2018 County Championship Division Two, Round 2: Warwickshire register innings win; Kent, Glamorgan complete paltry run chases

Northamptonshire vs Warwickshire: County Ground, Northampton

Brief Scores: Warwickshire 413 (Ambrose 103, Hain 85; Sanderson 3/62) beat Northamptonshire 147 (Levi 41; Sidebottom 6/35, J Patel 2/32) and 218 (Rossington 58; Sidebottom 4/61, Brookes 2/33) by an innings and 48 runs

Visitors Warwickshire required the inexperienced pacer Ryan Sidebottom to upset their hosts Northamptonshire to complete an innings win at the County Ground. The Australia-born Sidebottom’s ten-wicket match haul crushed the opposition inside three days, who chose to bat first but managed only 147 in the first innings.

Warwickshire replied with a century from Tim Ambrose and half-centuries from Sam Hain and Harry Brookes to post 413. With a deficit of 266, all Northamptonshire could make was 218, with Sidebottom following his 6/35 in the first innings with a 4/61 in the second.

Durham vs Kent: Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

Brief Scores: Kent 169 (Kuhn 54; Weighell 3/29, Rimmington 3/39) and 95/1 (Bell-Drummond 45*, Kuhn 36*; Rimmington 1/28) beat Durham 91 (Weighell 16; M Henry 5/28, Steven 3/29) and 170 (Weighell 84; M Henry 7/45, Stevens 2/55) by 9 wickets

New Zealand recruit Matt Henry bagged a first-class best bowling figures as well as match haul for his county Kent to complete a rout of Durham in a match which required only two days to produce a result.

Kent inserted their hosts to bat, and all they required was just over thirty overs to skittle them out for 91 with Henry claiming 5/28. Durham, however, remained in the game after folding their visitors up for 169; but Henry had unfinished business left to complete. He produced a haul of 7/45 to leave the visitors requiring only 93 for victory. Daniel Bell-Drummond and Heino Kuhn ensured Kent lost only one wicket in doing so.

Gloucestershire vs Glamorgan: County Ground, Bristol

Brief Scores: Glamorgan 526/9 dec (D Lloyd 119, S Marsh 111; Higgins 3/102) and 85/4 (Selman 36, Murphy 18; M Taylor 3/25) beat Gloucestershire 236 (Noema-Barnett 46, Higgins 43; de Lange 5/62) and 372 (Bracey 120*, Higgins 61; Carey 4/105) by 6 wickets

Glamorgan rounded off a dominating display across both departments against Gloucestershire by rapidly chasing down 83 on the final day of their match in Bristol. Five wickets from Merchant de Lange restricted the hosts to 236 in the first innings, after which centuries from Shaun Marsh and David Lloyd took them to 526.

The visiting side declared following a 290-run lead, but the hosts put up a much better display with the bat in the second innings. James Bracey’s 120* set Gloucestershire a paltry target, though they had to eventually race to it at above six runs an over, though they lost four batsmen in doing so.

Derbyshire vs Middlesex: 3aaa County Ground, Derby

Brief Scores: Derbyshire 265 (Viljoen 60*; J Harris 4/68, Helm 3/46) and 333/3 dec (Reece 157*, Slater 99; Stirling 2/62) beat Middlesex 157 (Simpson 32; Olivier 4/26, Palladino 2/28) and 340 (J Harris 64*, Helm 52; Olivier 4/82) by 101 runs

The Middlesex tail gave Derbyshire a brief scare in their attempt to hunt down 442 but Duanne Olivier and Matt Critchley struck when it mattered to hand their side a 101-run win at home. Derbyshire scored only 265 in the first innings after which Middlesex got to merely 157 themselves, with Olivier claiming 4/26.

With a lead of 92 in their pockets, the hosts piled up 333/3 courtesy of a patient knock of 157* from Luis Reece, while his opening partner Ben Slater fell for 99. With a handsome aggregate lead of 441, Derbyshire declared before Olivier claimed another haul of 4/82, as Middlesex were reduced to 166/7 at one stage. The lower-order threatened to cause an upset but Olivier and company did not let that happen.

Leicestershire vs Sussex: Grace Road, Leicester

Brief Scores: Sussex 438/8 dec (Burgess 101*, Wright 88; Raine 3/104) and 241/4 dec (Wells 102*, Wright 29; Javid 1/30) drew with Leicestershire 422/9 dec (Ackermann 186; Wells 4/81, Ishant 3/85)

The only drawn fixture in the second round of Division Two came at Leicester, where the hosts played out a run-fest against Sussex. Batting first, the visiting side put on 438/8 with Michael Burgess hitting 101* and 88 from veteran Luke Wright.

Colin Ackermann then fell short of his highest first-class score by just one run when he hit 186 batting at number three and shared a stand of 141 with Mark Cosgrove, who was the next highest scorer with 64. Part-timer Luke Wells and Ishant Sharma got four and three wickets respectively for Sussex, who led by 16 after Leicestershire declared at 422/9. Wells then scored 102* in a total of 241/4, after which point Sussex too declared, thereby ending the match in a draw at Grace Road.