Key events
Ben Slater has a hundred, Simon Harmer has a wicket, Ricardo VAaconcelos has a fifty and its time for me to write up for the paper. Do chat on BTL, if your senses haven’t dripped away from your body.
Around the Div 2 grounds:
Lancashire have bowled Derbyshire out for 261, which is probably more than they were hoping for when they had them 35 for three. Four wickets for Balderson.
Gloucestershire are chipping away at Glamorgan at Sophia Gardens, 143 for four, 237 runs behind.
Vasconcelos and Harrison are going along charmingly at Canterbury (90-1), after Kent declared on 566-8.
And the Kookaburra is not agreeing with table-toppers Leicestershire, 65 for two in reply to Middx 534.
Whilst here, at York , we think Wharton is a lucky boy after being given not out off (what looks) like a regulation edge off Khaleel Ahmed.
Wickets at Taunton for spin twins Leach and Vaughan – Notts 145 for three.
And a wicket at York, as Finlay Bean, fresh from a double century, flays at a leg side ball and is snaffled. Yorks 81 for one.
Surrey break the record for their highest score in county cricket and declare
on 820 for nine. One triple hundred (Sibley), three hundreds (Lawrence, Jacks, Curran) and a perky fifty for Rory Burns about 100 years ago. Oh, and Durham have already lost a wicket – Gay bowled Fisher five.
A circuit of the ground brings renewed respect to all those sitting in the sun and even more love for trees. Also overheard reports of boiling portaloos, while there have been disappointing sales in the beer tent.
Tea-time-ish scores
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Worcestershire 679-7
Taunton: Somerset 379 v Nottinghamshire 124-2
The Oval: Surrey 803-8 v Durham
Hove: Sussex 199-2 v Warwickshire 415
York: Yorkshire 53-0 v Essex 368
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 241-7 v Lancashire 367
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 115-3 v Gloucestershire 380
Canterbury: Kent 566-8dec v Northamptonshire 6-0
Grace Road: Leicestershire 0-0 v Middlesex 534
Lawes out for two, Surrey take tea needing another nine for the record. Let us crawl around the grounds for the scores.
100 for Will Jacks as Surrey pass 800
Surrey hundreds being plated up like jam sandwiches, as Jacks joins the club. Surrey approaching their highest f-c score of 811, with one over left before tea.
Surrey march on 800, Worcestershire on 700, Kent declare
Nothing much appears to have happened at Yorks while I was watching The Oval stream, Yorkshire 36-0.
And while Surrey head towards 800, Worcestershire zip towards 700 and Kent – oh Kent have declared on 566-8, 158 for Bell-Drummond, 118 for Finch.
One for the grandchildren
Poor George Drissell ponders the tarnished side of the coin: he has conceded the most runs ever in an innings of the county championship: 45-1-247-1.
Sibley out! for 305
The 12 first-class triple hundreds made at The Oval belong to: Neil Fairbrother, Len Hutton, Bobby Abel, Kevin Pietersen, Walter Reed, Tom Hayward, Hashim Amla, Ben Duckett, Mark Ramprakash, Raman Subba Row and now Dom Sibley – and – oh – he’s out, well caught by a running Ackermann off Will Rhodes. The Durham players race to shake his hand, and the crowd rise to applaud an monumental innings.
300 for Dom Sibley!
The second triple century of the season (after Tom Banton’s) belongs to Dom Sibley! He gets there with a sprinted single and ends up spreadeagled in the dirt. 472 balls, 28 fours, two sixes. Removes his helmet and soaks up a standing ovation. Just the sixth triple for Surrey at The Oval after Mark Ramprakash, Kevin Pietersen, Bobby Abell, Jack Hobbs and Tom Hayward.
Spend ten minutes out on the balcony watching the first few overs of the Yorkshire innings. I now feel as if I’ve been gently fried by a warm hairdryer. Impressively energetic bowling by new man Khaleel Ahmed and CCLive reader (I can’t remember who) favourite, the hirsute Shane Snater.
Sibley approaches 300, 200 for Jake Libby
At The Oval, Sibley approaches 300 as Durham disappear into their shadow.s Meanwhile at the other run-soaked game, at the Rosebowl, Jake Libby has become the second double-centurion of the Worcestershire innings.
Khaleel attempts a distinguished defensive shot, and is bowled. On drives the heavy roller – up and down the wicket. Will Simon Harmer open the bowling?
Fifty for Noah Thain, with a sensible single. He waves his bat at the dressing room. Essex 368 for nine.
