Jeremy Blackmore

Rob Keogh gave Northamptonshire supporters a rare moment to celebrate with a stunning century against Essex at Wantage Road, scoring 154 off just 147 balls. With the county already relegated and playing for pride after a nightmare season, Keogh put on a show with boundaries all around the ground as Northamptonshire claimed their first batting bonus point at home this summer and closed on 279 for 6 on day one of this LV= Insurance County Championship match. Keogh batted with a sense of freedom, taking the positive, attacking route, but timing the ball to perfection and not offering any chances. Strong on the drive and cutting and punching firmly off the back foot, when Essex resorted to bowling short, he dismissively hooked and pulled the ball away to the ropes, hitting 23 fours and four sixes. He ticked off milestones along the way too, passing 6,000 career first-class runs and becoming Northamptonshire's highest run scorer in the Championship this season. The innings neatly bookends his season following 116 in the Steelbacks' opening fixture against Kent in April. Keogh came to the wicket after Jamie Porter (2 for 82) had struck twice, finding plenty of movement outside off-stump and immediately took the positive route against the Essex seamer, sharing a stand of 107 with Saif Zaib (28) in exactly 25 overs.

Rob Keogh gave Northamptonshire supporters a rare moment to celebrate with a stunning 154 off just 145 balls against Essex at Wantage Road. Keogh batted with a sense of freedom, taking the positive, attacking route, but timing the ball to perfection and not offering any chances. Strong on the drive and cut and punching firmly off the backfoot, when Essex resorted to bowling short, he dismissively hooked and pulled the ball away to the ropes, hitting 23 fours and four sixes. He reached milesto

Rob Keogh gave Northamptonshire supporters a rare moment to celebrate with a stunning century against Essex at Wantage Road, scoring 154 off just 147 balls.

Emily Windsor again led Southern Vipers to cup glory in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final at Wantage Road with a sparkling 57 off 53 balls which helped her side chase down 201 to beat The Blaze with five wickets and 46 balls to spare. Windsor played a similar hand for Vipers against Northern Diamonds on this ground in 2021 when Vipers won the same trophy by just three wickets. This latest victory continues a remarkable record for Vipers in Northampton coming after their success in last year’s Charlotte Edwards Cup and brings them their third 50 over title in the last four years. It completes a remarkable double for the south coast team this season after they dispatched the same opposition in the Charlotte Edwards Cup Final in June.

EMILY Windsor again led Southern Vipers to Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final glory with a sparkling 57 off 53 balls which helped her side chase down 201 to beat The Blaze with five wickets.

England’s Under 19s brought a taste of Bazball to Wantage Road with allrounders Dom Kelly and Noah Thain both hitting explosive knocks of 88 on day three of the second youth Test against Australia. Both batters hit 12 boundaries with Essex’s Thain thumping a flat six over extra cover as England fought back brilliantly from the depths of 5-145 the previous evening.

Australia’s Cody Reynolds struck three times in four overs, including a double wicket maiden, to arrest England’s progress on day two of the second Under-19s Test at Wantage Road on Sunday. Queenslander Reynolds removed England skipper Ben McKinney (38) who had shared a solid opening stand of 96 with Jaydn Denly (42). McKinney’s wicket though sparked a mini collapse as England lost 4-16 in six overs.

A record number of women and girls are playing cricket in Northamptonshire with a huge growth in participation over the last five years. While rain curtailed England Women’s visit to Wantage Road this week the good news around the growth of the women’s game in the region continues unabated. Northamptonshire County Cricket Club has been central to that progress with a focus to work with local clubs to ensure there are facilities, matches and training to match the needs of young girls inspired by the England Women’s team and local professional side Sunrisers. It’s prompted a major culture shift locally to make the game as inclusive as possible. The increase in the last year alone is striking:

Like many young cricketers Justin Broad has been inspired by the greats of the game. But the Northamptonshire batter, who burst into the first team this year, thanks two of the finest for helping to shape his nascent career. Born in Cape Town, Broad, 23, first benefited from coaching at Gary Kirsten’s Academy at Rondebosch High School before working with Alec Stewart at Surrey who helped him line up a trial at Wantage Road. Broad’s father Neil proved inspirational too. A former UK number one in tennis, Broad senior won seven ATP tour doubles titles, as well as the silver medal in the doubles at the 1996 Summer Olympics partnering Tim Henman. He also teamed up with a young Roger Federer in the doubles event at the Australian Open in 2000. Cricket though was always Justin’s first love. “I played all sports,” he says. “I played tennis as well when I was younger, but cricket was always the main one for me. I don't know how it came about, but I would always watch Test cricket on the TV. That was definitely my first love."

