Klinger pleased with young Gloucestershire

Essex 353 for 6 (Westley 163, Bopara 64, Foster 51) drew with Gloucestershire 409 for 5 dec (Housego 150, Marshall 149)
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Both Essex and Gloucestershire will hope that their share of the Australian invasion of county cricket has a profound effect on their seasons.

Neither Rob Quiney nor Michael Klinger can be considered star signings but both are experienced professionals with solid records and both have been given responsibility at the top of the order.

In Klinger's case he's also been given the Gloucestershire captaincy, after Alex Gidman stepped down at the end of last season. His task is an unenviable one. He flew in a week before the start of the new season to take charge of a young, inexperienced side that finished bottom of the County Championship last year.

Realistically, they are part of an unofficial Division Three with Glamorgan, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. Bettering those three sides this season would be a start but Klinger will have seen enough talent on show in the opening game to suggest Gloucestershire can secure a mid-table finish.

"For a first match, I was impressed," Klinger told ESPNcricinfo. "I'm still getting to know the guys but to score over 400 having been sent in was a great effort. Obviously the weather played a big part but there's a lot of positives.

"Talent-wise there's no reason why we can't go up the ladder. From what I've seen so far, the young guys can perform, it's just a matter of performing day in day out. I like to lead from the front and hopefully I can build my runs throughout the season and back the younger guys."

Nine points from the opening match was a solid return on a ground where Gloucestershire got off to the worst possible start last season with an innings defeat. They cashed in on a wicket that was straightforward enough to score on and put Essex under pressure with the new ball, although failed to follow it up and struggled to sit in with a plan for long periods.

That they managed a second bowling point owed much to Essex's charge for a fourth batting point. Tom Westley - who was dropped by Alex Gidman at first slip in the second over of the day - was caught at the wicket having pressed on past 150 and James Foster, enterprising in striking six fours in a half century, was brilliantly held at deep backward square leg by James Fuller to give Gloucestershire their sixth wicket.

The weather may have taken a result completely out of the equation but the dead, slightly slow pitch was unlikely to yield 20 wickets for either side in four full days. It is the surfaces at Chelmsford that could hinder Essex's chances of challenging for promotion, with head coach Paul Grayson confident that they have a squad to be competitive.

"There's a nice group of bowlers and competition for places," Grayson told ESPNcricinfo. "We had to make two big calls, Saj Mahmood and Reece Topley didn't play this game but they'll get plenty of cricket this year. It's a long season.

"There's nice balance to the batting too. Jaik Mickelburgh is our spare batsman; he's got a good hundred this week for the seconds. Ryan ten Doeschate and Owais Shah are to come back as well. Cooky will play a couple of games too. So the squad's looking good.

"If you achieve things it's not down to 11, 12 players, it's down to 15, 16. We might have to use a rotation system at some time, if guys are a bit tired we might be able to rest one or two at certain periods, especially with one-day cricket. But I'm pleased with the way the squad is shaping up."

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Namibia set Netherlands 320-run target

Namibia 276 and 336 (Baard 85, Williams 65) lead Netherlands 293 (Cooper 83, Rippon 65, Viljoen 4-68) by 319 runs
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Second innings half-centuries by Stephan Baard and Craig Williams helped Namibia post a strong 336 after conceding a narrow lead of 17 runs against Netherlands in Windhoek, setting up a target of 320 runs on the last day. Namibia picked up the last Netherlands batsman in the fourth over of the morning and made slow progress to 2 for 56 in the 21st over. But Baard and Williams added 128 for the third wicket in less than 28 overs to help build the lead. Both were out in quick succession and Netherlands seemed to be taking control when they added another wicket with the lead still less than 200. But handy lower-order contributions from Namibian batsmen not only added frustrating runs, but they did so at a good rate, setting up a challenging total by the time they were bowled out towards the end of the day.

