User:Sam Vimes/Sandbox3

See also: 2005 English cricket season

The start of the period of the 2005 English cricket season from 15 May to 31 May saw Essex, Lancashire, Hampshire, Worcestershire and Durham all win their totesport games on 15 May, with Leicestershire beating Surrey to continue Surrey's dismal form. The second round of the C&G Trophy followed, as did a tour match between the Bangladeshis and Sussex in which the tourists lost by an innings and 226 runs, boding ill for the impending Test series. On 20 May Surrey won their first totesport League game of the season, beating fellow wooden spoon candidates, Scotland, in Edinburgh by five wickets.

20 May saw the start of another Championship round. Glamorgan lost yet again, this time to Hampshire, and in the other first division tie, Kent beat Nottinghamshire by 196 runs. Division Two saw Worcestershire beat Essex, as first-placed Durham drew with second-placed Yorkshire, and Lancashire drew at Somerset. At the same time, Bangladesh put up a stronger performance in Northampton in a match severely hampered by rain. The last round of the County Championship in May saw Nottinghamshire beat Gloucestershire to finish may top of Division One. Warwickshire beat Hampshire by ten wickets, which left them third and second in the table respectively, as Kent and Surrey drew to keep them in fourth and fifth. The table remained propped up by Glamorgan, who are strong favourites for relegation, with Sussex, Middlesex and Gloucestershire in places six to eight. Durham did not play in this round of the Championship, but remained in first place in Division Two, with Yorkshire missing a chance of taking over as leaders when they drew with Essex. Also in the round Somerset beat Northamptonshire and eighth placed Leicestersire beat ninth- (and bottom-) placed Derbyshire.

The Test match season finally started on 26 May, with Bangladesh completely overwhelmed in just over two days. After being dismissed for 108, Bangladesh could only watch as England made 528 for 3 declared, Marcus Trescothick top-scoring with 194. In their second innings, the tourists could only muster 159 as they went down by a mammoth innings and 261 runs. The one-day league games played over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend left Middlesex top of Division One, with Essex one win behind them with two games in hand. Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Nottinghamshire (who had not won a game by the end of May) were in the relegation spots. As with the County Championship, Durham led the Second Division ahead of Yorkshire, with Derbyshire, Scotland and Leicestershire occupying the bottom three places.

Essex v Glamorgan (15 May)
Essex (4pts) beat Glamorgan (0pts) by five wickets

Essex Eagles continued their unbeaten run in all cricket this season, fighting their way out in a tricky situation against Glamorgan Dragons at Chelmsford. Essex won the toss and chose to field first, to reasonably good effect, as they tied Glamorgan down to 216 for 7. James Middlebrook was the main contributor with the ball, taking two for 27 off 9 overs, but South African pace bowler Dale Steyn also contributed with three for 34 amid no-balls and wides. Andrew Davies and David Harrison then reduced Essex to 31 for 4 before Ravinder Bopara (96 not out) and, once again, Middlebrook (46) took centre stage. With a partnership of 122, the two turned the game around for Essex, and wicket-keeper James Foster contributed with a healthy 38 off 30 balls to see Essex to the target with five wickets and sixteen balls to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Lancashire v Northamptonshire (15 May)
Lancashire (4pts) beat Northamptonshire (0pts) by seven wickets

Lancashire Lightning eased to a comfortable win against Northamptonshire Steelbacks to go third in the table, two points behind leaders Middlesex Crusaders. Northamptonshire won the toss and batted, but 215 for 7 was never going to be enough on a fine Old Trafford pitch, where Lancashire's Mal Loye smashed 94 not out with ten fours and three sixes. There were good news for England fans as well - Test all-rounder Andrew Flintoff bowled 9 overs for Lancashire without complain from his recently operated ankle, taking the wicket of England prospect Bilal Shafayat in the process. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Middlesex v Hampshire (15 May)
Hampshire (4pts) beat Middlesex (0pts) by 105 runs

Seldom has a captain regretted his decision as much as Ben Hutton of Middlesex Crusaders must have done when he chose to field on a flat Lord's against Hampshire Hawks. Before the match, Middlesex were top of the table, Hampshire rock bottom. It didn't show. Kevin Pietersen played a typical knock, scoring 80 off 50 balls with six sixes, while Dimitri Mascarenhas got himself a 26-ball fifty as Hampshire amassed 353 for 8 off 45 overs - a run rate of 7.84. Despite Owais Shah's 89, Middlesex were never in it, and crumbled to 248 all out in just 39 overs - Pietersen bowling the last over, conceding a single off the first ball before bowling four dot balls to Paul Hutchison and having him caught by captain Shane Warne on the last ball - meaning that Pietersen now had figures of 1-0-1-1 in one-day cricket. It turned out to be his only List A over all season. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire (15 May)
Worcestershire (4pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by 16 runs

Nottinghamshire Outlaws recorded their fourth successive loss, this time at New Road to Worcestershire. It was the Africans who made the most impact, as Zander de Bruyn's 62 laid the foundation for a target of 191 that was to become too large for the visitors, while the exiled Zimbabwean spinner Ray Price took four wickets for 21. With Nottinghamshire's overseas players, Stephen Fleming (5) and David Hussey (2) being removed early by Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas, the visitors were in trouble, and Price and de Bruyn - who came on first and second change - tied them down effectively, with 4-21 and 0-20 respectively. Even Paul Franks' and Gareth Clough's late attempts at hitting runs backfired, and Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 174. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Yorkshire (15 May)
Durham (4pts) beat Yorkshire (0pts) by 51 runs

Durham continued their fine start to the season with a comfortable win at Chester-le-Street. They started slowly, making only 60 (for no loss) after 20 overs. But helped by Mike Hussey they picked up the pace, ending on 256 for 4. Yorkshire's reply started quicker, but the Dynamos kept taking wickets, finally dismissing the Phoenix for 205. Paul Collingwood and Gareth Breese took 3 each. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Leicestershire v Surrey (15 May)
Leicestershire (4pts) beat Surrey (0pts) by 60 runs

