Chambers and Mickleburgh lead Essex revival

Maurice Chambers returned career-best figures to inspire a fine fightback by Essex against County Championship title-chasing Nottinghamshire at Chelmsford

06-Jul-2010
ScorecardJaik Mickleburgh led Essex’s second innings with 91•Getty ImagesMaurice Chambers returned career-best figures to inspire a fine fightback by Essex against County Championship title-chasing Nottinghamshire at Chelmsford.The 22-year-old fast bowler finished with 6 for 68 as the visitors had to settle for a modest first-innings lead of 26 after being bowled out for 180. Then John Maunders, Jaik Mickleburgh and Matt Walker built upon his fine work by scoring half-centuries as Essex reached the close on 265 for four to establish an overall advantage of 239.After Nottinghamshire had resumed on 126 for 5, Chambers was soon adding to his list of victims as he again bowled with plenty of hostility that unsettled the batsmen. In the course of four overs he got rid of Chris Read and Paul Franks – both caught behind by James Foster, before bowling Andre Adams.Danish Kaneria brought the innings to a close by getting rid of Luke Fletcher and Charlie Shreck in the same over, but not before Alistair Brown had taken Nottinghamshire into the lead. When the innings ended Brown was left stranded on 50, an entertaining effort that spanned 64 deliveries and included eight fours.Billy Godleman was caught in the gully off Shreck before Essex cleared the arrears but then came two century partnerships that enabled them to seize the initiative. The first featured Maunders and 20-year-old Mickleburgh, both of whom drove with increasing assurance against bowlers who rarely found the sort of swing they had done on the opening day.Their partnership of 104 was only broken following a poor stroke by Maunders who, after making 70, followed a Shreck delivery down the leg side and glanced an easy catch to wicketkeeper Read. But if Nottinghamshire were hoping that success would signal a change in their fortunes, they were sadly mistaken.The departure of Maunders only heralded the arrival of Walker and he and Mickleburgh were to assert their authority with a stand of 106 in 21 overs. It was broken when Mickleburgh was within sight of the second century of his career. He had reached 91 with the help of 14 fours when he was trapped lbw by spinner Samit Patel.Walker, who at the interval was awarded his county cap, went on to make 70 before he was dismissed just before the close when Alex Hales brought off a fine diving catch in the slips to provide Franks with success. Even so, Essex will enter the third day confident that they can build upon their day’s work to claim only their second championship victory of the campaign.

Everton could make last minute Broja bid

Everton have had a hectic January transfer window, making three signings early in the month and sacking their manager, Rafa Benitez, soon after, with all the attention firmly on the appointment of the next manager, Moshiri could be lining up a last-minute bid that could add a fourth new player to the squad.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are one of the three Premier League clubs interested in signing Armando Broja, who is currently on loan at Southampton from Chelsea.

The Toffees reportedly join Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the race to sign the 20-year-old striker, with just four days left to go in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Southampton are keen to keep Broja with them at St Mary’s, but with many Premier League clubs now showing interest in the youngster, it could be a challenge for them to hold onto him.

Lukaku 2.0

Everton are no strangers to attracting young Chelsea talent, with the potential signing of Broja similar to the £28m club-record signing at the time of Romelu Lukaku back in 2014, when the Belgian goal machine was just 21 years old.

Lukaku was a huge success at Everton, scoring 87 goals and bagging 29 assists in just 166 appearances for the club, with a goal involvement every 120 minutes for the Toffees, so the club could be onto their next Chelsea swoop to potentially emulate the success of their former striker.

The £8.1m-rated monster who was hailed “dangerous” by his current manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, has been making his mark on the Southampton team with 21 appearances and seven goals, five of those have been scored in the Premier League.

However, goals aren’t the only attribute that Broja has been excelling in, according to One Versus One the youngster has been using his 6 foot2 stature to impose himself on opponents, making 170 aerial challenges this season so far, and ranking 8th in the Premier League for completing aerial duels, proving that he is not afraid to get stuck into the game away from just scoring goals.

