County Championship Team of the Week: Gordon Muchall, Gareth Batty and More
The County Championship may have been affected by rain, but there were still plenty of good individual performances in England’s first-class competition.
Whether with bat, ball or both, players have still been able to impress despite the best efforts of the weather to dampen proceedings.
Read on for a best XI from this week’s County Championship matches.
Honorable Mentions
James Taylor: An honorable mention goes to England hopeful James Taylor, who scored a very good 88 for Nottinghamshire from No. 4 in the order.
Tom Westley: Essex youngster Tom Westley also gets an honorable mention as he scored 95 at the top of the order against Surrey.
Nick Compton: Another batsman to impress was Nick Compton of Somerset, who scored 92 from 243 balls in helpful seam conditions at Edgbaston.
1. Jacques Rudolph (Glamorgan)
Atop the order for our best XI comes South African Jacques Rudolph, who looked very impressive for Glamorgan.
Leading their charge with 88 in tough conditions for batting, he put Glamorgan in a commanding position.
2. Ian Westwood (Warwickshire)
Alongside Rudolph in our opening pair comes Ian Westwood of Warwickshire, who stroked 99 in helping his side secure a draw.
He will be disappointed not to have reached his century, but in helpful weather for seamers, his innings total was crucial.
3. William Porterfield (Warwickshire)
Below Westwood comes his Warwickshire colleague William Porterfield, who scored his first century in the County Championship for the club.
Made off 229 balls, his 118 was a welcome knock and perhaps hints at greater things to come for the Ireland man.
4. Gordon Muchall (Durham)
The best batting performance of the round came from Durham stalwart Gordon Muchall, who hit an unbeaten 158 from just 189 deliveries.
More than double the next-highest score in Durham’s innings, Muchall’s contribution was vital in helping his side secure a draw.
5. James Hildreth (Somerset)
Another to nearly reach his century but fall just short, Somerset’s James Hildreth hit 98 as his side racked up 411 all out.
The right-hander is highly rated by many on the county circuit, and this innings gives a good indication as to why.
6. Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
England international Samit Patel has been a force with the bat this year and once again impressed as he made 99 for Nottinghamshire.
He may have been another to not reach his century, but it was a very good innings for the all-rounder.
7. Tom Smith (Lancashire)
For his contributions with bat and ball, Tom Smith joins this team at No. 7 after a handy game for Lancashire against Yorkshire in the Roses derby.
He hit 54 in the first innings and then took 5-49 with the ball, and when stumps were drawn he was unbeaten on five to complete an effective match.
8. Jamie Overton (Somerset)
Included mostly for his exploits with the bat comes Somerset bowler Jamie Overton, although he was a little expensive with the ball.
However, his 56 from just 44 balls was an aggressive knock that helped push his side over 400 in their innings.
9. Joseph Leach (Worcestershire)
A bowler who looks to have a bright future is Joseph Leach of Worcestershire, who took his first five-wicket haul against Kent.
His 5-36 helped restrict Kent to just 258 all out in what was another rain-affected game.
10. Gareth Batty (Surrey)
The best bowling performance of the round came at Chelmsford from former England spinner Gareth Batty, who took a career-best 8-68 in 27 overs.
He took the first eight wickets to fall in the Essex innings but should hopefully not be too bitter that Zafar Ansari took the final two.
11. Jack Brooks (Yorkshire)
Yorkshire seamer Jack Brooks was another who did well as he took 5-90 against Lancashire at Headingley.
In another game that petered out to a draw, Brooks still managed to have a game to remember.