Teenage batting sensation James Rew’s ambitions were modest when he began Somerset’s Championship season: simply to keep the wicket-keeping gloves and stay in the team. Three months on as the backbone of his county’s batting and a thousand runs to his name, he is still finding things hard to process. “I never thought I’d be sitting here as leading run scorer in Division One,” he exclaims. “Not a chance. It’s so weird!” His emergence has had purists purring and statisticians rewriting the record books. But while his sheer weight of runs has garnered headlines, it is how he’s accumulated them which has earned him admirers and seen him widely tipped as a future England candidate. Like many left-handers Rew, 19, makes batting look effortless, driving exquisitely, showing clinical precision in the way he times and places the ball. But there’s a solid defence too and an ability to play off front or back foot. More than that is what his coach Jason Kerr calls his superpower: an ability to stay in the moment, keep things simple and play each ball on its merits. ‘Mature beyond his years’ is a phrase you hear most when you speak to those who know Rew best, although a cheeky, boyish grin quickly gives away his age.

Rob Keogh feels he has come of age as a true all-rounder for Northamptonshire, relishing his role as a front-line off-spinner and top order batter. Keogh recently played his 150th white ball game for the Steelbacks during the Metro Bank One Day Cup and marked the occasion with career best List A bowling figures of four for 49 against Somerset before registering his third List A century against Glamorgan. The resurgence in Keogh’s bowling started with 34 red ball wickets in Northamptonshire’s first season back in the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One last year. Combined with 804 Championship runs and three centuries, it marked his best all-round season and led to him playing a key role with bat and ball again this summer. Keogh took confidence from the last time Northamptonshire were in the topflight in 2014 when, despite injuries, he hit a century against Sussex and another against the touring Sri Lankans. Reflecting on his career, he says: “I’ve never thought I was the best player, but I’ve always felt I’ve got the most out of myself, ground out a career, played with pride and tried to represent the badge as much as possible.

Prithvi Shaw secured his place in the record books with a magnificent 244 off just 153 balls to set up an 87-run victory over Somerset in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Wantage Road. Shaw's innings was Northamptonshire's highest-ever score in List A cricket and the sixth-highest worldwide in List A history. The Indian international put on a batting masterclass blasting 11 sixes and 28 fours. Along the way, he eclipsed his undefeated 227 for Mumbai against Puducherry at Jaipur in 2021. He also moved past Ben Duckett's 220 not out for England Lions against Sri Lanka A in 2016 to post the second-highest-ever List A innings made in England. Only Ali Brown with 268 for Surrey against Glamorgan at the Oval in 2002 has scored more. After almost chopping on before scoring, Shaw did not offer another chance until he passed 200. He made batting look effortless, scoring all around the wicket, threading the ball through the gaps with surgical precision. Somerset did not help matters either with some uncharacteristically subpar ground fielding and catching. Shaw took on the spinners, using his feet to hit down the ground or sweeping high over long-off, one ball flying out of the ground. He also played fluently against the seamers, controlling the hook shot well, driving and cutting fluently and twice depositing Somerset's most experienced bowler Jack Brooks over long off for six. He reached his first 100 off 81 balls before powering to 200 off just 48 more. In the process, he overtook David Sales' 161 in 2006, the previous best for the Steelbacks in 50 over cricket, before moving past David Willey's 167 in 2013 and Wayne Larkins' 172 in 1983, both scored in 40 over affairs.

