Jeremy Blackmore

Thomas Rew blazed his maiden T20 half-century to help keep Somerset defeat group leaders Northamptonshire Steelbacks by 105 runs and keep their hopes alive of a quarter-final spot in this year's Vitality Blast.

Reigning champions Somerset arrived at the cinch County Ground needing to win all their remaining games to stand a chance of qualifying but faced an unbeaten side on home turf. They ended the Steelbacks' run after amassing an imposing 223 for 4 and then skittling the hosts for 118.

Rew made 57 in a rapid opening partnership of 104 with Will Smeed, and while the pair were parted in quick succession, a late boundary blitz from Australian international Daniel Sams propelled them to a commanding total.

Ricardo Vasconcelos got the Steelbacks off to a flier with a quickfire 40, but with Craig Overton setting the tone with a miserly spell in the powerplay, scoreboard pressure started to tell. The hosts lost wickets at regular intervals, Josh Thomas returning career-best figures of 4 for 6 and Lewis Goldsworthy taking three wickets in one over.

Kent's Ben Dawkins struck a magnificent unbeaten 118, his first List A international hundred to take England Under-19s to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over South Africa in this second Youth One Day International at the cinch County Ground, Northampton.

Dawkins struck 14 fours and three sixes as he and Lancashire's Rocky Flintoff shared a blistering unbroken partnership of 191 runs off 174 balls. While Flintoff played the supporting role at first, he soon accelerated and smashed 79 as the hosts chased down 228 to win.

For South Africa, Muhammad Bulbulia made 41 and Vihan Pretorius 35, before the tourists slumped to 190 for 9, the impressive Leicestershire left-arm spinner Ali Farooq taking 3 for 29.

Michael Kruiskamp though counterpunched with 47 off 39 balls as South Africa were bowled out off 39.3 overs. James Minto and Ralphie Albert both picked up two wickets apiece.

The result sees England level the three-match series with a game to play.

England A captain Kira Chathli struck 53 off 26 balls to help set up a five-wicket victory in the second T20 against India A at the County Ground in Northampton.

The result sees England A level the three-match series ahead of Thursday's decider at Chelmsford.

Chasing 173 to win, Surrey's Chathli shared a confident second-wicket partnership of 61 with Essex's Grace Scrivens (39) as the pair posted 68 for 1 in the powerplay.

Durham's Bess Heath then picked up the mantle, smashing 40 off just 23 balls to steer England A home.

Earlier Vrinda Dinesh hit an aggressive 79 as India A posted a challenging 172 for 4. Vrinda shared rapid half-century partnerships with Purvaja Verlekar and captain Anushka Sharma.

Surrey's Ryana MacDonald-Gay was the pick of England A's bowlers, taking 2 for just 10 runs with 19 dot balls, although England did not help their cause with five dropped catches.

Northamptonshire Steelbacks all-rounder James Sales produced career-best T20 bowling figures of five for 21 to set up a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Gloucestershire at the cinch County Ground, Northampton.

Sales struck twice in the powerplay and then made two crucial breakthroughs in his third over mid-innings after Ben Charlesworth smashed an aggressive 49.

Gloucestershire's lower order rallied, pushing them up to 164 for nine, but the Steelbacks' Australian pair Chris Lynn and Nathan McSweeney combined in a blistering partnership of 91 in 8.4 overs.

Lynn smashed 65 off just 36 balls, while McSweeney made 53, falling just before the Steelbacks reached their victory target with 22 balls to spare. Ollie Price finished with two for 28.

Northamptonshire's Stuart van der Merwe held up Leicestershire's Division Two trophy presentation with a century on debut on the final day of their County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Already assured of promotion and the Division Two title, Leicestershire finally wrapped up victory by 167 runs just before tea, bowling out Northamptonshire for 333, with Liam Trevaskis taking a career best 6-85.

Van der Merwe, who trialled at Leicester earlier this season, was recently awarded a two-year rookie deal by Northamptonshire after impressing in the One-Day Cup and duly celebrated by scoring 116 off 209 balls.

The 20-year-old shared a sixth-wicket stand worth 80 with Saif Zaib, who rounded off a spectacular year with 58, finishing as county cricket's leading run scorer with 1,425 runs.