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Openers provide Troughton solace

Warwickshire 201 for 4 (Chopra 76, Westwood 56) drew with Derbyshire 226 (Palladino 68, Patel 3-37, Wright 3-48)
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In five months' time, this match will almost certainly be nothing but a distant, watery memory, with little bearing on anything that happened in between. Yet Warwickshire were unable to avoid some sense of frustration. Not only were they denied the chance to take full advantage of what may be the weakest opponent they will face in defence of their title, picking up a paltry four bonus points, they had also to swallow the news that Sussex, Durham and Middlesex had picked their way through the gloom and the puddles to register first-round wins.

"It is frustrasting," the Warwickshire captain, Jim Troughton said. "Looking at the state of the game, we knew that their score was under par and that after the start our openers gave us we would back ourselves to bat big and have another go at them. But there is a long season ahead of us and if we keep playing solid cricket the points will take care of themselves.

"You'd like to start with a win but you can't do it if you can't get on the field. I feel sorry for Gary [Barwell], the groundsman. He had to get the ark out last year and he's needed a snowplough this time."

At least there was encouragement to draw, not least in the increasing reliability of the opening batsmen, Varun Chopra and Ian Westwood, who compiled their sixth century partnership in their last 12 matches together.

"They have become so important," Troughton said. "Early season it is commonplace to see three or four wickets down before lunch. The ball is going to nibble, as it has done in the other games in this round. So if you've got a partnership at the top of the order, with the consistency they have together, and with the batting we have to follow, you have the chance to put big totals on the board.

"Chops and Westy know each other's games really well and they are a left-hand, right-hand combination, which is good. Age-wise they have a lot of growth left in them as a partnership. I still think Westy is improving and Chops seems to go away every winter and come back a better player.

"He's got 1,000 runs two years in a row and if he keeps playing as he is he will be knocking on the door for England. While he is playing for Warwickshire he is challenging himself to keep improving.

"Westy and myself were perhaps the two players whose form hit a consistent vein in the second half of last season and it is good for us that he and Chops seem to be continuing where they left off."

Their progress to 139 on the last day here, before Westwood sliced a drive to backward point off Tim Groenewald, served to reinforce Derbyshire's coach Karl Krikken's point of view that Division One will be an unforgiving environment for his Division Two title-winners.

"In both divisions you aim to make as few mistakes as possible because mistakes get punished," he said. "Last season we didn't make many mistakes but in this game we have been a bit lacking in some areas and we just have to up it a little bit next time."

Groenewald's breakthrough gave him the honour of taking the first Division One wicket by a Derbyshire player since Kevin Dean against Somerset in September 2000. It sparked a Warwickshire collapse of sorts, as the champions sought to up the tempo. William Porterfield drove Wes Durston's offspin straight to short extra-cover, Chopra edged behind as Chesney Hughes gave his left-arm spin a dusting down, then Troughton, advancing down the wicket, was stumped after reaching for his shot as Durston bowled wide of the stumps. A boundary from Laurie Evans snatched a first batting point just before lunch -- then rain intervened for the final time.

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Misbah 'turned down' Worcestershire

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's Test and ODI captain, has revealed he refused a a lucrative two-year deal to play for Worcestershire, due to it clashing with his national team commitments.

Worcestershire, relegated last season, were looking for an overseas batsman after it became clear Australian Phil Hughes, who played at New Road in 2012, was not going to be available. Worcs held exploratory talks with Misbah earlier this year but failed to reach an agreement on a lengthy deal for the entire season.

"It was potentially a lucrative deal for me but it was actually clashing with my international commitment," Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. "They actually offered me a two-year contract with an extension of one more year on mutual agreement.

"Playing county is obviously a great experience but for a while I think I have a key role in Pakistan cricket and I am fully committed to the team."

Worcestershire, who drew their opening Championship fixture against Lancashire, ultimately signed former Sri Lanka middle-order batsman Thilan Samaraweera for the 2013 season.

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Westley shows talent remains at Essex

Essex 177 for 3 (Westley 82*, Bopara 64) trail Gloucestershire 409 for 5 dec (Housego 150, Marshall 149) by 232 runs
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A recurring theme has developed at Essex with several young, talented players only flourishing after they've moved on from Chelmsford.