There has been real upset and aggravation amongst fans with a protest staged last night at Goodison Park, so bringing in young players with bags of potential could be a move for Moshiri that could potentially settle the current outrage.

That’s especially if Broja could come in and make an instant impact in changing the fate of the Toffees nightmare season, and helping the side climb back into a safe position in the Premier League table.

In other news: David Ornstein drops major Everton manager update

Wolves linked with Salcedo transfer

Despite boasting an impressive defensive record in the Premier League this season with just 14 goals conceded in 19 games, it seems as though Wolves are looking to the January transfer window as an opportunity to strengthen their squad at the back as they aim to secure a European place by the end of the current campaign under the guidance of Bruno Lage.

In a recent report from W Deportes, Wolves are apparently interested in signing Tigres defender Carlos Salcedo this month.

The 28-year-old joined the Mexican club from Eintracht Frankfurt back in the 2019 January transfer window after previous spells at clubs such as Deportivo Guadalajara, Fiorentina and Real Salt Lake City, winning some trophies in the process.

Since his move to Tigres, the defender has made a total of 101 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals along the way, showing how much of a danger he can be in front of goal as well.

Last season, Salcedo, who was dubbed as a potentially “massive” acquisition for a possible suitor this month by Rudi Schuller, ended Tigres’ league campaign as their joint-sixth highest rated player with an overall performance rating of 7.01/10 from SofaScore.

That would have made him Wolves’ fourth-highest rated player in the Premier League last season, showing how capable he could be in Lage’s side if he were to make a move to Molineux this month.

Salcedo’s latest performance for Tigres in their 1-1 draw against Santos Laguna saw him not only score his side’s goal but also make three clearances, four interceptions and one tackle, ultimately earning himself an outstanding overall match rating of 7.8/10, making him the highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

With Lage reiterating the need for Wolves to sign a centre-back as soon as possible with Romain Saiss away on international duty and Willy Boly injured, Jeff Shi could solve Lage’s big issue with a move for Salcedo, who is currently valued at £4.5m according to Transfermarkt, in the coming days and weeks.

Moving forward, with Salcedo’s contract at Tigres set to expire at the end of December, this could cause the Mexican club to be more willing to sell their defender to Wolves this month rather than risk him leaving on a free transfer at the end of the year if he doesn’t put pen to paper on a new deal before then.

In other news: Fosun heading for Wolves disaster over “dynamic” £46k-p/w ace that’ll have Lage fuming – opinion

Everton fans hammer Gomes

Flocking to Twitter, many Everton fans were left appalled with the latest display of midfielder Andre Gomes despite their side’s brilliant result away to Chelsea on Thursday evening.

The Toffees, looking to turn their fortunes around under Rafael Benitez, pulled off a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against the high-flying European champions – potentially easing some pressure off Everton’s head coach.

They did need the heroics of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, however, who enjoyed a memorable performance in what was surely one of his finest ever showings between the sticks – making save after save to keep Everton in the contest and earning a 9/10 rating on SofaScore.

Chelsea did eventually find their way through with Mason Mount burying a neat finish at the near post on 70 minutes, but just moments later, Anthony Gordon’s in-swinging free-kick found Jarrad Branthwaite who rescued a point for the visitors.

However, picking out one bad apple from the evening, it appears a fair few Blues weren’t atoll impressed with Gomes – who they believe endured an ‘awful’ afternoon.

Everton fans slam Gomes…

Hooked off by Benitez mid-way through the second period, Gomes certainly didn’t shine according to SofaScore too, with the 28-year-old ranking in as Everton’s lowest-rated player (5.8/10).

Picking up a booking, the Portuguese didn’t cope well with Chelsea’s quality in midfield, winning just five out of 17 ground duels against Thomas Tuchel’s side (SofaScore).

Gomes also failed to win a single aerial duel or find a long ball to one of his teammates (SofaScore), leaving little wonder why some Toffees supporters believe he was a ‘passenger’.

