Shocker of a morning session at New Road, Yorkshire 97-4.

11 in the match for Rashid and Yorkshire win by 9 wickets. 22 points to get us off and running

Lancashire have started ok, but looking at the weather for tomorrow, its looking nailed on we are set to be thwarted by our biggest enemy....

Great start and good to see Rashid in the wickets, that batting line up does not fill me with confidence though.

All things are relative though. I don't see anyone else pulling up stumps, apart perhaps from Zummerzet on their postage-stamp sized batters paradise.

Is that Yorkshire's first choice line up or are there any other batsment to come? Not kept upto date in the winter with the comings and going at Yorkshire tbh.

McGrath to come back in for Root, otherwise that's pretty much the line-up that finished the season so well last year (Sayers replacing the departed Rudolph).

Cheers squire.

Lancashire have steamrollered Sussex in just about an hour's play today, 7 wickets for 23 runs shared out by Chapple and Keedy. Lord knows what we'll do if these 2 are ever allowed to retire!!

I'm sure we can get a good few years more out of them yet

22pts for us puts us joint top with the other lot.

A steady sort of start for Surrey with a draw at home to Northants, especially by the poor standards of recent years. I managed to take in the whole of Friday and Sunday as well as the morning session on Saturday. Our batting was a bit reckless on the first day as a string of top order batsmen got out trying to force the pace when well set. The pitch looked dry and helpful for spinners throughout, while Meaker & Linley frequently beat the bat without much luck as the visitors dug in hard on the second morning. Ultimately Northants were indebted to their all-time eighth wicket county record partnership between Hall & Middlebrook that followed a middle order collapse and denied Surrey what would probably have been a decisive first innings lead. Middlebrook had a fine game, bowling tidily and threateningly as well as scoring a ton battiing at nine.

Of Surrey's newcomers, I felt Arafat's bowling looked a bit innocuous but De Bruyn & Maynard each showed up well with the bat.

Gary Wilson was an assertive presence at the top of the order, although he seems to have a tendency to go fishing outside off stump. Michael Brown was lbw to Vaas first ball in his first match for 18 months, but at least he got a decent innings second time around.

If those who played in this match keep producing the runs it could get interesting when Pietersen is fit again and the selectors will want him to get a game or two under his belt. The middle order included Davies & Hamilton-Brown at 4 & 5, who as wicketkeeper and captain respectively will need to stay in; Ramprakash should also be fit again by then, so who drops out if De Bruyn and/or Maynard has staked a strong claim? (Not to mention the likes of Roy & Lancefield waiting in the wings.) Maybe we'll end up having to loan KP to someone else so he can get a game!

Mixed forecast for the next few days but I might pop along to Headingley on Saturday if it's nice enough and the game against Durham is well poised, feels like ages since I've seen some live cricket.

Loan him to us at Lancs....Will be fun watching him team up with Peter Moores again....

Sayers dropped, McGrath back in. Joe Root to open.

Bugger!

Heavy defeat only prevented from being a total embarrassment by lower middle order resistance.

Only one 50 from our top 5 in the two games so far, worrying start to the season batting wise.

Notts copping for a bit of a backlash at Headingley this morning. Won the toss, opted to bat and are 100-6 at lunch. Three wickets for Sideshow against his former employers.

Yorkshire have left out Ashraf and Patterson for Wainwright and Hannon-Dalby.

Root got a first-baller. 6/1 in reply to 143ao

Great 1st day for Lancs,bowling Somerset out for 268 and are 70-0 at close of play.

I don't know what to make of this Yorkshire side. To me, on paper, it looks weaker than at many points over recent years. Have players such as Pyrah and Brophy really improved that much that they can be regulars in sides challenging for the title, or is the standard of County cricket in decline?

I love the idea of going with a home grown squad however I fear for our batting line up if a couple of injuries occur.

Brophy was pretty much a regular in the side which challenged for the title last year, while Pyrah was a key part of the one-day side.

Had both Bresnan and Shahzad been available, Pyrah probably wouldn't have played in this game despite a career best against Durham.

He reminds me a fair bit of Mark Alleyne as a cricketer, who was a key component of that strong Gloucestershire side a few years ago - not great at any particular discipline but a steady contributor in all departments.

I know what you mean about the batting though - effectively there are six specialists in the squad (the top five in this game plus Joe Sayers, who is working his way back to form and fitness). Next man up after that is probably Gary Ballance, which doesn't fill me with confidence.

Yorkshire 306-9, Gale unbeaten on 117. The last wicket has put on 52, of which Hannon-Dalby has contributed 2 not out

Following the updates on twitter, seems like Gale's doing an excellent job of finding a single off the fifth or sixth ball of each over.

Think I'll bob across tomorrow.

My point was not specifically about brophy this year, I was surprised how well we did last year to be honest, although the development of Lyth and continued growth of gale contributed a lot I guess.

I wonder whether the standard of first class cricket is deteriorating but perhaps I'm just not giving our young players enough credit, and elder statesmen such as brophy!

Lancs absolutely destroying Somerset....



Is it too early to suggest that we might just mount a serious challenge this year??.....Even the weather is being kind for the moment....

Yorkshire on the way to bottling it at Headingley, 24-3 chasing 145 after letting Notts pile on 170 for the last 4 wickets earlier on.