Van Jaarsveld Extends Lead In After Week 7 Of MVP
Martin van Jaarsveld extended his lead at the top of the MVP rankings with his fourth century of the season, although surprisingly his first in the Championship (LVCC). He leads the Friends Provident Trophy (FPT) MVP after the divisional stage and moves up to fifteenth in the LVCC MVP with 456 championship runs. He has 936 runs across all cricket and has opened up a 22 point lead in the overall MVP.
Tim Bresnan is leading the chasing pack after another solid week where he notched his second fifty in consecutive championship matches. His 64 in the Roses match steered Yorkshire to 395 and takes his overall run tally to 366 in addition to 30 wickets.
Ravi Bopara climbs one place in week seven despite Essex going down to Worcester at New Road. Bopara made a plucky 85 in the visitors' second innings to climb to fourth in the LVCC MVP and third in the overall MVP. He has scored 768 runs and taken 16 wickets.
Hylton Ackerman is the biggest mover within the top ten climbing six spots to fourth after notching his fourth championship century and sixth overall. His 164 in the victory over Glamorgan has left him just three runs short of a thousand across both forms and he will be the man Essex fear most ahead of Wednesday's FPT quarter final at Grace Road.
Ryan McLaren has been collecting wickets by the bucket-load of late and he took his tally to 34 this week with 4-49 against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. He occupies fifth spot overall and third in the LVCC where he has taken 23 wickets and scored 154 runs.
Matt Prior took the captaincy of Sussex in his stride this week despite seeing his team lose to Durham at Hove. The feisty keeper, who was standing in for Chris Adams, fought a lone battle with the bat in the second innings as Steve Harmison ran through the home side's middle order with a dramatic hat-trick. Prior smashed 133 not out from 138 balls including 16 fours and 5 sixes, a score which represented a massive 62% of Sussex's total of 212. Prior has moved to the top of the LVCC MVP and to sixth spot overall with 775 runs, 16 catches and two stumpings.
Week seven sees Usman Afzaal slip to number seven after he could muster just six runs from two attempts against an in form Somerset side at Whitgift school. His season has been an impressive one to date, however, with 761 runs and 6 wickets.
Yasir Arafat is another player going the wrong way in the top ten after being rested from Kent's clash at the Rose Bowl. Expect a big week from the Pakistani quick bowler in week eight, though, with Kent's quarter final in the FPT against Somerset and a championship match against his old county Sussex at Canterbury. He has 211 runs and 32 wickets and occupies eighth spot.
Nicky Boje was another man in the top ten of the MVP to enjoy a valuable week off as Northants blooded a few youngsters against the New Zealanders at Wantage Road. Boje slips to ninth but has 445 runs and 24 wickets already this season.
The main man of week six, Mark Butcher, scored a pair of twos against Somerset as Surrey slipped to their first championship loss of the season. It was enough to take him over the 800 run mark for the season, though. He now has 802 runs and occupies tenth spot overall.
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