Find all of their verdicts on his display down below:

“Keep the youngsters in and get rid of Iwobi, Gomes, Holgate and Kenny”

Credit: @MrGriffGaff

“How did Andre Gomes play for Barcelona, wandering about doing nothing, he needs binning along with half our squad”

Credit: @Graemello7

“I haven’t played football in 5 years but I’m almost convinced Andre Gomes couldn’t tackle me”

Credit: @ITalkEverton

“What I’ve learnt today:

– Gordon much better set piece taker than Townsend

– Andre Gomes can never start again

– Branthwaite monster, needs to start next game

– Simms and Dobbin are really useful

– We actually run a lot

– Too angry to comment on Iwobi’s performance rn”

Credit: @efcmidd13

“Gomes could have been dragged off on 50mins. Been a passenger and making stupid fouls”

Credit: @Ryan_EFC1878

“Gave the ball away so many times in dangerous positions. Caused at least one maybe two of Chelsea’s chances. Him and Gomes have been very poor in possession. Holgate. Don’t get me started”

Credit: @Dan_EFC1878

“Gomes is having an awful game, Onyango or Gbamin on second half”

Credit: @EFCLewis

In other news: ‘Liquidate’, ‘Depressing’…Everton fans erupt over ‘appalling’ exit development, find out more here.

تقارير: الأهلي في مفاوضات متقدمة لحسم صفقة برازيلية جديدة

كشفت تقاير صحفية برازيلية، أن الأهلي في مفاوضات متقدمة مع نادي أتلتيكو بارانينسي، لضم المهاجم جيلهيرمي بيسولي، خلال فترة الانتقالات الجارية.

بيسولي معار الآن لفريق آفاي، ويقدم مستويات ممتازة، حيث سجل 13 هدفًا وصنع آخر، خلال 31 مباراة بمختلف المسابقات.

موقع ” tretis” البرازيلي والمختص بأخبار أتلتيكو بارانينسي، أكد أن بيسولي معار إلى آفاي، ولديه عقد مع فريقه الأصلي حتى نهاية 2023.

طالع أيضًا | دانيال جوردو يعلن قائمة الأهلي المشاركة في بطولة إفريقيا للأندية لكرة اليد

وأشارت التقارير إلى أن الأهلي في مفاوضات متقدمة مع النادي البرازيلي، لضم بيسولي الذي من المفترض أن تنتهي إعارته في ديسمبر القادم.

وشددت التقارير على أن الأهلي صاحب المركز الثالث في الدوري المصري الموسم الماضي، يريد تعزيز صفوفه بعدما وجه أنظاره إلى أمريكا الجنوبية، وتمكن من ضم برونو سافيو البرازيلي من بوليفار البوليفي.

بيسولي صاحب الـ24 عامًا، يتمتع بقوة بدنية، ويلعب في مركز المهاجم الرئيسي، وقيمته السوقية حسب موقع ترانسفير ماركت، 3.5 مليون يورو.

لم يلعب بيسولي حتى الآن خارج قارة أمريكا الجنوبية، بعد أن خرج من أكاديمية ساو باولو كبير القوم في البرازيل، ولعب للعديد من الأندية مثل كروزيرو وأتلتيكو بارانينسي، وفرناندو البراجوياني.

ATUAÇÕES: Sidão, Hernanes e Pratto brilham em vitória do São Paulo

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo conseguiu se recuperar no Campeonato Brasileiro. A equipe comandada por Dorival Júnior derrotou o Flamengo neste domingo por 2 a 0, gols de Pratto e Hernanes, no Pacaembu, e se afastou ainda mais da zona de rebaixamento. Já o Flamengo segue na sexta colocação, mas perdeu a oportunidade de encostar no G4. Confira as avaliações do LANCE!

