County cricket – as it happened

6.20pm England Lions wrapped up victory over India A in Worcester. They won by five wickets with eight balls remaining. The one innings of particular note came from Andrew Gale, who hit 90, taking control once the former local boy Steve Davies had taken another half century off the Indian attack. 6.15pm Yorkshire have completed a significant victory in the County Championship title race after an impeccably timed run chase in the last session, writes Andy Wilson at Headingley . Set 200 to win from 37 overs, they reached their target with six wickets and 14 balls to spare. Captain Jacques Rudolph set the tone with 80, and after he had run himself out in a rare misjudgement, Jonny Bairstow saw Yorkshire over the line. Throaty roars from a small crowd. Yorkshire are 21 points clear of Nottinghamshire at the top of the table. 4.38pm 3D on the tele here, writes Mike Selvey at Trent Bridge . It is almost like being at the game. Oh hang on, I am at the game. Actually consensus is that it is not very good. 4.33pm The Australian umpires who conspired to have Muttiah Muralitharan thrown out of the game for chucking predictably have greeted his Test retirement by asserting that they have no regrets, writes David Hopps in Derby . Murali might be the leading wicket-taker in both Tests and ODIs, but his career is not about to be celebrated by Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson, who conceived a plan to no-ball him during Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in 1995-96. Ross Emerson, who no-balled him seven times, said: "You couldn't compare his record to Shane Warne's - no one ever doubted the legality of Warne's action. Murali was a great competitor and a great bowler but a lot of the time he just didn't bowl within the limits of the law.". Hair also remains unrepentant. "The fact that the rules had to be changed to handle bowlers like that vindicated my actions and the actions of other umpires who called him," he said. "Once they changed the rules and made it legal for bowlers to bend their arm to 15 per cent they gave an advantage to a couple of bowlers who could get something extra from that rule. I would rather see the rule as it was where you couldn't bend your arm at all. That would mean everyone was the same," Hair said. At Derby, Ponting and Hussey made hundreds and Australia are 380 for six. No Derbyshire bowler has been accused of chucking. It is a nice day, and the Bakewell Tart flavoured ice creams are allegedly excellent, but it sounds far more interesting elsewhere. 4.15pm I'm lonely, writes Mike Selvey at Trent Bridge . Just me here, and Hoppsy not far away at Derby. I feel bereft. I am Wooster without Jeeves, Peter Wimsey without Bunter, Morse without Lewis, Holmes Watsonless, Lone Ranger minus Tonto, Ant without Dec, Baron Prescott of Hillstone upon Tyne without his lunch. How exactly does this work? I am reminded of the story of an Arsenal manager in the 70s who told of a player coming to his office. "Boss," he said, "I want to go on holiday. How do I do it?" Help Hoppsy. Anyway Siddique is playing nicely here and is approaching a half century and fifty stand with Raqibul just registered. Sitting here, Athers just took the words from my mouth by saying that if Bangladesh play sensibly they could post a nifty score. Collie on. 3.55pm A little local knowledge obviously pays, if only up to a point, writes Mike Averis in Worcester . The wicket may be getting lower and slower, but Steve Davies, who spent nine years at New Road before moving to the Oval, has gone passed fifty for the second time against India in the series here. In Tuesday's tied match he made 54 from 52 deliveries. Today he was just a little slower, taking 52 to make 50. There were nine boundaries and a selection of chip over the inner ring of fielders. However, nine ball after saluting the Worcester fans, Davies was gone giving a tame return catch to Shikhar Dhawan. England are 83 for two off 18. 3.21pm How often, asks Andy Wilson , should we update above the line without becoming boring? Yorkshire have finally polished off Warwickshire's second innings for 371, and need 200 to win in a minimum of 37 overs. After resisting bravely for so long, Warwicks threw away their last three wickets in the space of three overs - Imran Tahir holing out to mid off, Boyd Rankin running himself out, and finally the wounded Jim Troughton flashing to second slip. Rikki Clarke was left unbeaten on 127 from 256 balls in 368 minutes, following 46 not out in Warwicks' first innings. 