Surrey Lions continued their miserable form in the Sunday League, as they went down to their fourth defeat in four matches to be at the very bottom of the National League table. Leicestershire Foxes batted first, making 194 for 9, as almost all of their batsmen scored below their batting average, apart from Dinesh Mongia, who made 67. Mongia followed this up with 4 for 15 with the ball, dismissing Surrey for 134, after Scott Newman and Mark Ramprakash had taken them to 55 for 1. A total of 10 maiden overs were bowled in the Surrey innings. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Sussex v Bangladeshis (15-17 May)
Sussex beat the Bangladeshis by an innings and 226 runs

Sussex recorded a big victory at Hove, smacking the Bangladeshi bowlers at will before bowling them out twice for a pittance, which didn't exactly give the Bangladeshis confidence a week before the first Test at Lord's. Matthew Yardy was the star of the match, notching up 35 fours and two sixes in a towering 257 - the highest score of the English first class season so far - which led Sussex to 549 for 7 declared. In reply, Habibul Bashar got hit by a bouncer from Jason Lewry when on 22 not out, and thus had to retire, and things only went downhill from there. The Bangladeshis could only manage a total of 323 runs from two innings (127 and 196), with 16-year-old wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim the only one who passed forty runs with a two-hour 63 in the second innings, before being stumped off a delivery by the Man of the Match, Yardy - who recorded his first career five-wicket haul, taking five for 83. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Derbyshire v Kent (17 May)
Kent beat Derbyshire by 127 runs to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C&G Trophy

At Derby, Derbyshire won the toss and chose to field against Kent, who scored 257 for 4 after healthy contributions from the entire top order, Geraint Jones top-scoring with 70 while Derbyshire's South African all-rounder Ant Botha took three for 40 with his left-arm spin. Martin Saggers (three for 21), Amjad Khan (one for 12) and Simon Cook (one for 22) then reduced Derbyshire to 27 for 5, and Derbyshire were never in the match from there. Eventually they were bowled out for 130 in 42.5 overs. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Glamorgan v Hampshire (17 May)
Hampshire beat Glamorgan by six wickets to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C & G Trophy

Zimbabwean all-rounder Sean Ervine and veteran wicket-keeper Nic Pothas made the most important contributions as Hampshire overpowered Glamorgan at Cardiff. Only Michael Powell showed some sort of resistance, scoring 56 in Glamorgan's 214, while Ervine took five for 50 from his ten overs - admittedly mostly tail-enders, but he got the most wickets. Chris Tremlett also took three for 32. Pothas then notched up the first limited-over century of the Hampshire season, scoring 114 not out off 127 balls and standing tall while Glamorgan's fast bowlers Andrew Davies and Simon Jones made inroads with the ball. England prospect Kevin Pietersen continued his fine form with 69 off 64 balls, including four sixes, as he shared a 130-run partnership with Pothas. Thanks to the quick scoring of Pothas and Pietersen, Hampshire won with nearly 11 overs to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Gloucestershire v Surrey (17 May)
Surrey beat Gloucestershire by three wickets to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C & G Trophy

Surrey overcame their poor one-day form, with four losses in four National League games, to reach the quarter-finals in a close game at Bristol against Gloucestershire. Surrey won the toss and fielded first, restricting Gloucestershire to 230 for 8 after most of the Surrey bowlers got wickets. Chris Taylor made 74 and top-scored, but it was the all-rounder Alex Gidman who managed to keep his head calm, scoring 58 not out while the tail crashed to single figure scores around him. In reply, Surrey struggled to 110 for 4, losing wickets at key moments, but Rikki Clarke (62 not out) stood tall towards the end, taking the winning runs off James Averis with three balls and three wickets remaining in the innings. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Lancashire v Essex (17 May)
Lancashire beat Essex by 6 wickets to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C&G Trophy

Andrew Flintoff took 4 for 26 in helpful bowling conditions as Essex made only 195 for 9 at Old Trafford. In reply, Lancashire's opening partnership of Mal Loye and Stuart Law put on 53 in 10.1 overs, before Alex Tudor dismissed them both. Brad Hodge, however, kept the run rate up. Hodge was dropped on 32, and Lancashire might have been put under pressure if it had been taken, but instead he went on to make 82 off 102 balls, as Lancashire made there target with 6 wickets and 6 overs to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Middlesex v Northamptonshire (17 May)
Northamptonshire beat Middlesex by 19 runs to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C&G Trophy

Northamptonshire batted first at Lord's. Their top order performed well, with Usman Afzaal making 75 off 120 balls, and useful contributions from Bilal Shafayat (46) and David Sales (40). However, once they were out, 7 wickets fell for 40 runs, leaving them on 215 for 9, before Robert White smacked 36 to lift the visitors to 238. Middlesex got off to a good start, reaching 148 for 2 and 168 for 3, as opener Paul Weekes scored a century. However, then Damien Wright took 4 wickets for 1 in 7 balls, as Middlesex collapsed in more spectacular fashion than the visitors, losing their last 6 wickets for 8 runs. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Warwickshire v Leicestershire (17 May)
Warwickshire beat Leicestershire by 83 runs to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C&G Trophy

Dougie Brown took a wicket in each of his first three overs to help a poor Warwickshire one-day side to victory at Edgbaston. Warwickshire batted first, and the hosts were on 78 for two after 15 overs, with Nick Knight (69) and Ian Bell (35) in control. Then Bell was stumped attacking a ball from Claude Henderson leaving the score on 116 for 3 in the 22nd over. There then was a collapse as 5 fell for 64, before Heath Streak and Tony Frost put on 55 in the last 9 overs to lift Warwickshire to 235.

