County cricket blog – as it happened

5.45pm Neil Carter has brought a rare burst of joy to Warwickshire's championship season, writes David Hopps at Edgbaston . His belligerent innings has carried them from 155 for seven to 313 all out against Nottinghamshire - only for him to be cruelly left on 99 not out after the last man Boyd Rankin ran himself out. It would have been only his second first-class hundred, and first for eight years. Rankin was backing-up, rather dopily, at the non-striker's end when Carter drove at Andre Adams and had not regained his ground when Graeme Swann threw down the stumps. Carter's cheery strokeplay had nothing in common with what had been another day of toil for Warwickshire. He began quite conservatively, but stepped up the tempo when he took three sixes in one over from Stuart Broad. Another England bowler, Ryan Sidebottom, twice disappeared over the ropes and as Imran Tahir joined in by laying about Swann, the last three wickets added 158, including 46 for the last wicket with Rankin. Warwickshire, buoyed by a rare achievement this season - a first innings of 300-plus – are now right back in the match. Carter, irrepressible, has just taken the new ball to appreciative applause. 4.40pm I see dirkgently has cycled to Chelmsford, writes Paul Weaver . I just hope his chain hasn't fallen off and that he hasn't been butted along the way because Ravi Bopara is batting like the star many people still feel he will become. He purred to a century here against championship leading Yorkshire after Essex had lost three quick wickets just before lunch. It's a flat looking wicket, though it may not stay that way, and it could turn out to be an important toss. I hope TheHarry has caught up with my earlier bulletin and if so he will know why Ajmal Shahzad is not playing - ie he has turned his ankle since recovering from his hammy and is not fit. Since then I have had a word with the England fast bowler who is very upbeat about his prospects of a swift return. He hopes to play for Yorkshire in a 40-over game on Sunday but that will still leave him short of cricket before the Test series against Pakistan. Amjal also had a chat with Test selector James Whitaker, who is prowling around in a smart suit and dark glasses. If he thinks he travelling incognito he is wrong but he looks a bit too smart for this ground and stands out as much as Derek Pringle, who surely had to apply for planning permission to get into this media centre, which is a bit of a squeezebox. It's just after tea here and Essex are prospering in the soporific sunshine. They are 260 for four thanks to Bopara's first century of the season, which came from 138 balls and included 13 fours. 4.15pm England's plans for Kevin Pietersen to warm up for next week's Trent Bridge with a knock against Kent in the Clydesdale Bank Pro 40 on Sunday have had to be abandoned - Hampshire don't want to pick him, writes David Hopps . Pietersen has announced that he plans to leave Hampshire at the end of the season and that, as far as Hampshire is concerned, is that. The county has announced that "the Hampshire team ethic is best served by maintaining a consistent policy for team selection which takes account of commitment to both club and country. Kevin Pietersen has announced his intention to play elsewhere and Hampshire Cricket feels it must devote its energies to the continuing development of other England aspirants." Hampshire say that "the decision is fully acknowledged and understood" by Andy Flower, England's coach and that "the decision is no reflection on Kevin Pietersen, whom the Club regards very highly; merely a recognition that circumstances have moved on." They could not have told him to bugger off more politely. Perhaps an emergency loan deal might be in order. Hampshire's chairman Rod Bransgrove, a man who knows his own mind, said, "I would like to express my thanks to Andy Flower for agreeing to this sensible decision and wish him, Kevin and the rest of the England team the best for their forthcoming internationals. "We have some excellent England aspirants here at Hampshire, including batsmen Michael Carberry, Jimmy Adams, Michael Lumb, Liam Dawson and James Vince. Whilst at different stages of their development, each of them have provided recent evidence of their ability to progress to represent England. It is our wish and responsibility to give them every possible opportunity to fulfil that potential." 