With six centuries and seven half-centuries, Zaib has scored the third most runs in a Championship season for Northamptonshire this century.

Northamptonshire's Stuart van der Merwe held up Leicestershire's Division Two trophy presentation with a century on debut on the final day of this Rothesay County Championship match at Wantage Road.

The 20-year-old who trialled at Leicester earlier this season was recently awarded a two-year rookie deal by Northamptonshire after impressing in the One-Day Cup and duly celebrated by scoring 116 from 209 balls, with 12 fours, to frustrate Leicestershire's push for their seventh win of the season.

Already assured of promotion and the Division Two title, Leicestershire finally wrapped up victory by 167 runs just before tea, bowling out Northamptonshire for 333, Liam Trevaskis taking a career best 6 for 85.

Van der Merwe shared a sixth-wicket stand worth 80 with Saif Zaib who rounded off a spectacular year with 58, finishing as county cricket's leading run-scorer with 1425 runs. With six centuries and seven half-centuries, Zaib has scored the third most runs in a Championship season for Northamptonshire this century.

Van der Merwe also shared a seventh-wicket stand with of 128 off 187 balls with George Bartlett who scored his third half-century of the season.

Chris Wright celebrated his 600th first-class wicket, crowning the final game of a 21-year professional career as his 3 for 19 helped put Leicestershire in the ascendency on day two of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Wright, who was greeted by a guard of honour when he batted in the morning session, also collected his 800th wicket in all formats, and with Ian Holland taking 3 for 28, a hapless Northamptonshire were skittled for 189 inside 58 overs, 240 behind.

Only the prolific Saif Zaib looked totally assured for Northamptonshire, scoring 62, his sixth half-century of the season to go with six centuries. Named the Supporters' Club Player of the Year during lunch, his innings moved him into sixth place on the list of Northamptonshire batters with the most runs in a season this century.

With Leicestershire deciding not to enforce the follow-on, Sol Budinger picked up where he left off in the first innings, smashing 50 off 44 balls. Rob Keogh took two wickets in two balls in the day's closing overs to offer Northamptonshire a glimmer of hope, but the visitors closed strongly on 86 for 2, 326 ahead.

Stephen Eskinazi hit an excellent unbeaten 150, his first century for his new county Leicestershire as the Division Two champions pressed home their advantage on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Former Middlesex batter Eskinazi, who joined Leicestershire on loan after The Hundred prior to joining full time next season, led a fightback after pacer George Scrimshaw's double strike reduced the visitors to 122 for 4 at lunch.

Eskinazi shared a fifth-wicket stand worth 98 off 145 balls with Jonny Tattersall (47) before adding 76 with Liam Trevaskis (37), and 64 with Logan van Beek (26). His 150 was his highest Championship score since 2018, Leicestershire closing on 392 for 7.

Northamptonshire spinner Rob Keogh, who bowled with a lot of drift either side of tea, accounted for both Tattersall and Cox and finished with figures of 2 for 44.

Leicestershire had got off to a flyer in the morning, Sol Budinger smashing five fours and two sixes in his 44 in an opening stand of 70 with Rishi Patel (44), but Scrimshaw (2 for 80) arrested their rapid early progress with two wickets in two overs.

It was a determined display with the ball from Northamptonshire's youthful looking attack, but they were left to rue periods in both afternoon and evening sessions when they erred in line and length, allowing Leicestershire's batters to settle and get back into the game after the early fall of wickets.

Colin Ingram passed 1000 runs for the second successive season during a sparkling half-century on the final day of this drawn Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Despite Northamptonshire declaring 54 runs behind overnight, Glamorgan ran out of time to force a result after most of day three was lost to rain. However, with Derbyshire and Middlesex also drawing at Lord's, Glamorgan stole a march by earning three more bonus points than both their promotion rivals, further boosting their promotion hopes.

It allowed the Welsh County to further cement second position in Division Two. Third-placed Derbyshire now lie 27 points behind, while Middlesex sit in fourth, 30 points back.

