Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureRoundup: Essex's Lawrence sends Ashes reminderTanya AldredDan Lawrence bashed a brutal hundred at Blackpool, grinding Lancashire hopes with his big boots and entertaining thespectators watching from their fold-up seats high on the tiered banks. Exquisitely timed too, with England in need of a No 3 and the Old Trafford Test coming up fast on the inside, just a week away.A salty seadog in the queue by the coffee van sniffed a force seven gale and at times it felt like that, as the wind skated up the coast and over the ground. But it did not put Lawrence off his stride, squatting his considerable frame into a Z before cracking the ball with huge power. He hit nine sixes: three of them lost over the wall into Stanley Park, one pancaked straight back past Will Williams over the press tent; one to reach his third hundred of the summer over wide long-on.Lawrence hit even more freely and monstrously after reaching three figures, finally out for 135 off 125 balls in the last over of the day. Earlier. Lancashire had lost seven wickets in the morning session, and two more soon afterwards, just avoiding the follow-on, with four wickets to Sam Cook and three to Paul Walter.Essex then had a disastrous start to their second innings, as both Nick Browne and Alastair Cook were out for nought, before Lawrence came in and turned the game upside down. In 100 first-class matches at Blackpool, the highest run-chase is 301; with the Essex lead now 429, Lancashire have their work cut out tomorrow.Close of play scoresDIVISION ONECanterbury: Warwickshire 549-7dec BEAT Kent 171 and 332 by an innings and 46 runsBlackpool: Lancashire 145 v Essex 282 and 292-8Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 277 v Northamptonshire 219 and 372-7Taunton: Somerset 500 v Hampshire 330 and 34-2The Oval Surrey 355 and 200-5 v Notts 399DIVISION TWOThe Riverside: Durham 453 and 52-1 BEAT Gloucestershire 316 and 188 by nine wicketsSophia Gardens: Glamorgan 403-9dec v Leicestershire 28-0Hove: Sussex 402 and 193-5 v Derbyshire 407New Road: Worcestershire 242 and 22 v Yorkshire 407Dan Lawrence drops a calling cardWell that was astonishing hitting, spent the last hour semi-cowering under the desk as Dan Lawrence peppered the boundary. Amazing, amazing 135 that could yet be worth more than the sum of its parts. They’re covering the pitch now at Blackpool and it’s time to go and find my hotel. Thanks for all the messages and for sticking with the blog during a somewhat chaotic day. Good night!Popping back to say Dom Bess has taken his first wicket for Somerset since 2019, Hampshire are all out, and Somerset enforced the follow-on.As a seagull squarks, time for me to think about writing up for the paper. Do keep chatting BTL, we’re always open.In Division One:Critchley has just been bowled by Tom Hartley, dropping to one knee and having a slog. Essex 122-4, a lead of 259 after a partnership of 95 with Lawrence.Kent are holding on by the dirt in their nails at Canterbury: 279-7, still trail Warwicks by 100 runs.Batting easy at Merchant Taylor’s. Whiteman out for a patient 114. Northants 269-4.Disappointment for Felix Organ at Taunton, bowled Bashir (3-88) for 97. But Abbott is still in possession, not out 89. Hants 330-9 – good work from 88-6.Tom Latham just out at The Oval, for 60, but a twinkle-toed Sibley 72 not out in 141-2.A quick skip round the traps: Party DivisionGloucestershire in the midst of a valiant rearguard. Hammond 79 not out. But at 175-8, they lead Durham by just 42.Glamorgan 309-8 as Mitchell Swepson (48 not out) joins the tailend party. Neser still there, 116 not out.The creche 115-4 against Derbyshire, Coles still there, a fifty under his belt. Three wickets for Thomson. The Sussex lead just 110.And five wickets for Ben Coad as Worcestershire get within touching distance of the follow-on. Worcs 222-9.Updated at 17.31 BSTLawrence dropped – I think – into Salt’s hands and out again . Whichever, next ball he slams Will Williams back over the top of our little tent, for six.100 for Michael Neser!If Lawrence has something to prove, Neser can raise him. A perfectly-pitched 104 off 150 balls to help Glamorgan from 93-7 to 277-8. A valiant 47 in support from James