3.20pm Like Victor, I, as an Old Blue, have an interest in the fortunes of the Varsity match, writes Mike Selvey . I note that the Light Blues are very much on the arse end of it, following on a gallon behind but making a better fist second time around. If there are those who think the match seems to be dominated by overseas players, then there is nothing new. On the Cambridge side in 1971, there were players born respectively in Pakistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe and New Zealand, while Oxford fielded men from South Africa, Australia, a brace from Zimbabwe and one born in Malawi. That was Rhodesia and Nyasaland back then of course. It has gone a bit flat here with the demise of Tamim, lbw to Stuart Broad in rather ungainly fashion. It was a thunderous start, but England have regained their composure. Most interest in the press box seems to be centred on the efforts of a Sky technician to get the 3D television working. Funnily enough, the match is in perfectly respectable 3D out of the window. Is there not something contradictory about 3D on a flat screen? 3.08pm Yorkshire have finally broken Warwickshire's eighth wicket stand, writes Andy Wilson . Imran Tahir got under a big straight hit off Patterson, and Anthony McGrath took a cool catch at mid off. 360 for eight, 188 ahead, probably about 38 overs left in the match, so it's not all over yet for Yorks. Clarke still there on 116, joined by Rankin, so if Troughton is going to bat again, it will be at 11. 2.55pm Alastair Cook, back and captaining the Lions after missing three games with a bad back, lasted two deliveries, missed the third and was out lbw - falling over as he attempted to work the ball to leg - before leaving with a swish of the bat, writes Mike Averis in Worcester . The Test opener made a better job of the first ball he faced from Jayadev Unadkat, easing it to the square leg boundary before he fell trying to repeat the shot. 2.36pm Apologies to those Tykes he might be annoying, but Rikki Clarke has just completed an excellent century in suitable style, with a classic on-drive off Tino Best, writes Andy Wilson . Am obliged to the stattos here in the Kilner auditorium for saving me having to research the fact that it's his first since April 2009 - and the last one before that was in July 2006, when he was at Surrey. Now 28, and sporting a Botham 1981 style beard (appropriately given the venue, and the fact that Warwicks are following on), this has been a reminder of his natural talent, as he's played the pace of Best, the seam of Patterson, Hannon-Dalby and Pyrah, and the spin of Rashid and Rafeeq with equal aplomb. Imran Tahir's having an effective hit and giggle at the other end, and Warwicks are now 330 for seven, with a lead of 158. Yorkshire's title rivals - Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and maybe even Durham? - will be nodding approvingly. 2.30pm Parry took three for 48, writes Mike Averis in Worcester , though the figures might be ever-so-slightly deceptive. Bowling from the Diglis End he showed he has a nice, steady bowling action. But two of his wickets came caught on the boundary, profiting from the positioning of Darren Stevens and Peter Trego, and the third was a full-toss which Saha missed when trying to sweep. So... the jury is still out, but three wickets are three wickets, and England need 5.58 an over to win this tri-series competition. 2.17pm Game starts here in a quarter of an hour, which comes as a surprise to me as I thought it began at 2, writes Mike Selvey at Trent Bridge . That accounts for why there were few people around when I arrived. Anyway, team news for England is not really news at all, in that the two replacements Bell and Tredwell replace in the side those they replaced in the squad. For Bangladesh, Hossain F replaces Hossain R on the scorecard which will save a little on the printing. Ah, another late change with Raqibul Hasan in place of Jahurul Islam. Tamim is there though and we shall see him shortly as Bangladesh have won the toss and will bat. I am very pleased incidentally with the elevation to the Lords given me by Mr Wilson. Perhaps I can sit alongside Lord Prescott of Hullston upon King. I wouldn't want to be a Baron though, because it all sounds a little pantomimish. Earl would be OK. 2.16pm Ricky Ponting