In Leicestershire's innings immediately faltered as Brown's wickets reduced them to 16 for 3. Brown was helped by good tight bowling from Heath Streak at the other end, which meant they chose to attack Brown. Leicestershire tried to rebuild, but never managed it, finally being dismissed for 152 with 6.3 overs to go. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Yorkshire v Worcestershire (17 May)
Yorkshire beat Worcestershire by 14 runs to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C&G Trophy

Yorkshire batted first at Headingley and fared poorly at first, slumping to 88 for 4 when Michael Vaughan cut the ball from Zander de Bruyn onto his stumps. Craig White and Anthony McGrath then put on 83 in 22 overs, and late hitting gave Yorkshire a defendable total of 241 for 9 with 52 off the last 5 overs. The Worcestershire innings followed a similar course. First they were reduced to 50 for 3, and then Kabir Ali (67) and Zander de Bruyn (82) came together, putting on 117. White then interrupted them, taking three wickets. The run-chase was thus effectively curtailed, and Worcestershire finished well behind on 227 for 8. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Sussex v Nottinghamshire (18 May)
Sussex beat Nottinghamshire by 4 wickets to progress to the Quarter-Finals of the C&G Trophy

Nottinghamshire got off to a bad start at Hove by losing their first 3 wickets for only 12 runs. They continued to lose wickets at regular intervals until the score moved on to 111 for 8, when Samit Patel (61) and Gareth Clough (22) came together and lifted the total to 195 for 9 off the 50 overs. Three Nottinghamshire batsmen were run out. Sussex immediately lost Ian Ward and Mike Yardy, moving to 1 run for 2 wickets. However, the ship was steadied with half-centuries from Murray Goodwin and Carl Hopkinson and they eventually eased through with 3 wickets and 18 balls to go. The win, however, came at a price for Sussex, who now had to play Lancashire away in the next round, rather than host the touring Australians in a 3-day game. The cost of the win was estimated at £50,000. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Derbyshire v Warwickshire (20 May)
Warwickshire (4pts) beat Derbyshire (0pts) by 52 runs

Derbyshire Phantoms suffered another drubbing at Derby after Warwickshire Bears raced past 200 thanks to half-centuries from Nick Knight and Jim Troughton. Although 6 wickets fell in the last 10 overs, they still made 260, with Troughton top-scoring with 73. In reply, Derbyshire lost wickets regularly, and although Jonathan Moss scored 65, no-one was able to stay with him as the hosts were all out for 208. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Scotland v Surrey (20 May)
Surrey (4pts) beat Scotland (0pts) by 5 wickets

Scottish Saltires batted first at the Citylets Grange in Edinburgh. Jonathan Beukes, their South African import put on 91 from 86 balls as Scotland scored 252 for 7, their highest score of thir National League season. Surrey had lost all 4 one-day league games before this match, and when they were reduced to 90 for 3, another defeat seemed on the cards. However, Graham Thorpe took 69 from 89 balls and Ali Brown 65 from 45 to give Surrey their first points with 6.3 overs to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Hampshire v Glamorgan (20-23 May)
Hampshire (22pts) beat Glamorgan (3pts) by nine wickets

Amid rains at Southampton, Hampshire batted their way to the big lead they were expected to get against Glamorgan, who had lost four games in the Championship before this. Former England batsman John Crawley crawled his way to a day-long century, while Kevin Pietersen took care of the fast scoring, making a century off 99 balls and ending with 126. Hampshire eventually made 401 for 8 declared to get full batting points before attacking Glamorgan. Chris Tremlett bowled well in the attempt, removing David Hemp, Michael Powell and Jonathan Hughes among others to take four for 42 and reduce Glamorgan to 229 - a score that would have been much lower but for Darren Thomas, who blitzed his way to 63. Following on, Glamorgan batted more casually, getting to 77 for 1 at stumps on day 3, but wickets tumbled in the morning, reducing Glamorgan to 147 for 5. Robert Croft and Mike Powell rebuilt, but when Australian batsman Simon Katich had Croft caught by skipper Shane Warne and Powell went a few overs later, Glamorgan imploded to 250 all out as Zimbabwe all-rounder Sean Ervine picked up the last three wickets, finishing with five for 60, while Tremlett took three for 48. In reply, Hampshire brushed aside the target of 79 inside fifteen overs, with Katich - unusually - opening the batting. With Nottinghamshire losing to Kent and Warwickshire and Surrey not playing, Hampshire took the lead in the Championship with their emphatic full-score win. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Nottinghamshire v Kent (20-23 May)
Kent (20pts) beat Nottinghamshire (3pts) by 196 runs

Trent Bridge was lucky to escape most of the rain that ravaged the sixth round of the Championship, as over 100 overs was possible on the first day in which Kent could rack up 301 runs in their first innings, after being put in to bat by Nottinghamshire's captain Stephen Fleming. Kent's David Fulton and Robert Key paired up to score 81 for the first wicket, but former Yorkshire bowler Ryan Sidebottom came back to remove the three top order batsmen. Sidebottom finished with his five for 61, while the Irish wicket-keeper Niall O'Brien top-scored with 64 on season debut for Kent, taking over from Geraint Jones who had been called up to play Tests for England.

In reply, Nottinghamshire collapsed uncharacteristically, with Simon Cook taking four for 38 as only opener Darren Bicknell passed 25 in Nottinghamshire's innings. At stumps on day 2, Nottinghamshire were 169 for 9, just ahead of the follow-on target, and the last pair added a further 15 early on. Kent scored runs briskly, and despite both their South Africans - Martin van Jaarsveld and Andrew Hall - getting ducks, they racked up 298 for 8 in 72 overs - helped by the 32 extras. Nottinghamshire, chasing a massive 416 to win, imploded, Danish bowler Amjad Khan taking the wickets of David Hussey and Chris Read in quick succession to, with the help of Minaf Patel, reduce the hosts from 114 for 3 to 116 for 6. Even a last-wicket stand of 73 between Sidebottom (31) and 20-year-old Oliver Newby (38 not out) didn't help, as Patel eventually had Sidebottom stumped. Hall got the best bowling figures for Kent in the second innings, recording four for 42 including both Nottinghamshire openers. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham v Yorkshire (20-23 May)
Durham (10pts) drew with Yorkshire (9pts)

In the clash of the two top teams of Division Two of the Championship, Durham came the closest to losing a game so far in the season - though they threw it away themselves. With England requiring Steve Harmison to be rested, the team at last looked beatable, though they had Yorkshire on the rack at 124 for 7 and 179 for 9. However, Richard Dawson and Deon Kruis let loose for Yorkshire, scoring 75 for the last wicket in a late blitz to guide Yorkshire to a total of 254.