Harris too.And a second six for Lawrence, dropping to one knee and having a mighty swog.Fifty for Dan Lawrence!Lawrence smacks six leg side, over the rope, then over the wall. A handful of singles, and that’s fifty for Lawrence (71 balls, five fours and a six)– bang on the money. Essex 88-3 – a lead of 226 already.Updated at 17.06 BSTDid a round of the ground at tea, spotted a man tucking into his reduced Quorn sausages, a bright pink fluffy blanket warming up some old knees and also the brilliant Revolootion van, being looked after by the brilliant Jules – who is also a juggler should you be looking for a party entertainer.They restart here at Blackpool, and an edge from Lawrence flies past the diving Salt for four. Meanwhile, England women’s ODI v Australia is well under way at Bristol, Australia knocked up 263-8 in their allocated fifty. Jim Wallace is there to expertly guide you through England’s chase. England need to win the remaining three games to get their mitts on the AshesTea time-ish scoresDIVISION ONECanterbury: Kent 171 and 223-5 v Warwickshire 549-7decBlackpool: Lancashire 145 v Essex 282 and 42-3Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 277 v Northamptonshire 219 and 200-2Taunton: Somerset 500 v Hampshire 258-8The Oval Surrey 355 and 88-1 v Notts 399DIVISION TWOThe Riverside: Durham 453 v Gloucestershire 316 and 108-7Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 218-7 v Leicestershire, rainHove: Sussex 402 and 53-3 v Derbyshire 407New Road: Worcestershire 194-9 v Yorkshire 407Surrey take tea having recovered, much as they did in the first innings, from the early dismissal of Rory Burns. 88-1.Whiteman and Procter both have half centuries as Northants suddenly make batting look easy.And a partnership of a hundred between Leaning and Finch broken by …double-centurion Rob Yates.. who follows up the wicket of Leaning (64) by trapping Cox lbw four overs later. Kent 223-5, still 155 behind.I don’t want to put the kibosh on anyone, but the stage is set for a Dan Lawrence big one. Essex in need of runs, England in need of a No. 3, atmospheric gales. Currently 21 not out. You say potato… Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty ImagesUpdated at 16.02 BST56 for Kyle Abbott and 57 for Felix Organ in Hampshire’s rebuild; one biff-bash (83 balls); one stop:start (164 balls). Hants 257-8, 243 behind.And Westley joins the Blackpool procession of wickets, Essex 27-3.Re the clattering wickets at Blackpool, your proverb of the day from Tom Westley: “When it’s cloudy here the ball seems to do a little bit more than when the sun is out.”So much work still to be done:Down on the south coast, Sussex are also having a tricky start to their second innings – 23-2, after Derbyshire crept to a first innings lead of four. (four wickets apiece for Shipley and Karvelas). A wicket each for Lakmal and Thomson.The noble knight rocks back on his heels, cracks the bat and hands an easy catch to Dane Vilas at point. Eleven wickets and counting so far today. Cook 0. Essex 0-2.Oh. Oh! Rory Burns has made a pair at The Oval, lbw to Hutton 0 – an identical dismissal to the first innings. Been a rotten old season for him by his standards – 400 runs averaging 25. Surrey 35-1 in their second innings.Update from The Riverside: Gloucestershire have lost Bracey – not to Potts, but to Pretorious. Gloucs 70-5, Hammond 32 not out.And as filthy clouds fly across the sky, down the rain comes. Pours. Buckets.Bailey takes the new ball – but first must wait for the roller to slowly remove itself from the playing area. Bad news for Browne who is sent on his way after Bailey thuds the ball into his pads. His weeks’ work at Blackpool has resulted in 0 runs. As he trudges off, the seagulls circle overhead. Essex 0-1.Lancashire avoid the follow on, but are all out soon afterwards as Bailey suddenly loses the ball and is bowled by a full toss from Cook. Lancs 145 all out. The Essex lead 137. Cook 4-42; Walter 3-20.In Division One:Rain is currently saving Kent, where Finch and Leaning have put on an unbeaten 50 for the fourth wicket. Kent 136-3 in their second innings, still 242 behind Warwicks.Essex are still in with a shout of enforcing the follow on at Blackpool, the lead 157, – but not so much