“,”elementId”:”40851c7b-97d7-4a80-a374-5a28b42fc86f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”England’s Josh Hull fired up by Lions beasting and ‘gold dust’ of Anderson”,”elementId”:”2988c83a-56a9-4610-911e-1ccd6d8f4ec2″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/apr/24/cricket-josh-hull-england-lions-leicestershire”}]”attribute”: { “pinned”: false, keyevent “: true, “summary “: false},” “blockcreatedon”: 1745572858000, “blockcreatedondisplay”: 11.20 cest “, “blocklastated”: 1745573235000, “11.27 cest “, “blockfirstpublisheddisplay”: 11.27 cest “, “blockfirstpublisheddisplaynotimezone”: 11.27 “, ” title “: ” Josh Hull Interview “,” “Contributors “: “[]”Primary Datrin”: “April 25, 2025 13.22 CEST”, “SecondaryDateline”: “April 25, 2025 11.08 CEST”}, {” ID “:” 6807A8298F0887D718C2DD9C”, “Elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Good morning! An early train down to London (off peak all day on a Friday) and The Oval is beaming. Footballs are being kicked about in warm-up and there’s a lazy-days net to the side, next to the banks of blackbird-egg seats.
“,”elementId”:”2923082c-f751-414f-bf32-7706b40bd5e1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
It’s a truncated progamme of games today – just two in Division One and three in Division Two. We’ll be here all day – play starts at 11am.
“,”elementId”:”2fd61ed9-c3cb-4d05-b0ba-fc44c5f6f8b6″}]”attribute”: { “pinned”: false, keyevent “: true, “summary “: false},” “blockcreatedon”: 1745572135000, “blockcreatedondisplay”: 11.08 cest “, “blocklastupdated”: 1745571828000, “11.03 cest “, “blockfirstpublished”: 1745572135000, “blockfirstpublisheddisplay”: 11.08 cest “, “blockfirstpublisheddisplaynotimezone”: 11.08 “, ” title “: ” preamble “, ” intributors “: “[]”Primary Datririn”: “April 25, 2025 13.22 CEST”, “SecondaryDateline”: “April 25, 2025 11.08 CEST”}, first published on FRI 25 April 25, 2025 11.08 CEST”, {” ID “:” 680B3B8F08082B6071D782″, “Elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
DIVISION ONE
“,”elementId”:”d10272a2-042d-4fcc-b6b2-d1b389745bb9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Sussex
“,”elementId”:”a034e72e-39b9-48e5-b0b8-00d0101a8769″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The Oval: Surrey v Somerset
“,”elementId”:”6b8e199f-18c5-4e81-aebc-790da64558b8″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
New Road: Worcestershire v Durham
“,”elementId”:”62ffd476-401f-42b8-9abc-0d0ee43d7d3d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
DIVISION TWO
“,”elementId”:”5c6319f5-1c68-42fd-830a-875600a03dd6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Derby: Derbyshire v Middlesex
“,”elementId”:”108e942f-4ae1-4d5f-83db-ad509d7bbf31″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire
“,”elementId”:”14955531-a1bb-4491-a6f3-3f9d39a23c62″}]”attribute”: { “pinned”: false, keyevent “: true, “summary “: false},” “blockcreatedon”: 1745572135000, “blockcreatedondisplay”: 11.08 cest “, “blocklastupdated”: 1745573335000, “11.35 cest “, “blockfirstpublished”: 1745572135000, “blockfirstpublisheddisplay”: 11.08 cest “, “blockfirstpublisheddisplaynotimezone”: 11.08 “, ” title “: ” fixtures “, ” intributors “: “[]”Primary Datrin”: “April 25, 2025 13.22 CEST”, “SecondaryDateline”: “11.08 CEST “}]first published on FRI on April 25, 2025 , “false”: “False”: “Key-Events-Carousel-Mobile”, “Absoltertertime”:fals”>
Important Events
Lots of appeals from Sally, But Somerset is busy for the first hour and 20 minutes. Vaughn is watching the real deal. Now, a generous couple of a handful of spectators in their seats is crowded with the pavilion and scattered around the stands.
Don’t be confused This woman! It’s wonderful with a wonderful portrait to think of her looking down at everyone in the long room.
A new portrait of Charlotte Edwards is published in the Long Room of the Lord.
Edwards says that the artist hero Johnson “captured everything about me.” pic.twitter.com/7cqvp0odr8
– RAF Nicholson (@Rafnicholson) April 24, 2025
\ n \ n “}}”>
A new portrait of Charlotte Edwards is published in the Long Room of the Lord.