In reply, Durham were in a spot of bother at 146 for 6, but a partnership worth 126 between Gareth Breese and Philip Mustard lifted Durham to 316. With a 62-run deficit on first innings, Yorkshire lost their first seven wickets for only 128 runs, but Anthony McGrath hit a potentially match-saving 133 not out - his second important century of the season, following his 165 not out against Leicestershire a week earlier. He was supported by Chris Silverwood, who smashed 80 off 66 balls before eventually being bowled by Michael Lewis, who removed the five last batsmen in his five for 80.

Despite McGrath's big score, Durham were only set 245 to win in well over a day. They started sedately, as Michael Hussey (23 not out) and Jon Lewis (18 not out) took them to stumps on day three without losing a wicket, and cut 53 off the winning target. What looked like a reasonably simple chase, however, was intervened by rain, bad light and clever bowling from the South African Kruis. Gordon Muchall and Hussey looked to be securing it at 132 for 2, however, but a mini-collapse in the last overs saw the Durham fans biting their nails. Eventually, the chase was stopped nineteen runs short of victory for Durham, but they lost eight wickets in the process and were probably glad to escape with a draw - though they would be ruing the slow scoring at the end. Dale Benkenstein, their No. 4, hit 28 not out off 78 balls. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Somerset v Lancashire (20-23 May)
Lancashire (11pts) drew with Somerset (7pts)

Rain ravaged the match between Somerset and Lancashire allowing little play on the first three days. Between the showers, Lancashire had Somerset at 48 for 2 on the first day, but the little play that was possible after that gave Michael Burns (87) and Sanath Jayasuriya (72 not out after three days) opportunity to increase the score to 195 for 3 on day 3. A draw looked more than likely, even if the sides would agree to forfeiting an innings. The fourth day was a full day of cricket, and Muttiah Muralitharan took five for 56 for Lancashire as they bowled Somerset out for 294. Ian Sutcliffe then lifted Lancashire to four batting points and 351 for 3 declared with his 150, well helped by an unbeaten century from Australian Brad Hodge. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Essex v Worcestershire (20-23 May)
Worcestershire (21pts) beat Essex (4pts) by eight wickets

Essex and Worcestershire took notice of the bad weather forecasts, racking up runs swiftly at Chelmsford. The Essex batting effort was not very spectacular, and only Ronnie Irani's 85 saved some grace for Essex as wickets tumbled amid showers on the first day. They finished 220 all out as Worcestershire's bowlers teamed up, Matthew Mason the best with four for 48. In reply, Ben Smith made a century including fourteen fours, and with help of Gareth Batty (54) and Kabir Ali (53), both former England players, Worcestershire got to 383 all out - a lead of 163. Alastair Cook, Essex' 20-year-old prodigy, made a quick 46, but it was their 37-year-old Zimbabwean Andy Flower who, as so many times before, was the top scorer and the rock of the Essex innings with 85 - which led them to 329.

Setting Worcestershire a paltry 167 to win, Essex got off to a good start bowling, removing opener Stephen Peters for 0 and nightwatchman and wicketkeeper Jamie Pipe for 11 just before stumps, as Darren Gough and Dale Steyn took a wicket each for Essex. On the fourth day, however, Stephen Moore built on his good batting form after 246 against Derbyshire a week before, however, making 63 not out and pairing up with Graeme Hick (76 not out) for 146 runs to win the match with relative ease. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Northamptonshire v Bangladeshis (20-22 May)
Northamptonshire drew with the Bangladeshis

On the first day at Northampton, Northamptonshire made 149 for 5 against the touring Bangladeshis. The tourists' bowlers lured the county batsmen into playing odd strokes to loose balls, but not Bilal Shafayat, who made 76 before mistiming one off left-arm spinner Enamul Haque. However, it was Anwar Hossain Monir who did the most damage, taking 3 for 67. The second day was wiped out by rain, which resulted in the third day becoming somewhat pointless - Anwar added the wicket of Matthew Friedlander to his tally as he finished with four for 113, while the Bangladeshis lost wickets quickly in their reply, crumbling to 105 for 5. However, 16-year-old prodigy Mushfiqur Rahim continued his good run of form, scoring 115 not out with fifteen fours and a six to lift the Bangladeshis to 309 for 7 in their glorified nets session. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Cambridge UCCE v Warwickshire (21-23 May)
Warwickshire beat Cambridge UCCE by 18 runs

Warwickshire survived a scare as a virtual second XI still beat the Cambridge students by 18 runs. The first day at Fenner's was ruined by rain, with only 6 overs possible. Warwickshire batted first, losing three wickets for no runs to collapse to 48 for 4, but Jonathan Trott's three-hour 150 not out lifted the visitors to 296 for 6 declared. In reply, Zohail Sharif made an unbeaten fifty as the students made their way to 109 for 1 in just 24 overs. An overnight declaration from the students was followed by an equalling blazing accumulation of runs from Warwickshire led them to 127 for 1. In the reply, Cambridge came too close for comfort, though, and at 281 for 6 with 34 runs left to hit it looked like they could do it - but opening batsman and off spinner Alex Loudon came to the rescue with three wickets for 48, as Cambridge collapsed to 296 all out and lost the match by 18 runs. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Gloucestershire v Middlesex (22 May)
Match abandoned - Gloucestershire (2pts), Middlesex (2pts)

Just as at nearby Taunton in Somerset, where Somerset were playing Lancashire in the Championship, rain hit Bristol heavily, as Gloucestershire Gladiators were hoping to climb out of the bottom of the table. The visitors from Middlesex Crusaders were struggling, faltering to 95 for 5 after 21 overs with only Owais Shah hitting more than 20 - he made a half-century. Then rain intervened, and Gloucestershire were set 87 in 13 overs - however, when seven overs of the chase was over and Gloucestershire had made 40 for 2, rain stopped play again and the game was called off completely. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Gloucestershire v Nottinghamshire (25-27 May)
Nottinghamshire (22pts) beat Gloucestershire (4.5pts) by an innings and 27 runs

At Bristol, the visiting captain Stephen Fleming from Nottinghamshire won the toss and chose to bat - a wise choice, as it turned out, as only Mark Hardinges took wickets, but he conceded many runs in the process, finishing with four for 115. Gloucestershire were toothless, conceding 28 runs off no-balls, while their No. 5 David Hussey was deprived of a century when the team collapsed around him, finishing on 98 not out. With a run rate of above four in their 469 all out, they were putting pressure on the hosts, who started sedately without losing wickets. However, a spell from Ryan Sidebottom resulted in three wickets falling with only one run being scored, and that gave Northamptonshire the edge in the game. Gloucestershire were eventually bowled out for 250, as Mark Ealham removed the tail with three for 26 off 16 overs (with ten maidens), and, being forced to follow on, Gloucestershire lost both openers before stumps to have scored three runs for two wickets.