SÃO PAULO

RelacionadasSão PauloLevou o troco: São Paulo devolve 2 a 0 do primeiro turno e vence o FlamengoSão Paulo22/10/2017BrasileirãoNúmeros da Bola: Estatísticas de São Paulo 2×0 FlamengoBrasileirão22/10/2017BrasileirãoRobinho brilha e Atlético-MG vira para cima do Cruzeiro no MineirãoBrasileirão22/10/2017

7,5
Sidão
Em tarde iluminada, o goleiro fez no no mínimo três defesas difíceis e ajudou o São Paulo a ajudar a voltar a vencer no Brasileirão.

6,0
Éder Militão
Muito exigido por conta das jogadas de Everton e Geuvânio nas suas costas, foi bem na marcação. No ataque, teve atuação tímida.

6,5
Arboleda
Atuação segura e sem dar sustos na parte defensiva. Orientou muito os companheiros e tirou os espaços dos atacantes do Flamengo.

7,0
Rodrigo Caio
Camisa 3 fez grande partida, sem comprometer e marcando forte. Com a pressão do Fla na segunda etapa, conseguiu cortes fundamentais.

5,5
Edimar
Focou mais na parte defensiva e teve trabalho com Berrío. No segundo tempo sumiu um pouco por conta de um recuo do Tricolor.

7,0
Jucilei
Posicionamento do volante e entrega defensiva ajudou Hernanes para ter liberdade na hora de construir as jogadas. Foi bem nos desarmes.

6,0
Petros
Apesar de estar muito nervoso e reclamando muito com a arbitragem, o camisa 6 foi bem. Dupla com Jucilei protegeu bem a defesa.

8,0
Hernanes
Principal homem em campo. Além de bater o escanteio que originou o primeiro gol, deixou sua marca em uma bela cabeçada.

6,5
Marcos Guilherme
Muita velocidade e isso complicou a vida para os laterais do Flamengo. Além de ser importante no ataque, ajudou muito na defesa.

7,0
Cueva
Peruano levou melhor em praticamente todas as jogadas com Trauco e conduziu bem as jogadas ofensivas do São Paulo no Pacaembu.

7,5
Pratto
Muita intensidade na primeira etapa e foi coroado com um gol logo no começo da partida. Teve outras chances, mas parou em Diego Alves.


J. Gomez
Entrou no fim.


Denilson
Sem tempo para nada.


Aderllan
Ficou um minuto em campo.

7,0
Dorival Júnior
Entrou com uma equipe bem mais postada do que a do Flamengo e conseguiu decidir o jogo ainda no primeiro tempo. Anulou o adversário.

FLAMENGO

6,0
Diego Alves
Não teve culpa nos gols do São Paulo, mas não conseguiu evitar. Evitou um placar maior e ainda realizou grande defesa em chute de Pratto.

5,0
Pará
Ultimamente o lateral-direito não tem conseguido boas atuações e teve dificuldades para marcar as investidas de Marcos Guilherme.

5,5
Réver
Em dupla com Rhodolfo, deu algumas brechas na defesa e o São Paulo soube aproveitar. Camisa 15 foi displicente no gol de Lucas Pratto.

5,0
Rhodolfo
Voltando ao time titular no lugar de Juan, não teve boa atuação e pecou no posicionamento em alguns lances de perigo do São Paulo

4,5
Trauco
Em um duelo individual com Cueva, deu espaços para o compatriota flutar e comandar os ataques do São Paulo. Falhou no primeiro gol.

6,5
Cuéllar
Volante se movimentou bastante e tentava fazer a ligação entre a defesa e o ataque. Na defesa, mostrou muita entrega e roubou bolas.

5,0
Willian Arão
Camisa 5 esteve em tarde muito apagada no Pacaembu. Na defesa deu espaço e falhou em lances importantes e no ataque não foi eficaz.

6,5
Everton Ribeiro
Foi quem mais tentou e buscou as jogadas ofensivas pelo Flamengo. Distribuiu bons passes, mas companheiros não davam continuidade.