Former South African international Ingram reached the 1000-run milestone in 10 games after missing two matches in May during Australian Marnus Labuschagne's stint at Sophia Gardens. His 55, off 85 balls with 11 fours, was his seventh Championship half-century this season to go with three tons.

Ingram was joined by Kiran Carlson in a fourth-wicket partnership of 88 in almost 23 overs, while Calvin Harrison took 3 for 46 to take his tally in nine loan games for Northamptonshire this summer to 35. Justin Broad claimed 2 for 18 in five pacy overs.

With Chris Cooke making an unbeaten 40, Glamorgan declared on 241 for 7, 295 runs ahead, when the players shook hands on the draw at 4.20pm.

Saif Zaib continued his prolific summer, becoming the first Northamptonshire batter to score six Championship tons in a season since Lance Klusener in 2006 as he posted 145 (186 balls) on day three of this Rothesay County Championship against Glamorgan at Wantage Road.

Zaib, the second leading run-scorer in Division Two, extended his overnight score of 76, smashing a total of 22 fours and two sixes as he shared a ninth-wicket partnership of 56 in 15 overs with debutant Ben Whitehouse (6 not out).

Despite Mason Crane taking 5 for 126, his second five-wicket haul this season, Zaib's innings further held up Glamorgan's promotion hunt as Northamptonshire moved to 413 for nine, 54 runs behind, when rain ended play early after just 95 minutes. With Ben Kellaway off the field injured, part-time spinner Kiran Carlson finished with 2 for 43.

Asa Tribe hit a career-best unbeaten 181 to keep Glamorgan's promotion hopes firmly alive and put his side in a dominant position on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Glamorgan were indebted to the 21-year-old Jersey international after losing four wickets before lunch after winning the toss, Luke Procter claiming two scalps. Opening the innings, Tribe never looked in real trouble, helping himself to 25 fours and two sixes in a fluent, confident innings and accounting for the bulk of the top-order runs.

Sam Northeast (17) and Ben Kellaway (23) kept him company in half-century stands, but it was not until Chris Cooke's arrival that Glamorgan mounted a substantial partnership, the keeper scoring 84 (12 fours, one six) while adding 162 for the sixth wicket with Tribe. Although Cooke fell before the close, Glamorgan were in a healthy position at 367 for six.

Earlier Northamptonshire handed first-class debuts to left-arm pacer Ben Whitehouse and off-spinner Nirvan Ramesh, 17, who became the county's third youngest debutant since the war.

Ben Dawkins struck a sparkling maiden List A century to steer Kent Spitfires to their second Metro Bank One Day Cup victory of the season, beating a youthful Northamptonshire side by seven wickets at Wantage Road as they chased down 244 with 32 deliveries to spare.

The in-form England Under-19 opener struck an unbeaten 111 (105 balls, 12 fours, two sixes), sharing a second-wicket stand of 157 off 181 balls with Joey Evison who made a fine 82 (106 balls, 10 fours, 1 six).

Young guns Aadi Sharma and Stuart van der Merwe (37) starred with the bat for the Steelbacks in a stand of 75 off 87 balls characterised by rapid running between the wickets. Sharma made an excellent 82 (90 balls, 8 fours, 1 six), his maiden List A half-century.

Their stand came after Evison, who bowled his 10 overs straight through, removed Northamptonshire's top order to finish with career best List A figures off three for 36.

Matt Parkinson took two for 50 as Northamptonshire suffered a middle order collapse, before some lower order hitting from Dom Leech (36 off 35 balls), but the hosts' eventual total of 243 all out proved insufficient.

Scottish international Charlie Tear blazed a record-breaking maiden List A hundred as Sussex Sharks raced to their second Metro Bank One Day Cup victory in three days, chasing down Northamptonshire Steelbacks' 295 for 8 in style with seven wickets and 19 balls to spare.

Tear served up a barrage of boundaries all around Wantage Road, smashing 23 fours and two sixes in his spectacular 159 off just 146 balls - the highest ever individual score for Sussex against Northamptonshire in List A cricket. He shared a devastating opening stand of 216 off 202 balls with Tom Haines (76 off 81 balls) - Sussex's highest List A partnership for any wicket against Northamptonshire.

