All six teams of Group 1 were in action on Day 1 in the eighth round of the County Championship 2021. Let us have a look at how it went for them.
Derbyshire v Warwickshire, Derby
Warwickshire 272/9 (Hain 77; Conners 4-45) vs Derbyshire
Fifties from Sam Hain (77) and Michael Burgess (71) helped Warwickshire finished with 272/9 against Derbyshire on the opening day of their County Championship contest.
Derbyshire seamer Sam Conners struck twice early in the innings to reduce Warwickshire to 16/2 after they opted to bat. Captain Will Rhodes and Peter Malan returned to the pavilion without reaching double digits.
Hain and Burgess then pushed Warwickshire to a decent total. Despite that, Derbyshire claimed four wickets in the final session to get themselves back into the game.
Conners, 22, was the pick of the Derbyshire bowlers with the figures of 4-45. Luis Reece had 2-25, while Michael Cohen, Alex Hughes and Ben Aitchison picked up a wicket each.
Worcestershire v Durham, New Road
Worcestershire 131 (D'Oliveira 39*; Carse 4-25, Potts 4-32) trail Durham 140/4 (Lees 52; Tongue 3-22) by 9 runs
Durham are in complete control against Worcestershire after Day 1 at New Road. Brydon Carse (4-25), Matty Potts (4-32), and Ben Raine (2-26) first bowled out Worcestershire for a mere 131. For Durham, Brett D’Oliveira top-scored with an unbeaten 39, while no batter scored in excess of 20.
In reply, Durham lost Cameron Bancroft (18) early. Skipper Scott Borthwick (42) and Alex Lees (52) rebuilt their innings, adding 69 runs for the second wicket. Josh Tongue (3-22) then took the wicket of Borthwick and Matthew Potts to counterattack. Durham closed on 140/4, with a lead of 9 runs.
Essex v Nottinghamshire, Chelmsford
Nottinghamshire 248/6 (Clarke 57*; Siddle 3-76) vs Essex
Joe Clarke recovered from a right-hand injury and remained unbeaten at 57 in Nottinghamshire’s match against Essex at Chelmsford. Apart from Clarke, Steven Mullaney (55) and Lyndon James (54) also played their part and forged a 117-run stand for the fourth wicket after Clarke retired hurt on 11.
After being opted to bat first, Notts slipped to 48/3. Ben Compton (11), Ben Slater (25) and Ben Duckett (2) fell cheaply before Mullaney and James rebuilt the innings. For Essex, Peter Siddle (3-76) and Shane Snater (2-35) stood out with the ball.