4,0
Geuvânio
Pior em campo. Camisa 23 ganhou oportunidade de começar jogando, mas praticamente não entrou em campo. Errou tudo que tentou.

5,0
Everton
Conseguia levar vantagem na velocidade sobre Éder Militão, mas faltava capricho na hora de escolher o melhor desfecho para as jogadas.

5,5
Berrío
Não se entendeu muito bem com os companheiros de ataque. Teve boa chance, parou na trave, mas acabou saindo lesionado.

5,5
Lucas Paquetá
Entrou e melhorou a postura do Flamengo em campo, com uma referência no ataque. Apesar disso, não evitou a derrota.

5,5
Diego
Com a entrada do camisa 35, o Flamengo conseguiu impor uma pressão, mas não foi suficiente para furar o bloqueio do São Paulo.


Gabriel
Sem tempo para ser eficaz.

4,5
Reinaldo Rueda
Arriscou optando por Berrío como centroavante e não conseguiu superar o forte sistema defensivo do São Paulo no Pacaembu.

Andrew Strauss sure of Jonathan Trott's commitment

Andrew Strauss has said he is “100% happy with Jonathan Trott’s commitment” and was not concerned by Michael Vaughan’s allegations

Cricinfo staff31-Oct-2009

Andrew Strauss: “As captain I’m very happy that the 15 players I’ve got are 100% committed to performing for England and representing their country”•Getty Images

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, has said he is “100% happy with Jonathan Trott’s commitment” and was not concerned by Michael Vaughan’s allegations that the batsman celebrated with South Africa after they beat England at Edgbaston in 2008.”He [Trott] said himself that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He knows a few of those players. I’ve spoken about it with him and he has a completely clear conscience on the matter,” Strauss said. “He said hi and well done to the guys – if I wasn’t playing in the Test I’d probably have said the same thing as well.”Trott had a spectacular debut this year, scoring a series-clinching century in the deciding Ashes Test at The Oval and Strauss said he was an “exciting prospect”. “To uproot your life and start all over again in another country is a big decision and I’m sure he’ll make the most of the opportunity of playing for England.”Strauss was speaking ahead of England’s departure for the two-and-a-half month tour of South Africa, a trip which includes Twenty20 internationals, ODIs and Tests. Strauss felt playing South Africa at home was “probably the hardest assignment there is. It’s harder than winning the Ashes at home. In pure cricketing terms this is as hard as it gets right now.”England’s 15-man squad includes four players with ties to South Africa. Wicketkeeper Matt Prior and Strauss himself were born in Johannesburg, while Trott and Kevin Pietersen moved to England after spending their formative years in South Africa. Pietersen had received a hostile reception from the South African crowd when he toured there five years ago and a similar welcome could lie in store for Trott. Strauss, however, insisted that it wouldn’t be a distraction to England’s goal.”In terms of trying to win the Test series, it won’t be a big issue but it might bubble away in the background,” Strauss said. “All I can say is the selectors sit down and pick the best 15 England qualified players. The fact some of them have been born out of these shores is of no consequence.”They’ve obviously had the determination, hunger and desire – possibly more than some people in county cricket. They deserve to be playing for England because of that. As captain I’m very happy that the 15 players I’ve got are 100% committed to performing for England and representing their country.”England begin their tour with a warm-up match against the Eagles on November 6 in Bloemfontein and have two more practice games ahead of the first Twenty20 international against South Africa in Johannesburg on November 13.

سباليتي قبل مواجهة ليفربول: علينا إظهار الإيمان بقدرتنا على محاربة أي خصم

تحدث لوتشيانو سباليتي المدير الفني لفريق نابولي الإيطالي قبل مواجهة ليفربول في منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويفتتح نابولي مشواره في دور المجموعات بدوري الأبطال بمواجهة ليفربول يوم الأربعاء المقبل.

وسيستقبل نابولي نظيره ليفربول على ملعب “دييجو أرماندو مارادونا”.