It was a day to forget for the Steelbacks with the ball, the bowling often wayward and with multiple errors in the field.

With the bat, James Sales narrowly failed to post another ton after his century in Northamptonshire's victory over Durham on Friday, but his 98 off 96 balls was the backbone of their innings.

He shared a stand of 115 off 104 balls for the fourth wicket with Stuart van der Merwe who looked at home on debut despite being dropped at slip first ball. His 59 off 60 balls was a proactive, confident innings full of invention.

But with just 50 coming in the powerplay and Sales failing to kick on in the final overs, Northamptonshire's total looked well below par. Danny Lamb finished with two wickets, but spinner Jack Carson's miserly six-over spell deserved special mention.

Pakistan international Imam-ul-Haq struck a superb, classy 159, his highest List A score to set up a comprehensive Yorkshire victory over Northamptonshire by 202 runs in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Wantage Road.

Imam, 29, averages 47.04 across a 75-match ODI career, with nine hundreds, but has been overlooked for Pakistan's three-match series against West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, which starts on Friday night. His 159 was a reminder of his talent to their selectors.

His innings propelled Yorkshire to a mammoth 374 for 5, their highest ever team total against Northamptonshire in List A cricket - and just five short of their highest against any first-class county. It also helped inflict the highest ever home defeat on Northamptonshire by any team in List A cricket.

Facing 130 balls, Imam hit 20 fours and two sixes, passing 5,000 career List A runs and beating his previous highest score of 151 against England in 2019. It follows his half-century to steer Yorkshire to victory against Warwickshire at Scarborough on Tuesday.

While Imam cashed in against a frequently wayward Northamptonshire seam attack, his innings was full of delicate timing, perfect placement and silky cover drives before growing more aggressive. He was well supported in stands of 83 with Will Luxton (41), 158 with James Wharton (66) and 75 with a belligerent Matt Revis who smashed 69 from just 33 balls, his highest List A score. Liam Guthrie's bowling figures suffered in the run-fest but he picked up 3 for 87.

In reply, Northamptonshire were never in the chase, a tight spell from Yorkshire opening bowlers Matt Milnes and Ben Cliff setting the tone. While the hosts will count themselves unlucky to have lost two early wickets, they scored at just 4.4 an over throughout the innings. While George Bartlett (30) and Justin Broad (24) forged an enterprising partnership of 49 in eight overs, no-one else contributed anything of substance. Dan Moriarty was the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 38.

Somerset brothers James and Thomas Rew combined in a dominant century partnership to steer Somerset to a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Middlesex at Radlett and get their county's Metro Bank One Day Cup campaign off to a winning start.

Batting together for the first time in senior cricket, James struck a magnificent unbeaten 106 from 90 balls (15 fours), while younger brother Thomas displayed his big-hitting form from the recent England Under 19s series. His 51 from 54 balls with three fours and three sixes was his first senior half-century. But while he fell with 58 runs still required, his brother was there to steer the side home with 15 balls to spare.

For Middlesex, Josh de Caires hit a fine 71 in 86 balls, his maiden List A half-century to lay the foundation for Middlesex's total of 289 for 7.

While he shared an opening stand of 63 with Joe Cracknell (23), wickets fell at crucial times as Middlesex's run rate slowed against tight Somerset bowling. It was new skipper Ben Geddes (40) who wrestled back the initiative before Jack Davies blazed a brilliant 64 during a fifth-wicket stand of 61 with Luke Hollman, 98 runs coming in the final 10 overs.

Jake Ball, who also had two catches dropped off his bowling, finished with figures of 3 for 43, while Jack Leach took 3 for 47.

Brooke Guest and Luis Reece both made attacking half-centuries as Derbyshire salvaged a weather-assisted draw on the final day of this Rothesay County Championship fixture against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

With heavy morning rain preventing play until 3.30pm, Northamptonshire were unable to press home their overnight advantage, having reduced the visitors to 52 for 4 on the third evening, still 121 behind.

But while Rob Keogh (2 for 37) removed nightwatch Joe Hawkins without scoring in just the second over of the day, Guest and Reece quickly settled into their work, finding boundaries easy to come by as they posted a stand of 131 in 36.2 overs.