Varun Chopra and Chris Wright left for Warwickshire and have become two of the leading young players in county cricket - Wright with the support of bowling coach Graeme Welch, also formerly of Essex - Tony Palladino has grown having joined Derbyshire and over the winter Adam Wheater became the latest to depart, before scoring an unbeaten half-century on his Hampshire debut.

But dig below the surface and what appears a concerning trend is perhaps only a matter of unfortunate circumstance and one that doesn't concern head coach Paul Grayson.

"It's not a problem," Grayson told ESPNcricinfo. "Varun was offered a new contract at the club, we didn't want him to leave but he chose to go elsewhere, that's up to him. Chris has flourished at Warwickshire and with hindsight we shouldn't have let him go but that's the game. Tony left because he needed to after the betting scandal and Adam left because he wanted to keep wicket and Hampshire offered him that chance.

"It's only ever cricket reasons that these guys move on and if they want to be somewhere else, that's not a problem at all."

Having a few talented players leave the club may actually be a very positive sign. That Essex get players to a level where they can forge successful first-class careers is a fillip for their academy. Their side against Gloucestershire contains eight home-grown players. That Wheater left confirms the embarrassment of their riches, with the barriers to his opportunities being the best gloveman in the country, James Foster, and England Under-19 wicketkeeper, Ben Foakes.

"We produce as many home grown players as any other county in the country," Grayson said. "This side at the moment has a lot of Essex lads and that's something we should be incredibly proud of."

An academy product who is beginning to thrive at the county is Tom Westley. He led Essex's response from 23 for 2 to blunt any hope Gloucestershire had of winning this game. He really went for his strokes, a number of times driving length balls off the front foot with great confidence and scored a number of his runs with pleasant strokes between mid-on and cover. The most delicious of his drives was his tenth four, straight past the bowler, that brought up a half-century from 81 balls.

Westley made his Essex second-XI debut aged just 15 in 2004 and was offered the chance to open the batting when they were struggling to find a successful partnership in 2011. Last season Essex used six opening batsman but Westley emerged as the most successful and the spot became his for the latter half of the season as he went on to finish as Essex's top run-scorer in the Championship.

"Tom is developing all the time," Grayson said. "Some people are very impatient to see the finished article but Tom has improved every year. He had a good season last year and looks a better player again this summer. He spent the winter away, he worked very hard and we've got high hopes for him."

Westley had another strokemaker - and academy graduate - for company in the afternoon; play having not begun until 3pm. He and Ravi Bopara shared an entertaining stand of 116 in 35 overs. Bopara drove past a medium-pace wobbler from Benny Howell to end his brisk innings but it was Gloucestershire's only success as batting looked as straightforward as on day one.

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Chopra back in the old routine

Warwickshire 90 for 0 (Chopra 48*, Weswtood 31*) trail Derbyshire 226 (Palladino 68, Patel 3-37, Wright 3-48) by 136 runs
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Everywhere you look at Edgbaston, there seems to be a picture of Chris Wright and Keith Barker, grinning broadly, one hand each on the LV= Championship trophy. And with good reason. With 118 wickets between them, their strike bowling partnership was the key to many a Warwickshire victory.

Yet there was another key alliance at the heart of Warwickshire's success and the scoreboard at the close of day three in this rain-ruined beginning to their title defence might indicate that it remains in fine working order. The Varun Chopra-Ian Westwood partnership at the top of the order developed into one of the most reliable in the competition. Both batsmen ended the season averaging in the forties and five times they gave the Warwickshire innings the perfect platform by scoring more than 100 runs without being parted.

It was a contribution not to be underestimated. If the ability to take 20 wickets is key to winning Championship matches, then amassing totals that can be defended comes a solid second. The left-handed Westwood has endured some tough times in the last few years, fulfilling a career ambition by landing the captaincy but giving it up at the end of the 2010 season when he struggled for form. Subsequently, his place in the side was often little more than a stop gap when Ian Bell was on England duty.

He started last year slowly but his form picked up in the second half, when the partnership with Chopra was at its most formidable. In one six-innings sequence the pair compiled stands of 100, 175 and 136. Westwood made two centuries in August, 19 days apart.