The rot continued on day 3, as Ealham and Sidebottom took more wickets, and Gloucestershire crashed to 56 for 5. Despite a lower-order partnership worth 77 between James Pearson (68) and Sri Lankan international Upul Chandana (49) for the seventh wicket, Gloucestershire were still all out for 192 - 27 runs short of making Nottinghamshire bat again. To compound the misery, Gloucestershire lost half a point for a slow over rate, and the result seemed to cement them near the bottom of the Division 1 table, as they lost contact with Middlesex and Sussex to settle in eighth place. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Kent v Surrey (25-28 May)
Surrey (10pts) drew with Kent (9pts)

Kent had to settle for a draw in a see-sawing match against Surrey at Tunbridge Wells, looking to control the game with skipper David Fulton and former England Test player Robert Key in. However, Martin Bicknell sparked a mini-collapse, removing four wickets in a short space of time to give Surrey a chance and finishing with four for 31 from 24 overs. However, after going from 112 for 0 to 129 for 5, Robert Key and Andrew Hall built a partnership of 100 for the sixth wicket to save Kent's blushes. The Kent innings was finished off by slow left-armer Nayan Doshi who took three for 58 as Kent crumbled to 262 all out.

Min Patel then took timely wickets to reduce Surrey to 67 for 3, but Rikki Clarke and Jonathan Batty rescued Surrey with a fourth-wicket partnership of 99. Ali Brown then continued the good work with 56, allowing Clarke to reach his century and give Surrey the lead. However, Patel continued to chip away and ended with six for 124 off 38 overs, and Surrey were bowled out for 324, leading by 62 in what shaped up to be a close match. Before stumps, Kent lost the wicket of David Fulton for 18, but still made 37 for 1. With Key and Martin van Jaarsveld finally playing up to their potential, Key scoring 189 and van Jaarsveld 168, the Surrey bowlers were shown to be rather inadequate as Kent racked up 467 for 4 declared to set Surrey a massive 406 to win in a day.

They never really tried, opting to defend and take the four points available for a draw instead, as their run rate was about one and a half an over before lunch. Despite that, they got to 280 for 0, before the dominant batsman of Surrey's innings - Scott Newman, who made 167 with 16 fours and three sixes - was out to Martin Saggers, who interestingly only bowled eight overs. Despite a minor collapse, losing four wickets for 56 runs, Surrey hung on for the draw - as both teams lost further ground to Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Warwickshire. During this match it was announced that Surrey would lose 8 points for ball-tampering in their game against Nottinghamshire. (BBC scorecard)

Sussex v Middlesex (25-28 May)
Middlesex (12pts) drew with Sussex (10pts)

James Kirtley took his first five-wicket-haul of the season at Hove to peg back Middlesex in a match where Middlesex were otherwise well in control. Nine of their batsmen went into double figures, Irishman Ed Joyce making another fine score with 82, but Kirtley's six for 80 saved some of their blushes. In reply, Irfan Pathan dug out two Sussex wickets early to give Middlesex a good chance, but Chris Adams, the captain, fought back with a fine 72 while 33-year-old Zimbabwe exile Murray Goodwin made 67, and a good fight-back from the lower-order lifted Sussex to 332. Mushtaq Ahmed plugged away to make 57, while Kirtley helped out with a 95-ball 14, to defy Pathan, who nevertheless got fine figures of four for 81 in his debut in England.

Jason Lewry then took six Middlesex wickets for 65 runs, reducing them to 244, although if it hadn't been Jamie Dalrymple's (65) and Paul Weekes' (71) partnership of 140 for the sixth wicket, things would have looked even nastier for Middlesex. In reply, Sussex were cautious in their chase of 314, but a big partnership between Robin Montgomerie and Murray Goodwin nearly won it for them. However, New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris took four Sussex wickets for 79, and Alan Richardson took four for 38 - including Goodwin and skipper Adams. Sussex lost four wickets for 17 runs to crash to 280 for 6, but Kirtley and Lewry held out as Sussex finished 28 runs short of a victory and Middlesex finished one wicket short of victory in this bottom-fight. (BBC scorecard)

Warwickshire v Hampshire (25-26 May)
Warwickshire (19pts) beat Hampshire (3pts) by ten wickets

Defending champions Warwickshire needed a win against table-toppers Hampshire to stay in the title chase, and in a low-scoring match at Stratford-on-Avon they managed it. The Scot Dougie Brown was the pick of the bowlers, taking four for 59 as the visitors crumbled to 184, rescued somewhat by a run-a-ball 34 from off-spinner Shaun Udal who batted at nine. Nick Knight and 22-year-old Ian Westwood, batting in his fourth first-class game, sent Warwickshire to 135 for 0 before losing a couple of wickets before stumps. The second day belonged to Hampshire, however, taking seven wickets - captain Shane Warne with six of them for 88 runs, as they crumbled to 265.