With no further wickets falling, Derbyshire cleared the deficit and moved into the lead, the teams shaking hands at 5.30pm with the visitors on 185 for 5, both teams taking 13 points.

Allrounder Justin Broad hit a brilliant 171, his second score in excess of 150 this month amid a Northamptonshire run-fest against Derbyshire at Wantage Road as the hosts racked up a mammoth 550 for nine declared.

Returning from a wrist injury, Broad struck 18 fours and a six, following his maiden first-class ton, 157 not out at Canterbury at the beginning of July. On a day of records, his 171 was the highest score ever made by a number seven from any team against Derbyshire.

With Rob Keogh also striking an excellent unbeaten 125, the pair put on 208, the highest seventh-wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire as the visitors' attack wilted in the afternoon sunshine.

Luis Reece was the pick of Derbyshire's bowlers, finishing with figures of three for 114.

Northamptonshire declared 173 ahead and reduced Derbyshire to 52 for four at stumps, Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal picking up two wickets in two balls. It leaves the visitors with a mountain to climb on a pitch offering turn and bounce, still trailing by 121 at the end of day three of this Rothesay County Championship fixture.

Martin Andersson led a Derbyshire fightback with a spirited 105, his third century of the summer, as his side rallied to 348 for 8 on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

It came after Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal struck three times in 11 balls to tip the morning session firmly in Northamptonshire's favour; the visitors ruing their decision to bat as they slipped to 98 for 5 at lunch, despite 39 from Luis Reece.

But Andersson (148 balls, 14 fours) then dominated a 102 run-partnership with Aneurin Donald (37) during the afternoon, before sharing a further stand worth 61 with all-rounder Zak Chappell (32).

Chahal, who found turn and bounce on a pitch previously used for the Vitality Blast Women Tier Two Finals Day on Saturday, later removed Chappell to finish with figures of four for 116.

Matt Breetzke blazed 93 off 45 balls, just one short of his highest T20 score, to reignite Northamptonshire Steelbacks' Vitality Blast campaign by setting up a 13-run win over bottom-placed Derbyshire.

The victory puts the Steelbacks' quest for qualification back on track, after they lost their previous five games, following six straight wins at the start of the tournament.

Back from Test duty with South Africa, Breetzke adjusted instantly to the change of format, setting the pace with nine fours and five sixes in a partnership of 125 in 10.4 overs with skipper David Willey who made 53 off 33 deliveries (six fours, two sixes).

With Saif Zaib also making an unbeaten 53 from 20 balls (three fours, four sixes), Northamptonshire finished with 237 for four, equalling their highest ever T20 score scored away against Yorkshire earlier this season.

Derbyshire looked on course to chase down the target and post their highest ever T20 total. In a display of ferocious hitting, Aneurin Donald smashed 71 off just 22 balls (eight fours, six sixes) in a blistering opening stand worth 112 in just 7.4 overs with Caleb Jewell (39). But Australian leg-spinner Lloyd Pope made the crucial double breakthrough, removing both Donald and Jewell in his opening over. George Scrimshaw then struck twice in his second over to further arrest Derbyshire's hopes.

The match saw the highest aggregate score between these two sides in T20 cricket.

Kashif Ali struck a commanding 88 off just 46 balls, his highest T20 score, to help steer Worcestershire Rapids to a six-wicket victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road, and keep their qualification hopes alive.

Kashif was in total control, smashing seven fours and six sixes during a third-wicket stand of 127 with Gareth Roderick (36) - the highest for Worcestershire against any opposition in T20 cricket, beating the previous best accumulated by Brett D'Oliveira and Adam Hose against Yorkshire at Worcester just last month.

Ben Sanderson (2 for 24) removed both set batters in the 15th over, but by then Worcestershire were closing in on victory and sent Northamptonshire to their fourth straight defeat.

Earlier Adam Finch ran through Northamptonshire's middle order, claiming three for 28, including two wickets in four balls, as the hosts tried to kick on after a lacklustre start. It came after Tom Taylor snared 2 for 22 on his return to his old club as the Steelbacks lost three wickets for 11 in 15 balls in the powerplay, finishing the first six overs on just 34 for 3.