now as Salt slams a six. Lancs 125-9.Northants are battling bravely at Merchant Taylor’s, 139-2, Whiteman and Procter in the middle with the planks and nails.Hampshire are being routed by Somerset’s nursery, 19 year olds Ogborne and Bashir ripping through the middle order. Currently 169-8, a deficit of 331.And Notts have just been dismissed for 399, a lead over Surrey of 44, in the intriguing match at The OVal. Useful runs from the late middle order to go with Young’s 145.Derbyshire are creeping loser to Sussex’s 402 and Glamorgan, well, they’ve got into triple figures. Neser 22 not out; Salisbury 3-37. Glam 120-7.Updated at 14.27 BSTSam Cook puts another Lancastrian in his pocket – 121-9.Meanwhile at The Riverside, Potts’ figures read 6-0-24-4. Gloucestershire 38-4, still 99 runs behind. Early bath there.Have been assured by a salty old sea dog in the coffee queue (thank you the Froth me Silly van) that this is a force seven gale and any more than this the bails will blow off. Paul Walter resumes at the south end, with Lancashire in perilous straits. 120-8.And one more for luck! A third wicket for Walter, second in the over, and a seventh for Essex this morning as Blatherwick is caught with static legs for another duck. Lancashire 116-8. OH dear me.As the little tent I’m sitting in threatens to blow away, Lancashire deflate. With the ball older than the magic 30 overs,De Grandhomme is a second wicket for Cook, then Tom Hartley beautifully caught off the steepling height of Walter first ball. Lancashire 116-7Lunchtime-ish scoresDIVISION ONECanterbury: Kent 171 and 127-3 v Warwickshire 549-7decBlackpool: Lancashire 114-5 v Essex 282Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 277 v Northamptonshire 219 and 109-2Taunton: Somerset 500 v Hampshire 138-6The Oval Surrey 355 v Notts 366-7DIVISION TWOThe Riverside: Durham 453 v Gloucestershire 316 and 0-0Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 86-5 v Leicestershire, rainHove: Sussex 402 v Derbyshire 341-7New Road: Worcestershire 119-6 v Yorkshire 407Still going here at Blackpool and Hove (where Derbyshire have accuulated rapidly, but lost four wickets, including Guest for 105) but lunch scores elsewhere to follow:Worcestershire have had a tremulous morning – 119-6: Fisher, Coad, Coad, Coad, Steketee, Steketee. 288 runs adrift of Yorkshire.Sky say their average viewership for this men's Ashes series is up 45% on 2019, and the 3rd Test was their highest average (965k) for any Test ever. Women's Ashes flying too - T20s were up 135% on 2019, Test up 400%.— Will Macpherson () July 11, 2023
Rain sweeping round the grounds, stopping play at Merchant Taylor’s and Canterbury and New Road, while at Blackpool Phil Salt is in the mood to beat the weather, throwing his weight around with the bat.After waiting two days for the skies to clear, Glamorgan have had a limp souffle of a morning. Currently 79 for five, with only ul Hassan in double figures (out for 33). Two wickets to Wright, two to Salisbury. Cooke and Neser to rebuild.Belatedly, a quick scamper round the grounds. But first, a wicket. Another wicket. As Jones gives catching practise off Doug Bracewell. Lancashire 90-4.Yorkshire sign contract extensionsSome good news for Yorkshire yesterday as they announced eight new contract extensions.Finlay Bean, who scored his third century of the season yesterday, has signed a two-year deal along with quick bowler Ben Cliff, spinner Jafer Chohan, batters James Wharton and Will Luxton.Allrounder Matty Revis has signed a three-year deal, while wicketkeeper-batter Harry Duke and all-rounder Yash Vagadia have both signed one-year deals“They are all players we want to keep,” said Darren Gough. “ What’s great to see is that there are a lot of young players in those renewals - so I am over the moon.Tom Bailey spoke to the reporter’s network last night and was NOT impressed by the Kookaburra balls:““As soon as that ball gets soft, it’s so difficult to take wickets….“Will (Williams) keeps me going. It’s quite easy to get frustrated sometimes but he’s relentless. He’s been great to bowl with. We are always chatting at mid-on and mid-off, trying to keep each other going. It seems to be working.“All me and Will are talking about is getting that Dukes ball back in our hands!