ويدخل نابولي المباراة بعد عودة مثيرة أمام لاتسيو في الدوري الإيطالي، حيث تمكن فريق سباليتي من تحويل هزيمته إلى فوز بهدفين لهدف على ملعب “الأولمبيكو” معقل نسور العاصمة.

وفي تصريحات للموقع الرسمي لنابولي قال سباليتي: “ليس هناك وقت للتفكير في هذا الفوز (أمام لاتسيو)، لكن من المثير أن نبدأ هذه الرحلة الأوروبية”.

اقرأ أيضًا | قبل صدام ليفربول.. نقل مهاجم نابولي إلى المستشفى بعد إصابة قوية أمام لاتسيو

وأضاف: “لدينا الموقف الصحيح لمواجهة هذه الفرق ذات المستوى العالمي، نحن بحاجة لإظهار شخصيتنا حتى نتمكن من تقديم أفضل ما لدينا ضدهم جميعًا”.

وفي تصريحات لـ”سكاي سبورت إيطاليا” أفاد: “آمل أن يتمكنوا من أخذ هذه التجربة بالطريقة الصحيحة، مع الاعتقاد بأنهم يستطيعون محاربة أي خصم، ولهم نفس الشخصية للعب مثل كبار اللاعبين في أي ساحة”.

Juve may happily sell Kulusevski to Spurs

As per Juve Live, as also relayed and translated by Sport Witness, Fabio Paratici’s stance on signing Dejan Kulusevski for Tottenham Hotspur has become even more clear.

The Lowdown: Juve gearing for sale…

Italian reporter Niccolo Ceccarini has already shared news that the Old Lady are ‘ready’ to offload the Sweden international ‘as early as January’ to fund a swoop for Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic (Twitter).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-developments-2/” title=”Spurs developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

This comes amid reports that he is a serious transfer target for Tottenham, with Tuttosport (via SW) recently claiming that Antonio Conte’s side are in pole position.

Another journalist in Daniele Longo, meanwhile, recently revealed that contact has been made for Kulusevski and Spurs may be boosted further by another development courtesy of Juve Live.

The Latest: Paratici would ‘gladly’ sign Kulusevski…

As per the website, relayed by SW, their managing director Paratici would ‘gladly’ sign the 21-year-old for Conte at Tottenham.

Italian sides cannot afford his minimum €30 million (£25.4m) price tag, opening the door for interested Premier League and La Liga sides to swoop.

However, north London rivals Arsenal are also genuine contenders from England’s top flight, meaning Spurs, Paratici and Conte may face stern competition.

The Verdict: Good option…

Lauded as ‘explosive’ by former Sweden striker Marcus Allback, the winger can also operate as an ‘advanced playmaker’ according to Football Talent Scout – potentially earmarking him as a possible candidate to replicate Christian Eriksen’s past influence.

It is no secret that Tottenham have missed the Dane since his 2020 departure to Inter Milan and Kulusevski could come as a fairly shrewd heir given his affordable £25.4m fee.

Over the 2019/2020 campaign, his best season in Serie A to date, the ex-Parma man averaged an impressive 2.2 key passes and 2.1 completed dribbles per 90 – emulating Eriksen’s numbers somewhat during his time at Spurs (WhoScored).

The case is there for Paratici to make a move, but only time will tell whether Spurs can win the race.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting transfer claim with ‘biggest offer’ on the table, find out more here.

