 52 held up the Foxes, Ben Mike took his fourth wicket to bowl out Lancs for 236 and leave his side a T20-style victory target of 150 in 17 overs.
And, with Colin Ackermann hitting a six and 10 fours in his unbeaten 73 off 41 balls and Harry Dearden weighing in with three big sixes, Leicestershire confidently polished it off.
Derbyshire are just a point behind in second after recording their biggest ever run chase to beat neighbours Nottinghamshire.
Fynn Hudson-Prentice was there at the end on 91 not out, supported by 30 from Michael Cohen in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 66 to see their side home on 365-7, after captain Billy Godleman’s earlier 86.
Yorkshire survived a morning rain delay to complete their expected 19-point victory over Durham.
Needing a further 68 to win, it took only 10.4 overs for the loss of Dawid Malan.
The England man went with 17 still needed, for 73, but Harry Brook stayed unbeaten on 66, including four sixes and six fours.
Round two fixtures:
9-12 August
Durham v Lancashire (Chester-le-Street), Leicestershire v Derbyshire (Leicester), Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire (Trent Bridge)
Central Group
Worcestershire are early Central Group leaders after picking up 22 points from their ultimately comfortable eight-wicket win over Gloucestershire at Bristol.
After George Hankins had held the Pears up with 69, visiting captain Joe Leach went on one of his customary wicket-taking bursts, claiming four scalps in five overs with the new ball to bowl out Gloucestershire for 278.
That set Worcestershire 110 to win in 35 overs – and they got home with 53 balls to spare, after an unbroken stand of 53 between Tom Fell and first-innings maiden half-centurion Jack Haynes.
Warwickshire failed to take a wicket all day as their game with Northamptonshire ended in a draw.
The visitors looked on course just after lunch on day three when, trailing by 227 on first innings, they were 148-5. But they recovered to 317-6 by the close with a 159-run stand between Charlie Thurston and skipper Adam Rossington.
Rossington and Luke Procter – neither of whom had previously passed 50 before at Edgbaston – then batted the whole of the final day to make centuries.
Rossington, 60 not out overnight, dug in even further to finish on 135 off 399 balls, three short of his career-best score, having batted for eight hours and 17 minutes, while Procter finished on 112.
The Overton brothers took 14 of the 20 Glamorgan wickets to fall in the match as Somerset completed their expected 289-run win at Taunton.
Surrey-bound Jamie Overton took 5-48 in the Glamorgan second innings for match figures of 7-64, in what might yet prove his farewell appearance.
Twin brother Craig finished with 2-21 for match figures of 7-69 as the visitors’ five remaining wickets fell for 40 runs in just 70 minutes.
Glamorgan captain Chris Cooke, who started the day on 67, got to 82 before becoming seventh man out – but he still contributed almost half his side’s score of 166.
Round two fixtures:
9-12 August
Gloucestershire v Warwickshire (Bristol), Northants v Somerset (Northampton), Worcestershire v Glamorgan (Worcester).
South Group
Middlesex are top of the South Group on 22 points after leaving it late to beat Surrey by 190 runs in the London derby at The Oval.
Surrey looked to be holding on for a draw at 119-5 only to lose their last five wickets for just four runs in the space of 44 balls.
Occasional leg-spinner Sam Robson struck twice in successive deliveries, West Indian Miguel Cummins then also claimed two scalps in the same over before Australian Nathan Sowter finished it off.
Essex, the 2017 and 2019 county champions, are in second ahead of Thursday’s winners Sussex on 21 points, having earlier hung on to see off Kent by two wickets.
After Sir Alastair Cook’s 66, Sam Cook, on his 23rd birthday, made 15 and Adam Wheater hit 26 to get their side home on 202-8.
Round two fixtures:
9-12 August
Essex v Surrey (Chelmsford), Kent v Sussex (Canterbury), Middlesex v Hampshire (Radlett).
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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