LVCC Round Seven Review: Ashes warm-up at Hove & Hampshire's bowling attack continues to impress once again

Division One:
Hampshire 367 beat Northamptonshire 56 & 176 by an innings and 135 runs
Surrey 362 & 58/0 beat Kent 278 & 141 by 10 wickets
Middlesex 175 & 216 beat Somerset 404 an innings and 13 runs
Nottinghamshire 442 97/4 drew with Essex 298 & 362/8d

Division Two:
Gloucestershire 292 & 300 lost to Durham 445 & 272/4 by 125 runs
Sussex 481 & 1/0 drew with Glamorgan 123 & 737 
Worcestershire 83 & 274/7 beat Leicestershire 173 & 180 by 3 wickets

ASHES WARM-UP ON THE SOUTH COAST

There was somewhat of a rehearsal for the Ashes at Hove throughout Round Seven. We saw England bowler Ollie Robinson in action, alongside Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne & Michael Neser. 

It didn't take long for Robinson to get involved in the action. Sussex removed early Glamorgan wickets, welcoming Labuschagne to the crease. The England bowler looked to gain an extra yard of pace with the presence of the Aussie and quickly had him out LBW - he was dismissed for a single.

Robinson managed to pick up a further three in the first innings. Smith had failed to break the 50 mark in his previous attempts for Sussex, but looked composed at Hove this week. He played a fine innings to reach 89 before being given out LBW. That was his third LBW in as many matches in the County Championship - in his previous 52 first-class innings, he'd been given out just six times in that way!

It was perhaps the third innings of the match that had the most influence on the Ashes. Robinson was once again bowling to Labuschagne, but this time failed to remove him for one. The bowler was also not seen on the field after lunch on Day Three, sparking injury concerns for England. The Australian batter scored much better this time round, eventually making 138.

The Aussie set the trend for the second innings in terms of scoring - Glamorgan went on to make 737! That's the biggest difference between a first and second innings score in the history of first-class cricket. Smith was also involved in the action at the end of Day Four, picking up two wickets - one of those was Neser (who made 123 runs).

HAMPSHIRE'S BOWLING ATTACK DOMINATES ONCE AGAIN

We've seen some impressive bowling displays so far this season across both Divisions, but perhaps there's no attack more consistent than Hampshire's.

With the likes of Mohammad Abbas, Keith Barker and Kyle Abbott in their ranks, it's no surprise Hampshire find themselves near the top of Division One. This week, Northamptonshire made the journey down to the Ageas Bowl.

James Vince won the toss for his side and elected to bat. It was a solid innings all around for the home side, as they made 367, Vince himself the top-scorer with 95. Northamptonshire went into bat and were quickly in trouble.

Barker was the standout bowler, making life incredibly tricky for the visiting batters. His opening spell of five overs produced five maidens and a wicket. Northamptonshire were 27/7 before a small recovery from Saif Zaib aided them past the 50-run mark. But they were all out for 56 - the lowest ever first-class score at the Ageas Bowl.

The follow-on was enforced and the bowlers once more proved their worth. Barker & Abbas picked up one wicket each, as Liam Dawson dominated with the ball. He finished with six wickets, securing the victory for the home team.

SURREY'S TITLE DEFENCE IS LOOKING STRONG

Sometimes we see the previous season champions struggle to defend their title. Not Surrey.

They'd won three of their five matches heading into Round Seven where they welcomed Kent to the Kia Oval. The visitors top order struggled and they were 98/5. Joey Evison played a battling knock (finishing on 77*) to carry the Kent score upwards. They were all out for 278.

Despite no Surrey batter reaching three figures, the team made 362 - Sean Abbot the top-scorer with 78 after a fantastic innings. Gus Atkinson's efforts should also be applauded. He struck 55* from 44 deliveries, including an over of 24 runs. Kent's second attempt at batting never really got going. England's Zak Crawley managed 34 & Tawanda Muyeye scored 42 - that knock did include the ridiculous six below!

That left Rory Burns & Dom Sibley the job of wrapping things up - and they did just that. Surrey claimed victory by 10 wickets with a day and a half left to play. With Warwickshire in Vitality Blast action, Surrey capitalised and extended their lead at the top of Division One to 25 points.

DURHAM GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

After finishing fifth in Division Two last year, not many would have expected to see Durham lead the table so far this season. It's been quite the start to the summer for them, with victory in Bristol extending their superb start.

A big total of 445 got them off to the best of starts, with Graham Clark scoring exactly 100. Ajaz Patel starred with the ball in the Gloucestershire innings, taking five wickets. Durham batted once more, adding a quick 272 runs to their tally before declaring. Michael Jones finished 121* here.

Patel added another five wickets in the final innings as the away team claimed victory on the road. Gloucestershire looked to be resisting at one point, but determination from the Division Two leaders prevailed and they won their first ever County Championship match at Bristol.

A CURSE AT TRENT BRIDGE

When we say curse at Trent bridge, you may be thinking of a spirit of bygone years in the dressing rooms or perhaps some stairs in the stands that all spectators seem to trip over. But no. This curse involves one particular former-England Test captain.

Alastair Cook had never scored a first-class century at Nottinghamshire's ground and after Round Seven, that record (or curse) continues. 

It looked like the Essex batter was going to finally reach the milestone in his first innings, but eventually fell for 72. That was his highest score against Nottinghamshire at that moment. 

Cook went into Day Four in the eighties, quickly turning that into the nineties. Surely, this time, the curse would be broken! On 99, he looked to carve a Lyndon James delivery through the off-side in what surely would have taken him to three figures. But he got a slight tickle on the ball, seeing himself caught behind.

Will he have another chance to break his Trent Bridge curse? The 38 year olds contract at Essex expires at the end of the season, so we'll have to see if he can reach that 100 mark in the midlands!