And now Shane Snater follows for one – Khaleel Ahmed doesn’t seem keen on hanging around, smokes his first ball for four and tries – and fails – to do the same to the rest of Bess’s over.
“Shout out to the Over 60s of England and Australia who begin “The Grey Ashes” today,” writes Mike Daniels. “The first of five ODIs is being held today at Littleborough in Lancs and scores can be found at https://englandseniors.play-cricket.com/website/results/7068565
There is also a live stream on YouTube. Good luck to all those playing today!”
Simon Harmer pokes at one, and Essex in danger of being out for less than 400.
Meanwhile, HH has fallen early after a pretty little cameo of 24 for Notts (42-1); and George Balderson has a static Wayne Madsen lbw for 70. Derby 136-5, a substantial 231 behind.
No England players to be released back to their counties
Sam Cook, Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton to remain in situ with England.
England unchanged for the second Test.
Ben Stokes (Durham) – Captain
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Harry Brook (Yorkshire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)
Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
250 for Dom Sibley
On and on for big bad Dom. Past his highest f-c score as Surrey head towards 700.
Just as everyone was digesting the delicious lunch put on by York CC – noodles and deep fried tempura, with chocolate brownie to follow – a wicket falls, Pepper caught behind. YJB still wearing a jumper.
Jofra Archer update
Jofra Archer will not be joining the England Test squad for today’s training session at Edgbaston due to a family emergency. He is expected to rejoin the squad on Tuesday.
If you want to know how hot it is, and how different from seasonal norms, try this fantastic website.
Journalists writing about UK heatwave today:
Watch the temperatures rise around the country, including how much warmer than normal they are.https://t.co/0huOHsOdXy
— Ed Hawkins (@ed_hawkins) June 30, 2025
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Worcestershire 546-5
Taunton: Somerset 379 v Nottinghamshire 15-0
The Oval: Surrey 597-3 v Durham
Hove: Sussex 60-0 v Warwickshire 415
York: Yorkshire v Essex 328-6
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire 109-3 v Lancashire 367
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 0-0 v Gloucestershire 380
Canterbury: Kent 446-5 v Northamptonshire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Middlesex 438-6
Another chance is grassed (short vowel) at York – Thain on 23. Essex 323 for six.
And hello Mike Daniels at Grace Road, and sorry I didn’t see your email until now.
“My mate who was on duty in the box yesterday left a note saying “Boring!’ as his take on the play yesterday. Probably the case for Leicester fans but Middlesex will have been thrilled after being sent into bat.
“Preparing for excessive heat this afternoon as the sun creeps round the ground. Makeshift shutters to keep out the direct sunlight and lots of water in the fridge, fan on. Who wants to work in this?”
Not me, I’m with commentators BTL. I don’t know how these sportspeople superhumans do it.
Staggering around the Division Two grounds with a fan and a trilby:
After Lancashire’s batting recovery yesterday, Derbyshire are faltering – now 84 for three after Balderson removes Came. Jimmy having a rest after seven overs, two for 19.
James Bracey’s unbeaten 130 is guiding Gloucestershire towards 400, currently 377 for nine. Van der Gugten 4-61.
A century for Daniel Bell-Drummond and half century for Harry Finch means Kent are chugging along nicely down at Cricket Week Canterbury. Kent 434 for five.
Middlesex are also thriving against the Kookaburra, Ben Geddes 76 not out in 423 for six. Leicestershire must be wishing Rehan Ahmed was fit.
Essex have made fifty runs in an hour and a half, as Revis snatches at a caught and bowled and can’t hold on to a drive from Pepper.
No century for Tom Banton, as he reverse-sweeps to a lurking Mohammad Abbas for 84, but a welcome return to form. Hampshire relief after dropping him on two
Essex haven’t managed the batting point, in fact they’ve ground to a bit of a halt at York where brave, brave people are frying in the temporary stand. Essex 289 for six.
200 for Dom Sibley, 100 for Lawrence.
Chalk and very melted cheese – perhaps a brie. Sibley’s second double ton for Surrey, Lawrence’s second hundred of the summer. Durham look on in horror – Surrey 494 for three. Those who have played international cricket – Anderson, Sibley, Lawrence – particularly enjoying the Kookaburra?
The Essex wobble continues as Allison drives to Abdullah Shaffique at point.
