Essex are an attractive team in that they can be relied upon now and then to mitigate the disappointments of their supporters by up-selting calculations when they have fo meet theoretically stronger opponents. They are now. selting Hampshire a formidable task. Last week Nichols celebrated his benefit, not only by the very correct method of making a century, but! also by assisting his county to repeat performance which, in' 1935, on-abled him to gain an outstanding personal triumph, Against Yorkshire at Bradford on July' 31 and August 1—another "two-day effort—Essex won a startling victory by an innings and 204 runs, "Yorkshire, ultimate champions, being dismissed "in the first innings for 31 and in the second for 99. Nichols made 146 runs—thus beating Yorkshire's total off his own bat—and, in the whole match, took 11 wiekels for 54 runs. 'H. D. Read took 9 for sixty-two. In the match against Kent this week Nichols made the century expected of him' and Kenneth Farnes seems to have adequately assumed the mantle of Read, Kent are notin the running. for' championship honours, but they have been well up in. the table, s0 that Essex have every reason {0 be pleased with the bracing atmosphere of South-fend. Incidentally it may be recalled that, beside the victory over Yorkshire, Essex. in 1935 defeated the South Afticans' and the then champions, Lancashire, 10 prove their taste for distinguished victims. 'The close play scores on Saturday left' Englana in a happy position and aroused ex-pedations of a dramatic contrast between the fortunes of Yorkshire and Derbyshire. The latter did well Put out three Notts batsmen at Worksop for so small a score as 10, after making 218, whereas Yorkshire even though cheaply disposing of Somersetshire for 130 cannot be. too happy about a'score of 80 for three, Tt may be assumed that both Notts fand Yorkshire were saving their best men for Monday, but as things are, Derbyshire must be thinking hard of the possibility of repeating the history 1674, when, in the second year of the foundation of the Championship honours went for the first and only time to their county. There were then only nine teams in the competi tion and the winner was the side Which had the least defeats to cord,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.