However, a magnificent spell from Zimbabwean all-rounder Heath Streak, who took four wickets for 11 from nine overs, including five maidens, reduced Hampshire to 34 for 5 before Michael Brown and Sean Ervine rebuilt. However, two quick wickets before tea meant that Hampshire led by six runs with three wickets remaining - a surefire loss, almost. They rebuilt somewhat, but another two wickets from Streak resulted in him finishing with 6 for 31, and Hampshire were bowled out for 124. Nick Knight then smashed 39 not out off 27 balls to see Warwickshire past the 44-run target inside 4.4 overs and a win inside two days. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Northamptonshire v Somerset (25-27 May)
Somerset (21pts) beat Northamptonshire (8pts) by six wickets

Somerset won the toss at Northampton and chose to bowl - and although they got the hosts Northamptonshire out in a day, Martin Love (166) and wicketkeeper Riki Wessels (son of Kepler) (102) made quick centuries to lift the hosts to 408. Conversely, however, two Northamptonshire batsmen batting at 4 and 5 perished for ducks to Richard Johnson. Somerset replied well, though, with 53 from opener Matthew Wood, but rash strokes gave wickets around everywhere as Somerset made 356 - admittedly only 52 behind. Off-spinner Jason Brown got six wickets for 112, just as many than he had taken before this game, while Ian Blackwell played a typical 59 off 77 balls.

Northamptonshire lost the wicket of Bilal Shafayat in their eight overs before stumps on day two but could still be reasonably pleased with the first two days' play. However, on the third day, their side collapsed with Gareth Andrew taking three for 31 as they crashed to 100 all out - Ian Blackwell removing two in his only over, which was also a maiden. In chasing 155, Somerset had some problems in tackling the bowling of Johann Louw, who took two wickets, but still managed a relatively comfortable six-wicket win. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Yorkshire v Essex (25-28 May)
Essex (12pts) drew with Yorkshire (9pts)

Centuries from Andy Flower (188) and Ronnie Irani (103) along with 93 from the former Yorkshire player Darren Gough helped Essex to a massive score of 622 for 8 declared at Headingley, as Yorkshire's bowling were taken for runs. Essex were 76 for 4 after two wickets from Deon Kruis, but Yorkshire failed to turn the screw, and the partnerships for the fifth to eighth wicket were all worth more than 100 runs for Essex. Andy Flower and Irani added 213 for the fifth wicket.

New Zealand all-rounder Andre Adams then took two early wickets to dig into Yorkshire, who finished the second day on 53 for 2. The third day was calmly played by Yorkshire, as only Gough could take wickets - ending with four for 49. Yorkshire saw out the day well to end on 336 for 8, meaning that Essex would have to take twelve wickets on the final day to win the game. They only dug out seven - Tim Bresnan, Chris Silverwood and Deon Kruis frustrating them to build a further 72 runs overnight in the first innings, and following on Yorkshire easily withstood the spin of James Middlebrook who had to bowl 29 of 68 Essex overs, as Yorkshire made their way to 238 for 5 with Phil Jaques and Anthony McGrath making half-centuries (BBC scorecard)

Derbyshire v Leicestershire (26-29 May)
Leicestershire (19pts) beat Derbyshire (5pts) by 4 wickets

Derbyshire lost wickets slowly but surely at Derby as only Australian Michael di Venuto stood tall against the Leicestershire onslaught, scoring 76. Eventually, Derbyshire declared on 251 for 9, as wickets were spread about evenly. Leicestershire replied well, with an opening partnership of 85, and a half-century from Dinesh Mongia took them to 188 for 2. But Graeme Welch took four for 48 as the last eight wickets fell for 91 runs, with only Darren Robinson's gritty four-hour century saving Leicestershire blushes. The Derbyshire reply was equally gritty, as 112 overs of cricket yielded only 259 runs, with di Venuto scoring 73 runs in a little less than five hours - although no bowler consistently threatened the Derbyshire batsmen. Derbyshire finished their second innings on 285, setting a target of 258, and Derbyshire dug out three early wickets for 48 runs. But 47 from Mongia along with half-centuries from HD Ackerman and John Sadler turned the match around, and Leicestershire made it to their target of 258 for the loss of six wickets. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Durham UCCE v Durham (25-27 May)
Match drawn

Despite Durham fielding a near first-string line-up, they were nowhere near dominant against the students, Durham making 277 on the first day after David Balcombe took five for 112. In reply, the students made 228 for 9 declared, after two bursts from New Zealand international Nathan Astle. Astle took three for 20, the best bowling figures, making up for his 11 in the first innings. Durham then scored reasonably quick runs, but the game were still heading towards a draw, as Durham were leading by 180 runs at stumps on day two with 8 wickets in hand. Durham made a good go at winning the match, though, making 258 for 7 declared to set the students 308 in 74 overs. With Gareth Breese (3-86) and Graeme Bridge (4-54) taking student wickets at regular intervals, it wasn't enough, as they finished 261 for 9 - 47 runs and one wicket short of a result. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Oxford UCCE v Lancashire (25-27 May)
Lancashire won by 10 wickets

A second-string Lancashire side gave away 300 runs to the Oxford students, Stephen Moreton making his first first-class fifty as he top-scored with 74. Gary Keedy took four for 46 for Lancashire. Lancashire replied quickly and well, though, making 420, Andrew Crook top scoring with 88. Oxford then crawled to stumps with 24 runs off 14 overs without losing a wicket. However, the third day wasn't nearly as pleasant for Oxford, as Keedy added six for 33 to get a ten-wicket-haul in the match. The students were bowled out for 151, leaving a target of 32 which was chased down by Mark Chilton and Ian Sutcliffe, and the Lancastrians won by ten wickets. (Cricinfo scorecard)

First Test: England v Bangladesh (26-28 May)
Michael Vaughan won the toss and put Bangladesh in to bat at 10.30am on the first day at Lord's. The first ten overs of bowling by Steve Harmison and Matthew Hoggard were lacklustre, as neither mastered the early-morning swing and they bowled a wide line. A stronger side would have scored more runs in this period, by Bangladesh made only 31 before losing their first wicket. Bangladesh captain, Habibul Bashar then came and went with suicidal hoick when he was on three. The rest of the team succumbed quickly, often to bad balls as they failed to adjust to the English conditions. The English mixed the odd good length ball with the short and wide stuff, inducing edges through to the slips at regular intervals - although, admittedly, the Bangladeshis would never have been out if they'd tried to play a bit more defensively.