Edwards says that the artist hero Johnson “captured everything about me.” pic.twitter.com/7cqvp0odr8
– RAF Nicholson (@Rafnicholson) April 24, 2025
drop! (Not cleverly displayed on the oval replay screen). Lawrence on his third slip. Vaughn moves gently. Burns moves the slip, approaches, not farther away, never approaching again. Sibley, now slimline, Ollie Pope, long decorated fidget Dun Lawrence, seamlessly sliding team photos from the 1930s or 1970s. Somerset 42-0.
Gloucestershire I’m spending a subprime morning. Ah, it’s a four-man pink drive by Archie Vaughn off Jordan Clark, and there are four more square balls in Bristol. Vanbeek and the Netherlands caused so much confusion at Old Trafford on Sunday evening, but they managed to get past the top order of Gross, where Bancroft, Charlesworth and Ollie Price all went missing. Gross: 21 of 3 Leicestershire.
Big and Bad Fergus O’Neill I’m excited at the torrent bridge, but once again it’s Brett Hutton who slips into the wicket line. Haynes the duck, Clark 8. Sussex is 16-2. Promotion to Division 1 at the end of 2022, Notts came in sixth in 2023 and eighth in 2024.
Ali Martin
This is the wicket on New Road. Gareth Roderick had just survived the drop with a slip and pushed forward, reducing the edge behind the two balls, bringing his head back to disgust. Jake Ball was loaned out for Somerset and, at first, on a bit of a whim, won his first wicket as a Durham bowler, with seven hosts at age 8. After spending 39 days in the water during five floods and winter, I didn’t know how this pitch would play. But I don’t know if that was the fault of the dismissal.
The early drama of the oval shape, Sean Dixon retired from the wound after being wrapped in the hand by Gus Atkinson. Lanmonby joins Vaughn.
Morning Tanya! Hello, Tim Maitland!
“It’s too early to dismiss at least mathematically the pretense of last season’s number one and last season’s third title, but given that between them they manage five draws and losses between them in 2025, they’re also a disastrous need this week.
“The only reason they haven’t come out of it is that no one manages multiple wins in three starts.
“It was a really strange start to the season, especially when you think the weather isn’t getting in the way.”
I know it sounds like that FungillHowever, making an oval wrap is a heartwarming experience. People pass through the gates, the sun is shining, and the coffee is good. Just as the ground announcer said the opener’s name, I see a young man walking to the gate and tell his friend, “Yes! Archie Vaughn is playing.”
Ali Martin
Good morning from New Road, The sun is out (in and out) due to the first home fixture of the season with Durham. Here, things take on a touch of sadness here after the recent passing of club journalist and former Press Association writer John Curtis.
JC was one of the best people on the circuit. He was knowledgeable, generous and extremely welcoming to anyone who stepped into the press box. One of the members handed me flowers to jump out to JC’s normal location. There he ends up trading cracking jokes and stories over the day’s play. With BBC’s Martin Emmerson removed it now, the silence of the moment planned before the start of play could be barely suited (or even more deserved). To read more, the Worcestershire website has a nice homage here Too much. Cheers, JC.
A lovely touch from @worcscc pic.twitter.com/7n9rz0dy1t
– Ali Martin (@cricket_ali) April 25, 2025
\ n \ n “}}”/>
I’m sitting next to Whisden eDittle allowed me to touch (once) before being handed over to the 2025 edition of Jamie Smith’s embossed cricketer. A lovely end paper.
Do you have any questions about Lawrence? Email me at tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com or ask BTL.
Josh Hull’s interview
Ali speaks to the big beast of Leicestershire:
How well does Somerset work? Let’s say they have not won the oval since 1995 and have never won an away game in two years.
Limping Durham I’m desperately trying to spread my address book. Three pace bowlers: South Africa’s Kodyyusuf (signed six games), plus Jake Ball (Somerset) and Jack Brotherwick (Rank) are available for loan to the next two games:
Equipment
Division 1
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Sussex
Oval: Sally V Somerset
A new road: Worcestershire v Durham
Division 2
Derby:Derbyshire v Middlesex
Bristol: Gloucestershire v Leicestershire
preamble
good morning! The early trains to London (off from the peak all day on Friday) and the oval shape shine. The soccer is kicked in a warm-up, with a lazy net on the side next to the Blackbird egg seat.
This is the truncated program of today’s game, with only two in Division 1 and three in Division 2. We’ll be here all day – play starts at 11am.