has reached an inevitable hundred at Derby, writes David Hopps . But not so inevitable perhaps. He was on 79 when he hooked Mark Footitt to fine leg where Matt Higginbottom quivered in the presence of greatness and dropped a simple chance. Groans echoed around a forgiving crowd. Stephen Parry's selection for England Lions caused a bit of surprise on the blog this week, Mike. What have you made of him? 2.15pm Jacob Steinberg's over-by-over on the Trent Bridge one-dayer is under way. Catch his not-quite-3D coverage here 2.10pm From a canter to a crawl, writes Mike Averis in Worcester . Where Dhawan and Mukund nipped along at close on seven an over in their opening stand, the Somerset all-rounder Peter Trego and the Lancashire spinner Stephen Parry brought a bit of order to affairs in mid-innings. Both bowled straight through, Trego costing just 37 runs, while Parry took three wickets. His figures of three for 48 would have looked even better but for consecutive loose deliveries which Manoj Tiwary cut for four early on and an expensive final over which went for ten, including the first six of the day, hit in the 42nd over by Cheteshwar Pujara. Before then 14 overs of Trego and Parry in partnership had conceded just three boundaries, but once they had departed Pujara took care of the acceleration. His fifty came from a leisurely 64 deliveries, but then he clouted Woakes for six over long on his way to 37 off 25 balls. A second century in the series looked certain, but the 22-year-old saw less and less of the strike and ended stranded on 87 with India at 278 for seven. 1.50pm A reminder that our correspondents give occasional updates below the line as well. Andy Wilson has just reported: "warwicks lead now past 100. yorks starting to get twitchy". 1.30pm The county chairman's meeting at Edgbaston this week produced no clear agreement about the future structure of English cricket, writes David Hopps at Derby . But as Baron Prescott might say, the congealing of the various factors are reaching final deliberations as such: • There is too much cricket. • International cricket should be reduced slightly to enable England players to play slightly more for the counties. • The further expansion of Twenty20 this season was a mistake. • Sixteen four-day championship matches serve a worthwhile purpose and should be retained. Paul Sheldon, Surrey's chief executive, has today become the first official since the meeting to make a clear call for a new Twenty20 competition. Tonight's clash between Surrey and Middlesex is expected to attract t20's biggest crowd of the season, but Sheldon states that has been all too uncommon. "Our crowds for this year's Friends Provident t20 have been generally disappointing with total numbers for the eight home games being the same as to those for five home games in 2009", he said. "Tonight's crowd shows that the appetite for Twenty20 cricket is very much alive and well. However, it only attracts this level of interest if it is derby opposition, at the right time of day and on a Thursday or Friday night. Good weather is a great bonus; the World Cup has not helped. "We have evidence that the number of matches in this year's competition has not increased interest. We are strongly in favour of creating an enhanced competition, in a concentrated period of three to four weeks, involving both England and overseas players. As finances come under further pressure, this is an opportunity we have to grasp. We simply have to find solutions to the problems which are preventing it happening. We are looking for a shorter, punchier competition. The quality needs to be stronger and the quantity fewer." Sheldon's views are shared by all members of the Test Match Grounds, who have had more trouble filling their larger, city grounds than some of the Shire counties such as Chelmsford and Middlesex. Talk of a TMGs breakaway is unrealistic, but one idea that could gain ground is the rugby union system – a two-divisional t20 competition, with one-up, one-down in which you can only be promoted to Division One if you meet certain criteria on capacity etc. A TMGs stitch-up? Well, perhaps. But if that First Division was then marketed so successfully that all 18 counties were guaranteed additional revenue then the idea might gain a surprising amount of ground. Meanwhile, at Derby, Ponting and Hussey are still batting. Some things never change. 