Javed Omar was the pick of the batsmen, scoring 22 before being caught by Marcus Trescothick off the most accurate of the English bowlers, Simon Jones. With six batsmen out in single figures, only Aftab Ahmed looked in control, before he also edged Andrew Flintoff to slip. In the end, Bangladesh made just 108 in 38.2 overs, despite being boosted by 12 English no-balls - eight from Hoggard, four from Harmison. Few batsmen even displayed the standard practice of getting behind a swinging ball and playing with a straight bat, preferring instead to stay still and nudge at the ball.

Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss then batted to tea with composure, taking the boundaries off Test debutant Shahadat Hossain in particular, and the pair amde 70 runs before tea - meaning that England were only 38 off with ten wickets in hand after two sessions. An hour after tea, England brought up the lead, with Strauss having notched his fifty despite looking slightly shaky against Anwar Hossain Monir bowling, and then being dropped on 51. Trescothick then made his fifty with a four off Mohammad Rafique. The opening partnership eventually was worth 148, as Strauss was nearly lbw on 69 with an inswinging ball on one ball and then finally lbw on the next, Mashrafe Mortaza getting rewards for his patient bowling.

England, however, continued to paste the bowlers, although skipper Michael Vaughan was lucky on more than one occasion - the most notable when he was dropped by Mohammad Rafique off Rafique's own bowling. By stumps, however, the pair had added 40, and they continued on a sunny second day - less rusty, however, than they had been on the first day. It was all too embarrassing for Bangladesh, as Vaughan raced to 120 before being caught behind off Mashrafe. Four overs later, the patient Rafique finally got his reward, Khaled Mashud coming up with a magnificent catch to get Trescothick out six short of a double century. That was as good as it got for Bangladesh, though, as Ian Bell, Warwickshire's prodigy, made 65 not out, and Graham Thorpe ran runs everywhere to score 42 not out with only two boundaries, before Vaughan decided that enough was enough and declared with seven wickets in hand and a lead of 420 runs. Bangladesh's reply was a sorry one. Yet again, they failed to play the short ball well enough, and lost five wickets - Simon Jones and Andrew Flintoff the main culprits, taking two each - for a miserable 65 before Khaled Mashud and Aftab Ahmed took some responsibility and guided them to stumps with 95 for 5. It was not to last, though. Only six balls into the third day, Hoggard bowled a good off-cutter to Aftab Ahmed, who failed to play it properly and was hit on the pads - out for a fine 32, Bangladesh's highest score in the Test series so far.

Steve Harmison then bowled the next over from the Pavilion End, removing spinner Rafique for a duck on his second ball of the over as he was caught behind and then having Mortaza bowled as Mortaza missed the ball only to have it graze his pad and roll behind him to hit his leg stump. Bangladesh had lost three wickets for two runs in the space of nine balls, and Harmison nearly added another wicket to his tally as he hit Anwar Hossain Monir on the pad in front. However, umpire Hariharan wasn't convinced it was going to hit the stumps, and Harmison was denied the hat-trick.

The end looked to be even more abrupt than people could think before the third day had started. However, a no-ball-aided recovery and some fine batting from wicket-keeper Khaled Mashud, who surpassed Aftab Ahmed's score, sent the match into a slow-death period. Anwar Hossain and Khaled Mashud did, however, manage to put on 58 together for the ninth wicket, Bangladesh's best partnership of the match. Simon Jones eventually broke through the defences, though, as Anwar Hossain Monir got a standard thick edge to first slip Trescothick, and thus the ninth wicket fell - 156 for 9. An over later, Khaled Mashud was finally out, giving an awkward edge off Andrew Flintoff's bowling to Graham Thorpe at short leg and ending the innings on 159 all out - giving England an innings and 261 run win just before noon, half an hour before lunch, on the third day. Interestingly, Gareth Batty - England's spin-bowler, who came in to replace the injured Ashley Giles - was only mentioned on the official scorecard once, as he did not bat, did not bowl, and did not hold a catch. Trescothick was named man of the match for his 194. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Glamorgan v Worcestershire (27 May)
Glamorgan (4pts) beat Worcestershire (0pts) by 53 runs

David Hemp gave Glamorgan Dragons a much needed win in the National League against Worcestershire Royals, as his 65 lifted the team to an unchasable 227. Despite three run outs, Glamorgan were rather pleased with their innings, but probably more pleased with their bowling - everyone got wickets, and the great batsman of the innings Zander de Bruyn, who made 51, was eventually frustrated enough to get run out. Former England U-19 player David Harrison notched up his second List A career five-wicket-haul, taking five for 33. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Kent v Durham (29 May)
Durham (4pts) beat Kent (0pts) by 1 run

Durham Dynamos extended their unbeaten run in National League games to six games as they pulled off a remarkable comeback at Kent Spitfires. Having won the toss and batted, Durham made 189 after having been pegged back by South African Andrew Hall who took 3 for 17 off 8.5 overs. In reply, Hall made 72 as Kent cruised to 128 for 2 and 170 for 3, but Durham's players fought back. With the main damage coming from their internationals Ashley Noffke (three for 33) and Nathan Astle (two for 21), Kent lost six wickets for 17 runs, and Kent were tied down to such an extent that they needed three runs off the last ball to win - Martin Saggers could only scrape the one bye. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Warwickshire v Scotland (29 May)
Scotland (4pts) beat Warwickshire (0pts) by one wicket

A poor pitch at Stratford-on-Avon, and some lacklustre batting saw the Warwickshire Bears record their second loss in the National League, as they crumbled to 113 all out on their home ground. Australian-born Paul Hoffmann took three for 19 for Scotland Saltires, but all the Scottish bowlers chipped in with wickets, and it was in fact a good recovery from Warwickshire as they were 17 for 5 and 48 for 7. In reply, Dougie Lockhart and South African Jonathan Beukes recorded good partnership to lift Scotland to 70 for 1, but a burst of wickets from Heath Streak turned the match again, as Scotland lost four wickets for 20 runs. However, Hoffmann saw Scotland across the line, smashing a six off Neil Carter to win the match by one wicket. Extras were the second-highest scorer, with 28, as Warwickshire conceded 20 wides. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Gloucestershire v Lancashire (30 May)
Lancashire (4pts) beat Gloucestershire (0pts) by six wickets