Prithvi Shaw secured his place in the record books with a magnificent 244 off just 153 balls to set up an 87-run victory over Somerset in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at Wantage Road. Shaw's innings was Northamptonshire's highest ever score in List A cricket and the sixth-highest worldwide in List A history. The India international put on a batting masterclass blasting 11 sixes and 28 fours. Along the way he eclipsed his undefeated 227 for Mumbai against Puducherry at Jaipur in 2021. He also moved past Ben Duckett's 220 not out for England Lions against Sri Lanka A in 2016 to post the second-highest ever List A innings made in England. Only Alistair Brown with 268 for Surrey against Glamorgan at the Oval in 2002 has scored more. After almost chopping on before scoring, Shaw did not offer another chance until he passed 200. He made batting look effortless, scoring all around the wicket, threading the ball through the gaps with surgical precision. Somerset did not help matters either with some uncharacteristically subpar ground fielding and catching.

Tom Taylor blasted 42 off just 23 balls to lead Northamptonshire to their first Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory in a gripping encounter against Sussex Sharks at Wantage Road. Taylor came together with Justin Broad with the Steelbacks in real trouble on 173 for 7, still needing 70 to win in just 7.2 overs. But Taylor, fresh from a maiden List A century against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham on Friday, took advantage of a largely inexperienced bowling attack, smashing three sixes and three fours. Together with Broad (22), the pair knocked off the runs required from just 36 balls with an over to spare. Needing 14 runs to win off the last two overs, Taylor swung a huge six off Ari Karvelas before Broad hit another maximum to clinch victory. Earlier Cheteshwar Pujara's patient, classy undefeated 106 (119 balls) was the backbone of Sussex's innings. Against a disciplined Steelbacks attack in conditions favouring the bowlers, Pujara was content to play the long game, scoring at close to a run a ball and keeping risk to a minimum. He collected just three boundaries in his first 79 runs, before pressing the accelerator with two sixes in the closing overs to take him into three figures as the Sharks closed on 240 for 7.

Craig Overton is feeling close to his best after helping to spearhead the Somerset attack which played a key role in winning the county’s first T20 Blast title in 18 years and has seen them climb the County Championship table with three wins from five before their loss to table-topping Surrey last week. Overton finished the Blast with a career-best 18 wickets and formed a potent new ball pairing with Matt Henry in the powerplay overs.

Matt Henry followed up his T20 Finals Day heroics with match figures of 8-109 to set up a nine-wicket victory for Somerset over Northamptonshire on the third morning of their County Championship match at Wantage Road. Henry, player of the match in the Vitality Blast final, continued to prosper with red ball in hand, taking a five-wicket haul in Northants’ second innings to wrap up a comfortable victory.

Matt Henry followed his T20 Finals Day heroics with five wickets to set up a nine-wicket victory for Somerset over Northamptonshire on day three of this LV= Insurance County Championship match at Wantage Road. Henry, player of the match in Saturday's Vitality Blast triumph, continued to prosper with red ball in hand, finishing with figures of 5 for 73 and eight in the match. Northamptonshire had resumed still 20 behind and six wickets down after following on the previous afternoon. They finished on 224 thanks to skipper Luke Procter's highest score of the season. But while his battling undefeated 87 off 128 balls with 13 fours ensured Somerset needed to bat again, it was not enough to set the visitors a challenging target. Somerset duly knocked off the 54 runs required inside 11 overs before lunch to continue their winning ways, with Tom Lammonby powering six boundaries in an undefeated innings of 30.

Matt Henry followed up his T20 Finals Day heroics with five wickets to set up a nine-wicket victory for Somerset over Northamptonshire on day three of their County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Western Storm’s Dani Gibson is relishing England Women’s new mantra of fearless cricket and says it inspired the form that led to her international debut at Edgbaston last weekend. The 22-year-old all-rounder made her England bow in the thrilling first Ashes T20I after serving as a travelling reserve during the T20 World Cup in February. During that trip she took on board advice from head coach Jon Lewis about England’s style of play and incorporated it into her own game with Storm.

As a distinguished career finally winds down, Peter Siddle speaks to Cricbuzz about the reasons behind his longevity, why he was proved right after making changes to his game and diet 11 years ago, and playing on Kevin Pietersen's ego.