In the County Championship, the big story of the week was former Bishops pupil and England batsman Craig Kieswetter getting hit in the face by a riser from Northamptonshire’s David Willey.
Batting at No 6 for Somerset in their four-day clash in Northampton, Kieswetter sustained a broken eye socket and cheekbone thanks to the delivery, and had to retire hurt on 14.
Warriors captain Colin Ingram made his four-day debut for Somerset in the game, replacing Alviro Petersen, who is doing duty with the Proteas in Sri Lanka. Ingram made 14 in the first dig and 37 in the second for a low-key start to his County stint.
Alfonso Thomas was also part of the Somerset team, taking two wickets in each innings. For Northants, Andrew Hall took 2-41 in the first innings, and failed to take a wicket in the second, but made up for that by scoring 66 in the final innings of the game.
His teammate Richard Levi had a disappointing game, though, scoring 4 and 0 in his two appearances at the crease. Somerset were the victors in the clash, winning by 52 runs on the last day.
Over at Chester-le-Street, Keaton Jennings had an average game, scoring 12 and 37 for Durham in their clash with Warwickshire. His tale mirrored that of his side, who were thrashed by an innings and 188 runs. The game was notable for Jonathan Trott’s 76, a further sign that the troubled England batsman is on the mend.
Playing for Lancashire, former Proteas batsman Ashwell Prince had a rare quiet game in his final season, making 16 and 45 in their one-run loss to Nottinghamshire. Riki Wessels, playing for Notts, registered scores of 46 and 28 in the clash.
In Division Two, Wayne Madsen scored 80 in Derbyshire’s first innings against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham. That game is still ongoing, but looks destined for a draw after both sides posted scores in excess of 350.
There were two games in the T20 Blast featuring Saffas earlier this week, with a number of former Proteas and expats appearing in the Surrey-Somerset clash at Kennington Oval.
Ingram scored 13 for Somerset, who made 136, with Surrey’s Robin Peterson taking 1-15 in his three overs. Surrey chased the score down with five balls remaining, courtesy of a 28-ball 39 from Kevin Pietersen, while Tim Groenewald and Alfonso Thomas took a wicket apiece for Somerset.
In Hove, Jacques Rudolph continued his good run of form, making 62 from 50 balls in Glamorgan’s total of 151 against Sussex. Despite that innings from Rudolph, Sussex still managed to chase the target down, winning by five wickets with nine balls remaining.
Photo: Craig Kieswetter/Twitter