Lancashire Lightning were lethal with the ball at Bristol as they beat Gloucestershire Gladiators by six wickets in a low-scoring encounter. Dominic Cork was the most punishing bowler, taking four for 14 off nine overs (including five wides) as Gloucestershire whimpered to 86, as veteran wicketkeeper Mark Alleyne top-scored with 24 not out. Alleyne was one of two Gloucestershire batsmen to make it into double figures. Jonathan Lewis, who had earlier on in the day been called up to the England ODI squad to meet Bangladesh and Australia, took three for 40, but it was not enough to stop Lancashire from cruising to the target with nearly 25 overs to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Hampshire v Northamptonshire (30 May)
Northamptonshire (4pts) beat Hampshire (0pts) by four wickets

Hampshire Hawks batted first at The Rose Bowl, and despite an unbeaten 100 from Greg Lamb - the first of his List A career - Hampshire were tied down to 226 for 7 off their 45 overs, mainly thanks to three for 30 from Australian Damien Wright. Six wides from Chris Tremlett, who conceded 51 runs off his eight overs then cost Hampshire the game after Shaun Udal had taken three wickets to set Northamptonshire Steelbacks back to 135 for 5. David Sales added 49 with Wright before Ben Phillips guided Northamptonshire to four points with 26 off 12 balls and secured a win with ten balls to spare. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Nottinghamshire v Essex (30 May)
Essex (4pts) beat Nottinghamshire (0pts) by six wickets

Former England international Darren Gough took four wickets for 16 runs, including both opening batsmen, as Essex Eagles strolled to a six-wicket win at Trent Bridge over Nottinghamshire Outlaws. Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 154 as Essex off-spinner James Middlebrook chipped in with two for 27 including the wicket of top-scorer David Hussey. Essex' batsmen all got starts in the chase, and captain Ronnie Irani, opening the batting, anchored the innings with a fine run-a-ball 53. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Worcestershire v Middlesex (30 May)
Middlesex (4pts) beat Worcestershire (0pts) by 32 runs

Middlesex Crusaders were lifted by a massive 160-run partnership between New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris and former England Test player Ed Smith as they assembled 224 for 7 in a rain-shortened match at Worcester, in which Worcestershire's bowlers delivered six maiden overs. However, Worcestershire Royals' reply were hampered by wickets falling everywhere, along with lack of responsibility to keep the run-rate up, as Vikram Solanki made 40 off 66 balls and Zander de Bruyn 55 off 74 - too slow to chase 225 in 44 overs. When Gareth Batty was run out, a rot set in, as Worcestershire lost five wickets for 15 runs and were forced to crawl to 192 for 9. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Derbyshire v Leicestershire (30 May)
Derbyshire (4pts) beat Leicestershire by 6 wickets

Derbyshire's Kevin Dean took 5 for 45 in his comeback match after suffering chicken pox in the week. Dean's effort helped reduce Leicestershire Foxes to 55 for 6 at the end of the fifteenth over at Derby. John Sadler came in and made 50 before he was stumped off Ant Botha's bowling, but he could only help Leicestershire along to 146 all out. Derbyshire took their time in trying conditions, but still made their target with 4 wickets down and 21 balls to go, as Michael di Venuto top-scored with 48. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Somerset v Sussex (30 May)
Sussex (4pts) beat Somerset (0pts) by 2 wickets

Sussex edged past Somerset with 2 balls and 2 wickets remaining. Somerset won the toss, batted, and fell to 88 for 5 against Sussex's tight bowling before Ian Blackwell smashed 10 sixes and 10 fours as he made 134 not out off only 71 balls. 4 of his sixes came in the 40th over, bowled by Mushtaq Ahmed: the first three balls went for six, then there were two singles, before Blackwell smashed the last ball out of the ground into the car park. His quickfire innings helped Somerset to 297 for 6 off their 45 overs. In reply Matt Prior made 77, but Sussex looked like a defeated side after 4 wickets from Keith Parsons sent them to 201 for 7, but Johannes van der Wath smashed 73 off 43 balls to sneak the victory, sharing an 82-run ninth-wicket stand with Jason Lewry. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Surrey v Durham (30 May)
Surrey (4pts) beat Durham (0pts) by 43 runs

Durham fell to their first defeat of their totesport League campaign at the Oval as Surrey's youngsters rescued them from what could have been yet another Surrey batting collapse - they had lost 9 or 10 wickets in 4 of their 5 League matches so far, and had made 2 scores below 140. The hosts batted first, and their position looked dire as they were soon on 26 for 4, with Liam Plunkett and Neil Killeen taking two wickets each. James Benning, with 66 off 84 balls, and Rikki Clarke, with 54 off 67 balls, then put on 129, a record for Surrey against Durham. In the 38 overs the weather allowed, Surrey made 219. Tim Murtagh then took 3 wickets without conceding a run in his first 3 overs to knock Durham back. Whilst they threatened for a while thanks to a 95-run partnership between Nicky Peng and Dale Benkenstein, they never fully recovered and were finally all out for 176. (Cricinfo scorecard)

Yorkshire v Scotland (30 May)
Yorkshire (4pts) beat Scotland (0pts) by 60 runs

Despite four Yorkshire Phoenix run outs, and four maidens from Paul Hoffmann, the hosts still managed to score 214 all out in the first innings at Headingley, Anthony McGrath making 57 from number five. Scotland Saltires then crumbled to 154, former England all-rounder Craig White taking three Scottish wickets as only the hired-in man from Durham, Gavin Hamilton, managed some resistance with the bat. Hamilton, who had played ODI cricket for Scotland at the 1999 World Cup, made 60, but he was one of only two Scots to pass 20. Yorkshire continued their promotion charge, however, as they jumped ahead of Somerset in the table and into second place. However, after this match, Yorkshire only won one of their remaining fourteen games. (Cricinfo scorecard)