Lancashire have been looking for a seasoned middle-order batsman all campaign to bolster their numerous youngsters and finally found someone who had been under their noses. Luke Wells, demoted from opening the batting, provided rare resistance in the course of his unbeaten 78 which has stretched Lancashire’s lead over Somerset to 292 and preserves their hope of consigning Nottinghamshire to demotion – along with Kent – instead of themselves.
It was during Wells’s eighth-wicket partnership with George Balderson, in the 98th over of Lancashire’s innings, that an extraordinary incident took place which resulted in a reprieve for Balderson who had scored five. A left-hander, Balderson came down the pitch, the ball flew off his pad over the head of Somerset wicketkeeper James Rew, and was caught by the slip fielder Craig Overton high to his right. Whereupon he threw down the stumps with Balderson – bemused about where the ball had gone – out of his ground.
It seemed to be a clear-cut case of “Balderson run out 5” but umpire Martin Saggers – a former Kent and England bowler – did not uphold Somerset’s appeal.
On social media site X, one observer said: “I’m a Lancashire fan and that’s a shocker of a decision.”
Somerset’s new spin pairing of Jack Leach and Archie Vaughan could not save them on this occasion, having taken all 20 of Surrey’s wickets last week. But the Old Trafford pitch has dried out and Somerset will have one more attempt at winning their first ever championship, but even then they will need Durham to halt Surrey.
Two of Surrey’s very few non-England players kept the county on course for their third consecutive championship. Ryan Patel, who averages over 50 this season when he can get into the county’s first team, scored 134 to help Surrey towards a first-innings lead of 138 over Durham after their ex-England openers Rory Burns and Dom Sibley were dismissed early on day two.
Surrey also needed 58 from 81 balls from their young all-rounder Tom Lawes. He came in at 279 for seven, when Surrey had a meagre lead of ten, and saw them past 400 to four batting points, as their main rivals Somerset took none after their first-innings collapse.
Lawes was one of two wickets for James Minto, aged 16 and Durham’s youngest ever first-class player – so young that he is not allowed to display the logo of Durham’s team sponsor on his shirt, because it is a company selling wine. Yet, during his spell of bustling left-arm pace, Minto was clocked at 87 mph.
Durham before the close of day two reached one for one wicket and are therefore 153 runs behind Surrey. The experiment of promoting Callum Parkinson lasted one ball, Dan Worrall taking his first-class haul for this season to 49 wickets
Essex at Edgbaston meanwhile rolled Warwickshire over for 78 and 114 with Jamie Porter extending his lead over Worrall as division one’s leading wicket-taker with 55 wickets. Essex are scheduled to play Surrey in the final round, at Chelmsford, but the outcome of the title may have been decided before then.
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