Westwood's recovery has been to Chopra's benefit, too. The more at ease Chopra has become in the partnership, the more consistent has his form been. The only other England qualified batsman to pass 1,000 first-class runs in Division One last season was Nick Compton, who earned his elevation to the Test side as a result.

Chopra, a 25-year old right-hander, has prospered, like his team-mate, Wright, since moving to Edgbaston from Essex. He made 1,000 runs in 2011 as well. His reward -- alongside Wright -- was a place in the 17-man England Performance Programme squad in India and a Lions tour to Australia, where he scored centuries in two 50-over matches, the second in the first meeting with Australia A in Hobart. Like Wright, he has been named also in in the provisional squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.

Those spectators with the patience to wait for some action at a dank and gloomy Edgbaston yesterday saw Chopra and Westwood finish 10 short of another three-figure partnership, which will offer Warwickshire encouragement from a match destined to end in a draw. After the fragmented action that followed a 3.30 start, about 90 minutes of play was possible, and the conditions, in terms of pitch and atmospheric conditions, and the need to focus and refocus as stoppage followed stoppage, were hardly ideal for batting. Yet Chopra and Westwood set about their business with a familiar efficiency.

Derbyshire might consider themselves a little unlucky. Tim Groenewald saw Chopra dropped on 10, albeit off a very hard chance high in the air to Ross Whiteley at point, and edge just short of first slip on 19. But Chopra picked off nine boundaries to illustrate to the newcomers how narrow are the margins for bowling error in First Division cricket as Warwickshire finished the day with a platform for a decent yield of batting points on the last day, if nothing else.

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Glamorgan slump after Middlebrook knock

Glamorgan 134 and 96 for 4 (Hall 2-16) trail Northamptonshire 292 (Peters 67, Middlebrook 70) by 62 runs
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James Middlebrook struck 70 as Northamptonshire moved themselves into a winning position on the third day of their Division Two match against Glamorgan. Middlebrook top-scored with Northamptonshire making 292 all out in their first innings - opening up an overall lead of 158.

In their second innings, Glamorgan were reduced to 71 for 4 before finally ending the day still 62 behind.

Northamptonshire had resumed their first innings on 145 for 5, a lead of 11 after only 17.1 overs were possible on the second day. Andrew Hall and Middlebrook batted for the first 90 minutes of the third morning taking the visitors past 200 to register a batting point. But the sixth-wicket pair, who added 60, were separated when Hall drove Mike Reed straight to Ben Wright at point.

Northamptonshire had reached 218 for 6 by lunch - a lead of 84 - boosted by a pull for six over backward square by Middlebrook off Graham Wagg. Middlebrook cleared the rope again after lunch striking slow left armer Dean Cosker for his second six as he moved into the 40s.

Glamorgan took the second new ball and Michael Hogan broke through almost immediately to have David Murphy caught at slip. After a rain break Wagg claimed the last three wickets in the space of 13 balls as Northamptonshire were dismissed for 292. First he bowled David Willey before trapping Stephen Crook lbw for eight and then having Middlebrook at slip by Allenby.

Glamorgan openers Ben Wright and Will Bragg survived until tea. Bragg batted with Cosker as a runner after not fielding for most of the day. The openers batted well until both perished in the space of only five balls.

Bragg was trapped leg-before to Willey before Wright edged a rising Hall delivery to Trent Copeland at first slip. And former Australian international Marcus North failed for a second time, edging a good Crook delivery behind as Glamorgan slumped to 69 for 3.

Stewart Walters then fell to a sharp catch by wicket-keeper Murphy standing up to Hall, meaning four wickets had fallen for the addition of only nine runs. Jim Allenby and Murray Goodwin, who scored 3 from 41 balls, took Glamorgan to the close without any further scares.