12.54pm It is lunch at Derby, writes David Hopps , and the normal order of things has been restored. Ricky Ponting is 65 not out from 85 balls, possessing the sheen of a batsman who is clearly a class or two apart, and Australia are 142 for three at lunch from only 27 overs. It is quite possible to imagine that Australia will have 480-plus by the end of the day and Ponting a big hundred. We will see. There is a lovely festival air to Derby today. This really is a hugely-improved ground, much more sheltered than the windswept wastes of old and full of caring little touches that committees of old would never have imagined. The crowd is full of kids playing cricket (one poor lad has taken a blow on the head after being struck by the ball and needed treatment) and adults are unpacking picnics and taking pictures of Ricky Ponting. It reminds me of the chilled-out, summer fete atmosphere of an old NatWest first round tie when the minor county would take early wickets before being thrashed by the first-class county, the beer coolers would hum and everybody seemed to be smiling. Expecations from the tiny band of travelling Aussie media are that this is Australia's Test XI (ignoring their 12th player, Peter George). If that is so they would line-up against Pakistan at Lord's like this: Watson, Katich, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, North, Paine, Smith, Johnson, Bollinger, Hilfenhaus. Alison Mitchell is here for the BBC and is scoring in a building which doubles up as the groundsman's HQ. She is accompanied by a dartboard and a semi-naked calendar. "Very much topless women," she reveals. But she has been given a piece of birthday cake and seems extraordinarily happy. Another convert to the new Derby. 12.30pm Two bits of Red Rose trivia from Headingley, writes Andy Wilson . Apparently Graham Lloyd (Bumble's lad) is umpiring at Old Trafford for the first time today, in a one-day game against West Indies A. And they've just released an extra 500 tickets for the Roses t20 game at OT tomorrow evening - 14,000 tickets sold already, apparently, so should be a good atmosphere. Bit quieter here, but Rikki Clarke battling on. He's on 67, Warwicks 242 for five, 70 ahead. Details of fifth wicket and Troughton update appear below the line. 12.15pm England, minus Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott and James Tredwell, had to work hard in the first hour and a half of their tri-series final against India A, writes Mike Averis in Worcester . The opening bowlers Chris Woakes and Sajid Mahamood have suffered from a mixture of attractive batting and luck. Woakes was pulled from the attack after five overs which cost him 37 and saw Abhinav Mukund and Shikhar Dhawan off to kind of start which laid the foundation for Tuesday's run-chase. Then India made the 343 to tie the game with England and get into the final. Today the partnership put on 68 before England got a sniff. Liam Plunkett came into the attack for Woakes and in his first over Dhawan , still trying to get the measure of the change in pace, heaved at a short delivery and was caught down the legside by Steve Davies, the keeper diving to his right. Dhawan had made 39 from 31 balls, hitting eight boundaries. A change of ends also brought a change in fortune for Mahmood who had Ajinka Rahane caught on the square leg boundary, but that only brought Cheteshwar Pujara, a century-maker on Tuesday and the biggest scorer in the series, to the wicket as India went passed 100 in the 18th over. 11.50am Well, what a historic day, writes David Hopps in Derby . Baron John Leslie Prescott of Kingston upon Hull in the county of East Yorkshire. I had a quick listen on the radio half-an-hour ago as I approached Derby. Sometimes the world sounds so surreal. To mark the occasion, the Guardian's county-plus-whatever-other-cricket-is-on blog! will have several in the wrong order jumbled sentences during the day's course. There may be a few literals too. All will be deliberate. So: Derby, festival mood, a decent crowd and a two-day match between Derbyshire and Australia ahead of the Test between Australia and Pakistan on Tuesday. How to interest you in this? It did not auger well when I walked into the press box to be greeted by a "What the hell are you doing here?" It can be revealed that Ricky Ponting has never played at Derby, a gap on his cricketing CV which he can now finally expunge. He will probably retire at the end of the match with the words: "I feel all my lifetime's