Nottinghamshire seamers take control

A round-up from the latest action in the County Championship as Durham are frustrated by the rain and Nottinghamshire make a good start against Yorkshire

Cricinfo staff03-Sep-2009Division One1st dayA disciplined bowling performance from Nottinghamshire gave them the opening-day honours against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge after the visitors had made a solid start. Jacques Rudolph and Joe Sayers began with a painstaking opening stand of 72 in 32 overs, but Nottinghamshire shared the wickets around during the next two sessions. Darren Pattinson broke through shortly after lunch when Rudolph shouldered arms and Charlie Shreck removed Anthony McGrath, caught in the gully, for a duck. Paul Franks struck in consecutive overs to remove Sayers, who was dropped on 37 and 40, for a 162-ball 53 and Gerard Brophy without scoring and Yorkshire were tottering on 132 for 5. Jonny Bairstow battled hard for 49 until being pinned lbw by Mark Ealham and Shreck collected two more to leave Nottinghamshire handily placed to push for the win they desperately need to maintain a title challenge.2nd dayClick here to read George Dobell’s report of Warwickshire’s match against Worcestershire at Edgbaston, where Jonathan Trott produced a masterclass in testing conditions.Lancashire were bowled out for 236 by Sussex, click here to read John Ward’s report.3rd dayDurham were frustrated in their bid to close in further on the title when the third day against Somerset was abandoned without a ball bowled at Chester-le-Street. Heavy rain lashed the ground overnight during the early morning and the groundstaff were always fighting a losing battle before further rain arrived. Durham will now need quick wickets on the final day, with Somerset currently 58 behind, to try and force a victory.Middlesex captain Shaun Udal was knocked unconscious on a day full of drama against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. Facing Johan van der Wath in the fifth over of the day Udal was struck on the back of the day as he tried to avoid a bouncer. He was treated on the pitch for half an hour before leaving. Seventeen wickets fell in all as Middlesex’s batsmen undid all the hard work of Gareth Berg by slipping to 17 for 3 at stumps, having earlier gained a slender 12-run lead . David Lucas had Nick Compton (5) and Dan Housego (0) caught behind while Johan van der Wath broke through the nightwatchman Steve Finn’s defences to leave the visitors leading by just 29 runs. None of this discredits Berg’s performance earlier in the day, however, in picking up his second five-wicket haul. All the Middlesex seamers made good use of helpful conditions with Tim Murtagh and Finn removing the top four, leaving Northamptonshire tottering on 40 for 4. Nicky Boje, who extended his contract with the club today, dropped anchor with a turgidly useful 51 while Rob White (47), Andrew Hall (38) and van der Wath (31) helped them rebuild. Berg ran through the tail as Middlesex gained a first-innings lead, and an all-too-brief period of initiative which Northamptonshire grasped back impressively in the last hour of play.Leicestershire’s lower order pulled them out of real trouble against Glamorgan with Wayne White and Claude Henderson helped turn the innings around from 95 for 7 at Grace Road . White hit 68, his maiden half century, and added 120 with Henderson for the eighth wicket before chopping on a cut, then Henderson followed that with a 52-run alliance alongside Iain O’Brien, who has returned after New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka. Henderson was unbeaten on 71, passing fifty from 96 deliveries at the close but lost O’Brien in the final over of the day. The early damage had been done by Garnett Kruger and James Harris as they sent the home side crashing from 57 for 1 as they lost six for 38 in 13 overs and there was plenty of work for both seamers.The Surrey batting crumbled at Bristol as they fell for 183 and were firmly on the back foot as Gloucestershire moved to 224 for 3 in reply with an unbroken136-run stand between Alex Gidman and Hamish Marshall. Surrey were comfortable placed on 96 for 1 overnight, but lost Arun Harinath early to Steve Kirby with Marshall taking a sharp catch at slip and it was downhill from there. Ian Saxelby and James Franklin struck regular blows while Kirby also nipped out Stewart Walters. Anthony Ireland contributed with two lower-order scalps before a final wicket stand 33 lifted Surrey to 183, but they had lost their last nine wickets for 87. Gloucestershire eased to 77 in reply before Alex Tudor struck two swift blows and when Tom Linley swiftly dismissed William Porterfield Surrey were fighting back. However, Gidman and Marshall forged a strong partnership as Gloucestershire took the lead before the close.Derbyshire took control against Kent with a fine opening stand between Chris Rogers and Wayne Madsen. Mark Pennell watched the action.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus