English County Cricket

Matthew Hobden of Sussex County Cricket Club, a promising fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman, has died at the age of 22.

Sussex CCC announced the news via their official website:

Sussex Cricket is deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of Matthew Hobden.

Matthew was an exciting young cricketer with a big future ahead of him in the game. He was a fantastic individual who had progressed through Sussex's Youth and Academy ranks, having been born locally in Eastbourne.

He made his first-class debut for Sussex in 2014 and had represented the county across all three formats over the past two seasons. He will be greatly missed.

Sussex would like to offer their deepest condolences to Matthew's family and friends at this difficult time.

Hobden was born in the county but moved to Cardiff, Wales, to pursue his studies. He made his first-class debut for Cardiff MCCU in 2012 before returning to Sussex a year later.

The youngster frequently played for Sussex and Sussex 2nd XI in both limited-overs matches and first-class cricket. He last appeared in a first-class match against Nottinghamshire in July 2015, per ESPN CricInfo.

Test Match Special expressed their condolences:

BBC's Elizabeth Ammon was shocked:

No details surrounding the circumstances of Hobden's death have been released.

After a disastrous close to the English domestic season, Leicestershire are "World Cricket's Clowns of the Month" for September.

The Foxes started September as they meant to go on, losing by an innings and 34 runs against Hampshire. They followed it up with a respectable, high-scoring draw against Gloucestershire. The wheels really came off what was an already tottering wagon in the last two games, though.

First they succumbed to Essex inside two days, losing by an innings and 79 runs at Grace Road. Most impressive about this thrashing was a truly spectacular second-innings collapse. From the relative safety of 113 for four, the home side contrived to lose their final six wickets for just four runs.

And just when Leicestershire supporters thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, it did. This time it was Derbyshire that had their way with the Division Two's whipping-boys. A three-day, 408-run rout was the third-largest defeat in the county's history.

The latest run of drubbings meant a second season in a row without a County Championship win. Two whole seasons! That's 32 games. You have to go back to September 2012 for the last time the Foxes registered a victory.

In 16 Championship games this season, Leicestershire's bowlers didn't once manage to take 20 wickets.

Capping what was a truly wretched month was the news that three of their most promising young players will be joining Division Two rivals next season.

Shiv Thakor is off to Derbyshire, Nathan Buck is heading to Lancashire and former one-day captain Josh Cobb will try his luck with Northants.

Coach Ben Smith put the latest woeful performances down to off-field issues. He told the Leicester Mercury:

The players have been distracted for the last month. It is difficult when you have the different factions in the team – the players who know they are going, the players who are undecided and the ones who are staying. I don't think we have played with clear minds for the last month.

So are there any hints that Leicestershire will show any signs of life next season? The county announced the signing of Aussie paceman Clint McKay last week, and he should thrive on some sporting second-division surfaces.

Perhaps more encouraging is the form shown by the up-and-comers in the second XI. While their first-team colleagues were conspiring to go winless, the youngsters were completing a championship, one-day and T20 treble.

A promotion push may be too much to ask, but surely the Foxes can't go another season without registering a win. Can they?

Roses matches are always feisty affairs, and the latest incident is no exception as Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale clashed with Lancashire's Ashwell Prince.

The verbals that ensued led to an initial two-game ban for Gale, accusations of racism and a scheduled hearing in front of an ECB disciplinary committee.

The Incident

The spat between Gale and Prince took place in the closing stages of day three of their County Championship match earlier this month.

With Lancashire struggling, the Yorkshire captain apparently became frustrated at what he considered Prince's time wasting. As reported by The Guardian, a frank exchange of views ensued with Prince allegedly telling Gale to “f--k off back to cover point,” to which the Yorkshire skipper reportedly told the mixed-race South African to “f--k off back to your own country, you Kolpak f----r.”

A Kolpak is a non-English player who plays domestic cricket in this country but isn't classed as an overseas player because of European Union trading laws.

Umpires Steve O'Shaughnessy and Steve Garrett brought a Level Two disciplinary charge against Gale for “using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or of a seriously insulting nature to another player, umpire, referee, team official or spectator,” as per ESPN.co.uk.

Aftermath

The Yorkshire captain was automatically suspended for two matches in light of a previous incident involving dissent earlier this season.

He was also banned from collecting the County Championship trophy after his side's win against Nottinghamshire. Instead Joe Root collected the white rose county's first championship in 13 years.

The ECB subsequently charged Gale with a more serious Level Three offence, according to the Daily Mail, at the urging of Prince's Lancashire colleague, Usman Khawaja.

Via ESPN.co.uk, the more serious Level Three charge is defined as “using language or gesture that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person's race, religion or belief, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation or background.”

Yorkshire have given their backing to their captain. The county's director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, told the Yorkshire Post, “We are going to do what we can to help him clear his name. The club will help Andrew in any way possible.”

In a statement released on 18 September, the club vice-chairman Robin Smith, a former solicitor, confirmed that “the club fully supports Andrew Gale and will assist him in his defence of these allegations by ensuring he receives the best possible legal advice.”

Lancashire haven't commented on the incident, or its aftermath, but Ashwell Prince has broken his silence.

ESPN Cricinfo quoted from an interview that Prince gave to South Africa's Ballz Radio.

"I took offence at the way he spoke to me,” said Prince. “To be quite honest, I didn't stand there and think that might be a racial slur. The guy walked towards me and had a go and I defended myself. The ECB feel it has racial connotations and it's up to them to do whatever they want to do."

What Next?

Gale's fate will be decided by an ECB disciplinary commission chaired by Gerard Elias QC. The hearing was originally scheduled for Tuesday 23 Sept. but has been postponed. As both Yorkshire and Lancashire are playing, interviewing witnesses would have proved disruptive. It is set to be rearranged for the start of October.

If found guilty, Gale could face a lengthy ban at the start of next year's season.

Durham bowler Chris Rushworth achieved a remarkable feat as he took 15 wickets in a single day against Northamptonshire in the County Championship.

The 28-year-old Sunderland-born seamer took 9-52 in the first innings and then followed up with 6-43 in the second as the visitors followed on.

His figures helped the hosts to a commanding innings and 219-run victory at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.

Twitter exploded as news of his ongoing feat began to materialise.

At one point, Rushworth looked as if he was going to achieve the rare feat of taking all 10 wickets in the innings.

However, England all-rounder Ben Stokes picked up the ninth wicket to scupper that dream.

Rushworth still picked up the best bowling figures of the 2014 County Championship with his first innings performance.

And a former England bowler noted his achievements on Twitter:

He soon ripped through the Northants' top order in the second innings to move to the brink of a club record.

The wicket of Ben Duckett tied the record, and some cricket journalists pointed to a change in preparation for his upsurge in form:

The barrage of wickets took him over 50 for the season in spectacular style.

Andrew Hall was his 15th victim, but eventually, he needed a rest and was taken off with his team-mates soon wrapping up the match.

However, after the best first-class performance by a bowler in 14 years, we are sure he didn't mind too much.

Those in attendance certainly will remember it.

England call-up next?

The NatWest T20 Blast concludes this weekend, with Surrey, Birmingham Bears, Hampshire and Lancashire all set to descend on Edgbaston for the three-match final day to decide the title. 

Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham

Date: Saturday, Aug. 23

Live on: Sky Sports 2

Weather: The BBC is forecasting a chilly day that is expected to reach 16 degrees Celsius, with the odd shower possible throughout the afternoon. 

1st Semi Final: Surrey vs. Birmingham Bears at 11 a.m. BST

2nd Semi Final: Hampshire vs. Lancashire at 2:30 p.m. BST

Final: TBD vs. TBD at 6:45 p.m. BST

Overview

While the County Championship remains the most prestigious prize on the English domestic circuit, the deciding day of the annual Twenty20 competition has grown to become perhaps the most notable afternoon for England's county clubs. 

Indeed, reaching the final four of the T20 Blast is high on the priority list, with Surrey, Birmingham Bears, Hampshire and Lancashire forming the quartet for this year's event. 

Surrey will enter the first semi-final against the newly-named Birmingham Bears as clear favourites, after finishing second in the South Division and having easily brushed aside Worcestershire in their quarter-final at The Oval. 

The second semi-final, meanwhile, will pit two of the competition's strongest sides against each other, with serial winners Hampshire set to take on a powerful Lancashire outfit. 

1st Semi-Final

The key to the opening match of the final day will be the fortunes of Surrey's star batsmen.

In Kevin Pietersen and Jason Roy, Gary Wilson's team possess two of the most explosive players in the competition, who, on their day, can overwhelm any opponent with breathtaking hitting. 

However, there is a little of an all-or-nothing feel to Surrey.

With an erratic bowling attack and a batting line-up very reliant upon the aforementioned stars, it can all go wrong for the favourites if Roy and Pietersen don't fire. 

Thus, Birmingham will fancy their chances, despite being considered the outsiders among the final four. 

Owning economical bowlers in Jeetan Patel and Rikki Clarke, and with England star Ian Bell available to bolster the batting line-up already including the impressive Varun Chopra, the hosts have an evenness across the lineup capable of toppling Surrey. 

2nd Semi-Final

Easily the best of the two semi-finals, two-time champions Hampshire will take on table-topping Lancashire in the second encounter of the day.

Led by the superb James Vince and Michael Carberry at the top of the order, Hampshire will need to overcome the absence of Australia's Glenn Maxwell and South Africa's Kyle Abbott if they are to succeed against the Lightning. 

Aiding their cause will be Danny Briggs, an exceptional limited-overs spinner capable of disrupting the flow of the opposition's innings. 

For Lancashire, the success of their final day is likely to rest with returning England pair Jos Buttler and James Anderson.

Despite winning more T20 games than any other county side bar Hampshire since 2003, Lancashire have never been able to capture the trophy, placing an importance on the team's stars to do the heavy lifting this time around.

While supporting players such as Tom Smith, Kabir Ali and Usman Khawaja will be important, it's Buttler and Anderson who will have to fire.  

Odds

Odds taken from Oddschecker.com.