Today could be the day...

Mark Ramprakash, going for his 100th first-class hundred to join an exclusive list of 24 men to have done it, has his third chance at the historic innings on his home turf against Yorkshire today. At lunch, he is 26 not out... Ooooh the tension.

He'll no doubt be keen to get it over and done with so that people can stop talking about it, but how typical it would be if Ramprakash got his historic hundred on today of all days, with the British newspapers occupied by a football match in Russia rather than the county championship. I know of at least one sports editor who is hoping Ramps will be out shy of 100 today so that we can give it more space when he does achieve it.

UPDATE: another failure. Out for 29 to someone called Oliver Hannon-Dalby, an 18-year-old making his first-class debut. The search goes on....

Comments

[Patrick Kidd]

Hi Pablo, I think it is a near certainty that Ramprakash will get there at some point. Jack Hobbs gave everyone an agonising month-long wait for the hundred that took him past WG Grace's record.

The closest near-miss was Jack Hearne, who made 96 first-class hundreds. Like Ramps he was something of an enigma, averaging above 40 in county cricket but only 26 in his 24 Tests. He didn't get any hundreds in his final county season, but as he was then 44 he had probably had a long enough attempt to get to 100.

CB Fry and Mike Gatting both made 94 hundreds after 30 and 23-year careers respectively. Gatting made only five hundreds in his final three years on the county circuit.

[Pablo]

I don't want to jinx it or anything, but is there many people with 99 centuries at the end of their careers? What about 95 to 99? I hope not too many, poor fellows.