Sam Northeast creates history with a quadruple century (400 runs) in first-class cricket

The 32-year-old English cricketer Sam Northeast became the ninth cricketer to score a quadruple century (400 runs) in a first-class innings, the first since the Caribbean legend Brian Lara’s record Test innings knock of 400 not out in 2004.

It was the County Championship Division Two 2022 match between Leicestershire and Glamorgan at Leicester. In reply to the hosts Leicestershire’s first innings total of 584 runs, Glamorgan started the fourth or final day of the game on 563/5, where Sam Northeast was batting on 308 runs, and Chris Cooke was not out on 71 runs.

Sam Northeast scored a quadruple century

Both the batters continued their strong sixth-wicket partnership as Glamorgan secured a handsome lead. While Cooke completed his ninth first-class century and was moving to the double-century, Sam was chasing to complete a historic quadruple century after reaching 350 runs mark.

After completing the historic quadruple century, the right-handed batter Sam scored 410 not out on 450 balls (45 fours and 3 sixes) during the declaration. While Glamorgan scored 795/5 (decl.) with a lead of 211 runs, Cooke was not out on 191 runs off 227 balls (19 fours and 3 sixes). Sam and Cooke had a massive unbroken 461 runs partnership for the sixth wicket.

Later, Glamorgan bowled out Leicestershire for just 183 runs as the visitors won that game by an innings and 28 runs.

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Here we are talking about some of the key records of the final day of that game:

1. Sam Northeast 410 not out

• Third English batter to score 400 runs in a first-class innings. Lancashire’s Archie MacLaren (424 vs Somerset at Taunton in 1895) and Worcestershire’s Graeme Hick (405* vs Somerset at Taunton in 1988) were the first two English batters to score a quadruple century in their first-class careers.

• Fourth batter to score 400 runs in a first-class innings in England. Lancashire’s English cricketer Archie MacLaren (424 vs Somerset at Taunton in 1895), Worcestershire’s English batter Graeme Hick (405* vs Somerset at Taunton in 1988) and Warwickshire‘s Caribbean cricketer Brian Lara (501* vs Durham at Birmingham in 1994) previously recorded quadruple century in first-class cricket in England.

• Ninth batter to score at least one quadruple century in first-class career.

• It was the 11th time a cricketer scored 400 or more runs in a first-class innings. Australia cricketer Bill Ponsford and Caribbean cricketer Brian Lara both recorded quadruple centuries twice each in their first-class career.

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Batters with 400 runs in a first-class innings

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2. Sam Northeast and Chris Cooke’s unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 461 runs

• Second highest sixth-wicket partnership in first-class cricket history. The record sixth-wicket partnership in first-class cricket history is unbroken 487 runs between Jamaican batters George Headley and Clarence Passailaigue (vs Lord Tennyson's XI at Kingston in 1932).   

• Eighth highest partnership for any wicket in English County Championship history.

3. Losing team Leicestershire’s first innings total of 584 runs

• Highest total in English county cricket history that lost by an innings. The previous record was 527 by Nottinghamshire against Northamptonshire at Northampton in 1995 (lost by an innings and 97 runs).  

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