County cricket talking points: batters shine in sun-kissed Easter matches

Surrey went top of Division One after swatting aside many judges’ pre-season favourites for the title, Hampshire, by an innings.

On as hot and sunny a day as one could wish for in the middle of April, James Vince did a Tim Paine 2019, saw the green tinge to the pitch and over-thought his election to bowl. Once Ryan Patel played a few shots and Hashim Amla had a bit of luck, one felt the die was cast. So it proved.

For all Ollie Pope’s smooth progress on Thursday (though he was curiously hesitant on Friday) and Will Jacks’ clean hitting – the sound alone was enough to know the ball was over the boundary – maybe the new England regime will be more interested in a familiar name. Or half a familiar name, because Jamie Overton bowled very fast indeed, hurrying up some experienced players with his pace and bounce. With Mark Wood and Jofra Archer being broken on the back of England’s schedules, Overton J, nine years on from his first call-up but still only 28, might just have what Overton C has failed to display in an England shirt.

Craig Overton remains a mighty presence at domestic level, but even his 13 wickets could not prevent Essex from condemning Somerset to Division One’s basement in a thriller at Taunton.

All looked lost for the home side after another two full innings had failed to realise 200 runs, Essex needing just 84 to wrap up the victory. But my phone wasn’t the only one bleeping with insistent WhatsApp notifications, as Overton and Peter Siddle, jagging the ball off a seaming pitch, had Tom Westley’s serial winners 4-4 and game was very much on.

As outstanding teams do in all sports, Essex found an unlikely hero, a man who, until a fortnight ago, was expecting to be keeping and captaining for Northants but was