Northamptonshire had Sanderson to thank for posting a near competitive total, his 27 off 16 balls helping to propel them to 152 for 9.

Rew reached three figures off just 73 balls, beating Ben Foakes’ 79-ball ton against New Zealand in 2012.

In all, Rew faced 89 balls and in a display of brutal hitting and deft strokeplay, smashed 16 fours and six huge sixes.

England captain Rew shared a stand of 123 in 21 overs with Lancashire’s Rocky Flintoff (39), but a clatter of late wickets left England nine down, needing seven off the final over.

Middlesex’s Seb Morgan held his nerve to smash a boundary to seal the win with th...

Indian 14-year-old breakout star Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit the third fastest half-century in India Under 19s history off an astonishing 20 balls to set up victory over England in this third Youth One-Day International at Northampton and go 2-1 up in the five-match series.

Suryavanshi showed the prowess which earned him worldwide headlines earlier this year when he made the second fastest century in IPL history. Striking six fours and nine sixes in the run-chase, Suryavanshi was in total command as he made a scintillating 86 from just 31 deliveries, flaying England's bowlers to all corners.

Such was his rate of scoring that, by the time he was dismissed, India were already 111 for two after only eight overs, and, with Vihaan Malhotra showing exquisite timing in a knock of 46 (34 balls. seven fours, one six), India looked on course for a quick victory. However, Malhotra's wicket was the first of three to fall for 30 in six overs before an unbroken, positive partnership of 75 in 11.1 overs between Kanishk Chouhan (43) and RS Ambrish (31) saw India home with 33 balls to spare.

For England, Somerset keeper-batter Thomas Rew continued his sparkling form, cracking an unbeaten 76 off just 44 balls to help England post 268 for six. Rew followed up his 131 on Monday, smiting nine fours and three sixes in a match reduced to 40 overs a side after morning rain.

Kent's Ben Dawkins made 62 off 61 balls (8 fours, 1 six), his highest score in Youth ODIs to give England a solid platform in an opening stand of 78 with Isaac Mohammed (41).

But while Hampshire's Ben Mayes made 31, England suffered a mini collapse, losing four for 35 runs in 6.3 overs before Rew and Ralphie Albert (21) staged a 60-run stand in 8.2 overs. Rew then wrapped up the innings, hitting 21 off the penultimate over.

Somerset wicketkeeper-batter Thomas Rew scored a sensational 131 to break the record for the fastest century for England Under-19s and propel his country to a dramatic one-wicket win in this second one-day international against India at Northampton.

Rew reached three figures off just 73 balls, beating Ben Foakes' 79-ball ton against New Zealand in 2012. In all, Rew faced 89 balls in a display of brutal hitting and deft strokeplay, smashing 16 fours and six huge sixes.

England captain Rew shared a stand of 123 in 21 overs with Lancashire's Rocky Flintoff (39) but a clatter of late wickets left England nine down, needing seven off the final over. Middlesex's Seb Morgan held his nerve to hit a boundary to seal the win with three balls to spare as England levelled the five-match series 1-1.

With the ball, Surrey seamer Alex French took 4 for 71, while Leicestershire's Alex Green and Worcestershire's Jack Home each claimed three wickets as India were bowled out for 290 in exactly 49 overs.

All of England's seamers were guilty of spraying the ball, contributing an extra 26 runs in wides towards India's eventual total. But after 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi (45) set the tone up top with Vihaan Malhotra (49), England pegged India back to 171 for 5. A quickfire sixth-wicket partnership of 78 in 12 overs between Rahul Kumar and Kanishk Chouhan reinvigorated the innings, allowing India to set a competitive total before French wrapped up the tail. RS Ambrish took the bulk of the wickets for India, finishing with figures of 4 for 80.

Luke Procter and James Sales both hit brilliant centuries to crown a remarkable Northamptonshire run chase against Middlesex as they reached their 311-run target in just over two sessions with 10 overs to spare at Wantage Road. It took Northamptonshire to their second Rothesay County Championship win of the season by five wickets and keeps their hopes of promotion alive.