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Yorkshire batsmen learn hard lessons

Yorkshire 96 and 228 for 8 (Jaques 57, Magoffin 4-50) trail Sussex 356 (Brown 93, Joyce 92, Nash 80) by 32 runs
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Division One cricket is a hard school and that is precisely as it should be. Such a state of affairs is something which Yorkshiremen of the Close and Trueman generation would applaud. Jason Gillespie and Andrew Gale have also been full of praise for the top tier of English cricket and virtually every Yorkshire player has been keen to say how much they were looking forward to testing themselves against the best in the land once again.

All of which will make their signal failure to live with a dynamic Sussex team over much of the first three days of this match all the more galling. Yorkshire's batting on the first day was mediocre, their bowling on the second mostly anaemic and their batting on Friday, with the honourable exception of Phil Jaques, error-strewn until Gary Ballance and Ryan Sidebottom added 80 runs for the eighth wicket in 29 overs. When the umpires took the players off nine overs before the scheduled close the home side were 228 for 8 and will almost certainly suffer their first four-day defeat in 19 games at some stage on Saturday morning.

Sussex's cricket, by contrast, has been dynamic, purposeful and skilled. Jaques, whose 57 was largely responsible for his team's showing, before Sidebottom and Ballance came together, admitted that Ed Joyce's men had "come at Yorkshire hard" and that his team had been second-best for much of the contest.

On the third day, that flinty approach was personified by Steve Magoffin, who removed Jaques with a fine delivery and then induced Azeem Rafiq to play on next ball. When the Australian bowled Liam Plunkett after tea - the entire morning session had been lost to rain - a three-day finish beckoned and, indeed, this would have been a two-day affair but for earlier interruptions.

Other Sussex bowlers also enjoyed success; Joyce's attack hunted as a ravenous pack. However, they found some Yorkshire batsmen only too ready to cooperate in their own demise. Adam Lyth was the first to go, essaying an airy waft down the leg side off James Anyon. The same bowler then dismissed the Gale three balls later, the captain's tentative push being the limpest of efforts in a tough situation for his team.

Jonny Bairstow added 39 with Jaques but a straight, good-length ball from Jordan defeated his expansive drive. This pitch may not have been the easiest to bat on over the course of the match and Jaques' astute point that bowling a side out for 96 inevitably gives the opposition's batsmen a measure of freedom is very valid, but it still remains true that the Yorkshire top order will need to sell their wickets far more dearly over the next five months if they are to cope with the best county attacks in the land.

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NBP seal third straight win

Mohammad Nawaz's all-round performance helped National Bank of Pakistan beat Khan Research Laboratories by 12 runs at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. This was KRL's third straight defeat, and NBP's third consecutive win. NBP, after being asked to bat, started poorly, with Nasir Jamshed (4) and Sami Aslam (1) back in the hut in quick time. Kamran Akmal (40) and captain Fawad Alam (57) had to do the repair work. NBP, though, then slipped to 95 for 5. Alam hit his 18th List A fifty before being dismissed by Mohammad Irfan. Alam helped add 54 with Nawaz to take his team towards 206.

In reply, KRL openers Mohammad Yasin (34) and Tayab Riaz (47) laid a solid foundation with an 82-run stand but three wickets in quick succession put KRL on the back foot. Saeed Anwar Junior was the only batsman who offered some resistance. His 55 was in vain, as Raza Hasan (4-36), Nawaz (2-36) and Imran Khan (31-2) ripped though the line-up to bowl out KRL for 194 in 49.1 overs.

Hussain Talat's hundred and Harris Sohail's brisk was too much for Port Qasim Authority, as Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited won by 8 wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Asked to bat, PQA were off to a good start, with opener Khurram Manzoor scoring his second hundred of the tournament. Shahzaib Hasan (37), Umar Amin (42), and Tanvir Ahmed (36) chipped in with cameos to power PQA to 297 for 6 in 50 overs.

The ZTBL reply was strong, with the openers adding 169. ZTBL lost Sharjeel Khan (81) and Babar Azam (10) in relatively quick time, but Talat (141*) and Sohail (56*) remained unbeaten to take their side home. ZTBL chased down 298 in just 42.2 overs.