“After twenty to thirty overs, it’s a different game so if Keats and Bosh (Jennings and Bohannon) can get to that point tomorrow hopefully we can kick on and get a really good total on the board.”Essex have bowled 24 overs at the moment, so have about six more to cut deeper into the Lancs middle-order – and as I type that Bohannon is dropped on 41 by Harmer at slip.Made it to Blackpool CC where a brisk wind is eagerly buffering the trees and I follow a man into the ground who is wearing a woolly hat. Fleeces rule.Not much to report, some slow accumulation, until Jennings was just gracefully caught at slip off Sam Cook for 29. Ooof, and another, Vilas gone for 0, run-out going for the quickest of quick singles and done by a smart one-handed throw. Lancs 76-3.Approaching Blackpool North, hopefully will soon be in a tent in the middle of a field. No updates for a while but please do entertain yourselves BTLLeading wicket-takersChris Rushworth: 40Ben Raine: 40Ben Hutton: 36Matthew Potts: 36Simon Harmer: 36The race to a thousand runsJames Rew (15 innings): 952Alex Lees (14 innings): 894Tom Westley (16 innings): 886Leus du Plooy (12 innings): 851Kiran Carlson (14 innings): 754Updated at 14.17 BSTA Brummie bromance:The American Dream:Rain at Blackpool. Rain at Cardiff. Elsewhere, we’re off!“Central and southeast England will start fine with some sunshine. Otherwise it will be a day of bright or sunny spells and showers, the showers heavy and thundery in places. Feeling cool in the breeze, this strongest in the south.”Already regretting not bringing an anorak.The weather is not looking that promising out of the window at Wigan North Western. Big plops of rain.Updated at 11.23 BSTScores on the doorsDIVISION ONECanterbury: Kent 171 and 55-1 v Warwickshire 549-7decBlackpool: Lancashire 37-1 v Essex 282Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 277 v Northamptonshire 219 and 55-2Taunton: Somerset 500 v Hampshire 58-2The Oval Surrey 355 v Notts 248-5DIVISION TWOThe Riverside: Durham 433-8 v Gloucestershire 316Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 54-1 v Leicestershire, rainHove: Sussex 402 v Derbyshire 212-3New Road: Worcestershire 46-2 v Yorkshire 407Tuesday's round upOn the runs piled, century after century. At Taunton, James Rew crafted his maiden double hundred, to put on the wall alongside his four other Championship tons of 2023 – all at the tender age of 19. Rew strode in with Somerset 41 for four on Monday against Hampshire, and was last man out just before tea on Tuesday as the scoreboard ticked over to 500. An innings of patience, sudden changes of pace and luck – he was dropped once at slip by James Vince – finally came a cropper to Vince’s medium pace, for 221. Rew pulled off his helmet, gave his ginger mop a shake, and waved his bat to the standing, applauding Taunton faithful – 952 Championship runs under his belt for the summer. He was helped along the way by Casey Aldridge, a ding-dong 54 from Dom Bess, temporarily back home, and 44 by the No 11 and fellow teenager Shoaib Bashir.There was a maiden double century too for Warwickshire’s Rob Yates, the 23-year-old who has had an up-and-down time since his breakthrough year in 2021. An innings of 228 not out in nearly nine hours included a six that smashed a glass panel in Kent’s dressing room.Finlay Bean cracked a career-best 135, his third hundred of the season, helping Yorkshire to secure four batting points against Worcestershire. He earned a rookie contract last year on the strength of his 441 for the second XI and hasn’t looked back.There were hundreds also for two of England’s discarded men, Alex Lees (10 Tests last year) and Tom Westley (five in 2017). Lees shot to his third hundred in successive Championship innings, zipping Durham past Gloucestershire’s total. Westley held Essex together with his third century of the year – his dismissal for 135 the catalyst for Lancashire taking five for seven runs. New Zealand’s Will Young had fun on his Nottinghamshire debut with 106 not out against Surrey.Good morning! Had a bit of a travel cock-up this morning, getting on the wrong train. On my way to Blackpool – will try to blog from the Northern Rail’s finest. Wish me luck.Updated at 10.53 BST