ambitions have now been achieved." Even his failure to capture the Ashes does not leave such a heartache. Nigel Gardner, a Derbyshire scribe now for almost 30 years, says the nearest that Ponting got was at Chesterfield on a Young Australians tour. Ponting is batting at the moment. He would struggle to recognise Derbyshire's first-choice attack and none of them are playing. Instead he must find form against the seam bowling quartet of Mark Footitt, Ross Whiteley, Matt Higginbottom and Atif Sheikh. Sheikh attracted our attention earlier in the season for a no-ball plagued debut against Gloucestershire. But he has a decent pace and will probably take most playing. Australia have started poorly, losing three wickets in the first hour. Sheikh claimed two of them. Shane Watson was lbw, hitting across one, and Simon Katich poked to point. Mark Footitt bowled Michael Clarke for only a single. recovery is in the hands of Ponting and Mr Cricket. 11.40am M62 awful, thanks for asking, but got here just in time to see Yorkshire make their first breakthrough, writes Andy Wilson at Headingley . Ateeq Javid, the 18-year-old who I was rather looking forward to watching, was caught behind pushing forward to a big leg break from Adil Rashid - leaving Warwickshire on 210 for four, only 38 ahead, with all four wickets to Rashid. Rikki Clarke still there on 59, meaning he has still to be dismissed in the match after being left unbeaten on 46 in the Bears' first innings. Could this be the start of an overdue comeback for a gifted but infuriating cricketer? Incidentally Javid will be lining up with Atif Sheikh - the young Derbyshire quick who is in action against Australia today and has been discussed down below - in the England under-19s games coming up in the next few weeks. (On current evidence, we'll be blogging from them as well.) Back at Headingley, Tim Ambrose has come in to join Clarke. Jim Troughton, who retired hurt yesterday after being hit by a Tino Best bouncer, has a cut and bruising around his eye, but is expected to bat. But maybe not with Best still reasonably fresh, and the second new ball due any time. Slightly nostalgic feel about a Caribbean quick causing fear in the county ranks. Not exactly Sylvester Clarke or Malcolm Marshall, but as good as it gets these days. 11.27am While we wait for the next missive from a press box, we can reassure homesickblues below the line that there will be a separate over-by-over for England v Bangladesh from 2pm. Mr Selvey will hopefully be able to supply titbits from Trent Bridge on this blog. 10.45am The England Lions team to play India A at Worcester is in from our man on the scene, Mike Averis . It is: Alastair Cook, Steve Davies, Andrew Gale, Ravi Bopara, Darren Stevens, James Taylor, Peter Trego, Liam Plunkett, Chris Woakes, Sajid Mahmood, Stephen Parry. Captain Cook won the toss and England Lions are fielding first. 9.45am Good morning and welcome to what used to be called the county blog, but has now become something much more exotic, writes Andy Wilson from Manchester, about to brave the M62 . After experimenting with squad rotation earlier in the week, we've now gone for full-on Punchlines with Lennie Bennett. Changing places today is David Hopps, who has left Headingley in frustration at Yorkshire's failure to polish off Warwickshire's second innings, and will instead be watching the Aussies switch from Twenty20 to first-class mode at Derby - where it promises to be a decent occasion, according to the barrage of press releases I've received from the club in the last few days. You'll have to make do with me from Leeds, M62 permitting - it could be an interesting, and significant, final day, as Yorkshire aim to capitalise on Nottinghamshire's defeat at Essex. But that's not all, folks. Mike Averis is at Worcester to see if England Lions can beat India A to secure victory in a tri-series that they have dominated. And Lord Selvey should be checking in later from wherever the first one-dayer between England and Bangladesh is. (Bristol? Cardiff? No time to check if I'm going to make it to Headingley on time.) We might even get an update from Vic Marks on the Kolpak Varsity Match, and Hoppsy will be reporting on Hull University's season. (Incidentally, do we get any students on here? Would have thought it's a perfect way to while away the summer months until McDonald's have any vacancies. Do Oxford and Cambridge ever play the UCCE sides?)