Water and Power Development Authority, spearheaded by Rafatullah Mohmand's hundred, defeated Habib Bank Limited by five wickets at the National Stadium Karachi. WAPDA chased down a commanding total of 287 with Rafatullah (102), Saad Nasim (84) and Sohaib Maqsood (66) helping complete the chase with 15 balls to spare.

WAPDA had put HBL in to bat. Imran Farhat (11) and Younis Khan (25) fell without making a significant contribution. Two young batsmen, Ahmed Shahzad (112) and Asad Shafiq (79), boosted HBL to a good total. Shahid Afridi scored just 5 while Junaid Khan was the key wicket-taker for WAPDA, taking 4 for 42.

Abid Ali's 91 and Kashif Bhatti's 4 for 38 helped United Bank Limited beat Pakistan International Airlines by nine runs at Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto International Cricket Stadium, Ghari Khuda Bakhsh. Put in to bat, PIA reduced UBL to 53 for 4 at one stage. But the middle and lower orders chipped in. Itmad-ul-Haq (28), Shabbir Ahmed (22), Kasif Bhatti (20) and Mohammad Irshad (23*) guided their team to 222 for 8.

PIA, in their reply, began poorly. Agha Sabir (40) and Sheharyar Ghani (52) then tried to resist but Bhatti, along with Mohammad Zubair, shared seven wickets to bowl out PIA in 48.3 overs.

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Rushworth stars as the ball rules

Durham 250 and 92 for 8 (Thomas 3-19, Trego 3-23) lead Somerset 134 (Rushworth 6-58, Onions 4-41) by 210 runs
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This was the kind of day that gives county cricket a good name. Strokeplay might have been in short supply, but almost every one of the 18 wickets to fall was the result of excellent seam bowling and fielding; only one player could be said to have given his wicket away and the battle between ball and bat was engrossing. Durham's collapse to 92 for 8 - still a lead of 210 - in the latter half of day loosened their grip on proceedings but Somerset had already been undermined by then.

Somerset finished their first innings 118 runs behind but Durham's second knock was similarly afflicted, as controlled, lively seam bowling accounted for the top four batsmen for 20 runs by the 12th over. The role Graham Onions had played in the morning was replicated in the afternoon by Peter Trego. The allrounder bowled Keaton Jennings and Will Smith, and had Mark Stoneman caught behind before Alfonso Thomas wheedled out three of Durham's middle order, including the dangerous Ben Stokes and Paul Collingwood on either side of tea.

That Durham are still just about in control of the match is down to their first innings, which gained lustre overnight. They were all out off the last ball of the first day and might now reflect that 250 was not too bad a first-innings score on the opening day of the season.

The inroads into the Somerset order on Thursday morning were made by Graham Onions, the leading wicket-taker in first-class cricket last summer. He last played in a Test match in June - and suffered on England's tour of New Zealand - so will have been pleased to take the first three wickets of Durham's season with selector James Whittaker looking on. He bowled with pace, accuracy and some hostility, and his wickets included the crucial one of Marcus Trescothick, in his third over. The majority of his peers consider Trescothick to be the best player in county cricket, and there was much jubilation when he was out.

Onions' new-ball partner was Chris Rushworth, who was wicketless in his first spell but returned before lunch and soon had Craig Kieswetter caught at first slip. He went on to take five further wickets in the afternoon session including top-scorer Jos Buttler, who, one ball after smacking a six over midwicket, played all around a straight one. Rushworth finished with career-best figures of 6 for 58 to leave Somerset 132 all out. The accuracy with which Onions and Rushworth exploited helpful conditions was indicated by six slip catches, an lbw, and a bowled.

Rushworth's career has been a curious one, the sporting equivalent of snakes and ladders. A modest ascent occurred early on when, after impressing in minor counties cricket for Northumberland, he was given a one-day debut by Durham at the age of 19. He spent the next five years back playing league cricket for his home town club in Sunderland, and in Australia during the winter. Durham kept an eye on him, though, and by 2010 had seen enough to offer him an extended opportunity at first-class level. His most significant climb came in the 2012 season, by the end of which he had taken 38 wickets and established himself as first choice to partner Onions at the start of the innings. He climbed another ladder here.

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