3.59pm The afternoon session at Edgbaston, writes David Hopps , has been a story of desperate battling against impossible odds – and that is not just me looking for some Ashes hotels at affordable prices. Austerity Britain has never been far away today. Warwickshire's mental state has been of similar ilk. At tea they are 185-7 and struggling to post a vaguely competitive first-innings total. This has looked what it is: a game between second and bottom. Warwickshire have lost seven of their 10 games and counties losing seven matches are normally bound for relegation. They have batted without much conviction on a slow pitch that has nibbled around, but not as much as many at Edgbaston this season. Warwickshire have lost three wickets between lunch and tea. Darren Maddy was caught at long leg, hooking at Stuart Broad. It is not the first time that he has been out in this fashion this season, although it is the first time that a crane rope has dangled over the sightscreen whilst he has been playing his shot. It is not known whether this has disturbed him on every occasion this season, although so many grounds are undergoing construction work that it is not inconceivable. Rikki Clarke countered for a while before he fell to Andre Adams at second slip and Adams also caused Chris Woakes to drag on. The score service has also caught up. If Warwickshire supporters are stoutly hoping that it is still 100 runs behind, I fear that is not the case. 2.30pm More wickets and more rain/drizzle, writes Mike Averis in Taunton . And this time the covers are on and the square is being covered. The wickets — two of them — went to Amjad Khan. Peter Trego looked shocked by a full-length delivery which left him and Ben Phillips played an ugly cut, getting the bottom edge. At 118 for seven, Somerset have lost six wickets for 17 runs, the light is poor, umbrellas are up and for the remaining batsmen the bad stuff coming up from Devon and Cornwall can't come fast enough. 2.37pm Andy Bull has delivered this week's Spin. Click here to read him on Afridi and Afghanistan . 2.15pm The ICC is today seeking names for its friendly blue elephant mascot for the 2011 World Cup in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. You have a week to send in your suggestions and the winner will be announced 200 days before the opening match in Dhaka on 19 February. Click here to see it . 2.10pm A bit later than predicted and only a drizzle at first, the rain arrived, but not before Stevens had picked up his fourth wicket, Craig Kieswetter, writes Mike Averis . The wicketkeeper batsman, whose batting seems to have gone backwards as the keeping has improved, badly mistimed a drive — it could have been a slower ball, but sometimes Stevens' variations are hard for the naked eye to detect — and lobbed to over. Five minutes later they were back. 1.35pm News from Edgbaston, writes David Hopps . Warwickshire are 96 for four at lunch, with Nottinghamshire having the best of the morning. Notts' captain Chris Read has three catches, the last of them the dismissal of Jim Troughton, a classic left-hander's dismissal against the off-spinner, Graeme Swann causing him to push defensively and be caught at slip. This score is hard to get apparently, with no scores on the wires. This is not the first time there have been issues between Warwickshire and the Press Association apparently. Scorecards have been unreliable all summer. Cutbacks — and there have been many — bring a reduced quality of service. Welcome to Press Association's Austerity Cricket. One day somebody, somewhere will have to pay for something. Whatever will be the illegal Mumbai bookmakers be making of this? Just as they had got into the habit of a reliable scores service, where they can bet on the outcome a single delivery, now they are not even sure if the match has started. Hello, is that Bombay Golden Gamble? I would like £100,000 please on Warwickshire losing four wickets in the morning session. I'm sure you will be able to check the scores later. If this comes off, and I can retire on the proceeds, it's unlikely I would spend the rest of my years at Edgbaston. It is all cranes, concrete and bucket seats in the sort of pale green that brings to mind 1970s council toilets. 1.25pm Essex have gone to lunch here on 120 for three, writes Paul Weaver in Chelmsford , and Yorkshire will be absolutely delighted with that after losing the toss and first use of what appears to be a flat wicket. Essex were in a strong position on 97 without loss. Then Mickleburgh was bowled, pushing forward by Adil Rashid. I thought it was a googly but having seen a replay it looks like it was a leggie and the batsman somehow got an inside edge to it. In the next over, Cook, who had unleashed a number of fine drives, had a wild swish at a wide one from Steven Patterson and was caught behind. Both wickets went down at 97. And then, in the last over before lunch, Tom Westley was lbw to Patterson for six. Good progress for the leaders. The locals here have been bemused, by the way, by an official statement from Essex regarding the state of play with Graham Napier, who has a lower back stress fracture. According to Essex, Napier will be fit to play in the middle of December, which has had some people searching the fixture lists with puzzlement. Is this a new Yuletide Twenty20 initiative from the men at Lord's? Judging by the way they have messed up this season — and it's the biggest fixture mess ever — that would surprise no-one. 1.20pm Talking of Tendulkar, did you read about these extraordinary scenes ? 