Two overs for Essex to get a second batting point…
Oh Jimmy Jimmy
England are looking for people who can do magic with the Kookaburra…Wagstaff and Jewell fall to the master. Derbyshire 29 for two, Anderson two for 16.
And another! Jordan Cox, yet to re-find his mojo after the England call-up-injury-match. Gone for 33, courtesy George Hill.
A timetable mess means that I arrive just in time to see Critchley lose his bails via bat and pad. And things move on – almost apace. Charlie Allison, fresh from two centuries on the trot, strides out.
Heat regulations
Professional cricketers are a hardy bunch but the heat can be dangerous, especially when wearing lots of protective equipment. Special attention should be paid to the wet bulb temperature. The ECB advice is not presciptive, but relies on conversations between players and match officials.
Having strategies in place in advance provides the best chance of ensuring player, match official, staff and spectator welfare. This may include increased and/or longer drinks breaks, which can help both on and off the field.
In addition, consideration for a longer lunch and/or tea and potential to leave the field for drinks.
There is an ability for an umpire to suspend play or not allow it to start if the umpire considers that the conditions are either dangerous or unreasonable.
During the match: If weather conditions change unexpectedly during the match, consider immediate extreme heat management intervention.
Drinks intervals: A minimum of one drinks interval per session will be scheduled (Umpires will liaise with Captains on the day to confirm). The time taken for these intervals will be divorced from over-rate calculations.
Hours of play: Should both teams agree, the hours of play in multi-day matches may be shortened on day(s) of extreme heat, with any time being made up on days when it is forecasted to be cooler. Timings will be determined at the time when the specific circumstances are known.
Weather watch
Hot, hot, hot. 33 degrees at The Oval, 32 at Grace Road, 31 at York, Worcester, Chesterfield, Canterbury, 29 at Taunton, 28 at Cardiff and Southampton, 27 at Hove.
Sunday’s round-up
County Cricket Day 2025 was distinguished by soft Kookaburra balls and soaring temperatures. At York, the groundsman had left enough grass on the pitch to give it a minty sheen, but a combination of ball, disciplined Yorkshire bowling and heat-induced inertia tested the patience of even the most loyal fan.
The ground became more and more lopsided as spectators slid towards the shade of the oak tree behind the scorebox while Essex’s Tom Westley (107) and Dean Elgar (94) plodded on. And on. Westley’s hundred was his second in successive matches.
It was a good day for Ben Compton at Canterbury: a county cap, a three-year contract extension and 66 runs, as Kent batted their way to a comfortable 325-4 against Northamptonshire, with additional half centuries for Daniel Bell-Drummond and Tawanda Muyeye.
Tom Banton, whose season hit a spectacular high in the first round with 371, but who has since found runs hard to mine, ground an unbeaten 57 against Nottinghamshire. There were also fifties for Tom Abell and James Rew after Somerset had wobbled at 22 for two.
Centuries from Dom Sibley and Sam Curran put Surrey in the driving seat at the Oval. A swashbuckling Dan Lawrence half-century after tea put the tin lid on Durham’s decision to have a bowl.
Sam Robson clocked his first hundred of the season for Middlesex at a flat, dry Grace Road. Leicestershire were shorn of their first-choice attack due to injuries and Ian Holland’s presence at Major League Cricket, but Roman Walker pocketed three wickets.
Lancashire recovered from the depths of 44 for four at Derbyshire thanks to a self-denying 106 from Keaton Jennings and a chirpier 121 from Chris Green. Zak Chappell grabbed four wickets.
Henry Crocombe, replacing Jofra Archer, spirited away by England after one game, kept Sussex in the match against Warwickshire with three wickets. Mason Crane also grabbed three for Glamorgan against Gloucestershire.
And at Southampton, Barry Richards was one of the spectators as Worcestershire’s Adam Hose frying-panned the Hampshire attack during his 266 at more than a run a ball. Thirty one fours and seven sixes peppered the lounging crowds and switched the narrative of a broiling day.
Scores on the doors
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Worcestershire 362-2
Taunton: Somerset 275-6 v Nottinghamshire
The Oval: Surrey 407-3 v Durham
Hove: Sussex v Warwickshire 372-7
York: Yorkshire v Essex 248-3
DIVISION TWO
Chesterfield: Derbyshire v Lancashire 367
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Gloucestershire 279-7
Canterbury: Kent 325-4 v Northamptonshire
Grace Road: Leicestershire v Middlesex 336-5
Preamble
Good morning! The sun beats down and the cricket gets heavy. Welcome to day two – play starts at 11am.