1.09pm 793: SR Tendulkar lbw b Muralitharan 8 1.05pm Somerset are 105 for four at lunch and batting hasn't been that easy on a wicket that is a lot greener than anything I can remember from the previous ground-keeping regime, writes Mike Averis in Taunton . The shade of green is not that much different from the outfield. You can see why Kent opted to bowl. Both Trescothick and Arul Suppiah had their moments against the opening attack of Amjad Khan and Simon Cook, both of whom looked threatening if slightly erratic, getting bounce and movement under the dull grey skies. No surprise then when the less hostile stuff from Darren Stevens that did the damage with three wickets — two in the same over. First Trescothick got only half forward to the fourth ball of Sevens' first (warming-up) over. Then Josh Buttler and Peter Hildreth — second ball — were picked up off edges. With Suppiah's luck running out that made three wickets in two overs. 12.52pm Muttiah Muralitharan has come on to bowl in Galle , still on 792 wickets with just over two days of his Test career remaining. He's bowling to Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. 12.24pm I'm desk-bound today, writes Andy Bull from, umm, his desk in north London , which makes me feel a little like Jeff Thomson at last night's Spirit of Cricket lecture. "I don't know why I am here" said Thomson by way of introduction as he took his place on the panel. The speech itself was given by Imran Khan and was, I thought, a little disappointing, containing as it did a few good anecdotes but not much insight into the health of the sport. Imran's chief concern was that fast bowlers are in danger of going "the way of the dinosaur" because of the stress and strain of modern cricket. His solution would simply be to play less cricket, probably by scrapping 50-over matches. More interesting was his view that most of the arimonious or obnoxious behavior we see on the pitch is prompted by the sense of injustice players feel when they are cheated by incorrect decisions. Review technology, he suggested, will be beneficial for "the spirit of cricket" because it will end the injustices. There is a link here for anyone who wants to listen . As for me, I'm going to sit here pressing refresh while I wait for Roger Federer to call. I'm told that, like a plumber, he will do this at any time this afternoon between 1pm and 7pm. Obviously when he does ring I will be quick to press him for his views on Ryan Sidebottom's county contract and then report back here. 12.17pm It's a sticky-warm day here at the County Ground where Essex have won the toss and progressed to 57 without loss against the table-topping Tykes, writes Paul Weaver in Chelmsford . Yorkshire are without Ajmal Shahzad, who has recovered from his hamstring injury only to turn over his ankle at the weekend. His place has been taken by Oliver Hannon-Dalby. They are also without Joe Sayers, following his asthma attack, which seems to have cheered up the locals — the fact that he's not playing, not his asthma, for he's hardly one of the game's must-see dashers. Essex have dropped Mark Pettini and rested David Masters but they are giving a championship debut to Andy Carter, the fast bowler they signed from Notts on a month's loan. After just over an hour the Essex pair of Alastair Cook and Jaik Mickleburgh brought up the fifty in the 15th over. Tim Bresnan didn't go for a run until the second ball of his third over but Tino Best has been expensive. He was taken off after conceding 19 from four overs, with seven wides and two no-balls. No beamers though. I've not been here for a match for seven years but didn't need satnav as I worked for the local paper during some of my formative years. The sight of the berry-brown faced Robin Hobbs, the old Essex and England tweaker, was confirmation that I had arrived at the right place. While I was having a chat with Hobbsy a spectator came up and said: "Hello, Robin, do you think Essex will win today?" A droll Hobbs replied: "It will be a bloody good game if they do." Hobbs, 68, who played seven times for England, appeared for Essex between 1961-79. Unfortunately, 1979 was the year that Essex, having gone potless throughout their history, suddenly became the most successful county in the land. I prefer to remember the carefree days under the captaincy of Tonker Taylor. One old player told me a story about a time Essex played Kent at Dover. Taylor, upset by the poor timekeeping of his players, told them he wanted to see them all down for breakfast before he arrived at his table. To his surprise they were. But he didn't know that they had caught a ferry over to France the night before, spent the whole night there and got an early crossing back to the team hotel just before Taylor's inspection. Happy days. 12.10pm BackwardPoint is asking about geography below the line, writes Mike Averis in Taunton . The Brendons would be to the left of the Botham Stand and Exmoor is behind the new block of flats square of the wicket. 11.58am The World Cup is over, Wimbledon has come and gone and a South African man has won a golf tournament in Scotland, writes David Hopps, at Edgbaston for the first time since they knocked down the brutish old pavilion and so far not remotely pining for its return . It's time for the county championship to puff out its chest and assert its right to a central place in the English sporting summer. OK, there is still SOME other sport around – a chain fell off a bike in the Tour de France yesterday apparently – but this week the championship enters its second phase with a chance for its voice to be heard. Perhaps that is putting it too far. Imagine it this way. The 1 million sexiest people in Britain have all disappeared overnight and, if that doesn't make the dear old county championship any less puny in the eyes of many at least it will have a chance to elbow its way to the bar. (It will then probably be deliberately short-changed by a part-time barman sensing an easy fiddle but there you go, at least it has a drink in its hands.) England stars abound for this championship round. Nottinghamshire have Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom playing in tandem in the championship for the first time for two years — and it is possible that it will not happen again with Sidebottom's future uncertain. If he loses his England contract then Nottinghamshire may not offer him what he thinks he is worth. He has had a good season, but a six-figure salary would be a lot to spend on a fast bowler with a dubious fitness record. Sussex so far are the only county to declare an interest, calculating perhaps that the sea air would be enough to sustain him. Nottinghamshire inserted, and three wickets have fallen to the new ball. Locals are already suggesting that Warwickshire, 54 for three, will be fortunate to get 150. Ant Botha, batting in a gold helmet, edged Sidebottom to the wicketkeeper for only a single — that should be another £500 on the contract claim. Jonathan Trott was dropped at slip off Stuart Broad, but Broad soon got his man with an excellent delivery that bounced and left him. Ian Westwood has also followed, Zorro like, at slip. Zorro like, that is, if suicide was on his mind. The skies are grey, but quite high, inviting hopes that we should get most of a day's cricket here. With rain about, county coaches will be spending most of their laptop time gazing at the Met Office forecast. It is the sort of weather week when you want to be in the south-east — which should suit Yorkshire at Chelmsford. But judging by what we have seen so far, Nottinghamshire might not need four days. 11.35am After close on two months of waiting county championship cricket returned to Taunton, starting 15 minutes late, writes Mike Averis . Kent, with Martin van Jaarsweld in charge while Rob Key's finger mends, won the toss, decided to bowl and then saw Marcus Trescothick take 11 off the first two overs. If that sounded more like Twenty20 than the four-day stuff, then the audience definitely wasn't. Taunton is one of the places where no one is moaning about a fall-off in interest for the 20-over stuff. The home gate was regularly around the 7,000 mark, whereas a couple of hundred were dotted around the county ground when play started today. 10.45am Welcome to Taunton on the kind of day when the Quantocks are just about visible, but the location of the Brendons has to be taken on trust, writes Mike Averis . The covers are off, both Kent and Somerset are warming up, and the umpires are taking a look, but how much play we will get today is another matter. The met men say the drizzle which has just blown over will be back, possibly before lunch, certainly after. 10.30am Morning. The county blog returns from its sabbatical today. After 144 matches the identity of the FPT20 quarter-finalists has been sorted, so that was a good use of June and half of July. Now we're back to a world where Yorkshire rule the roost. Paul Weaver marks his 2010 county blog arrival by watching Yorkshire play at Essex. Chelmsford, don't forget, was where second-placed Notts came a cropper in three days earlier this month. David Hopps will be at Edgbaston today to see Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Ryan Sidebottom put some pep back into that Notts attack. And Mike Averis is at Taunton for Somerset v Kent. Expect Andy Bull to appear at some point too. Tomorrow we sprinkle in Vic Marks at Headingley for the second Pakistan v Australia Test and hope to make a rare blog visit to Swansea to look in on promotion-chasing Glamorgan in Division Two. Lord Selvey is taking a well-earned post-Open break but, you never know, may still make an appearance below the line. Should be a good week.