Wow those 6 month have flown by and this week sees the final round of the County Championship! Just before Day 1 started it was confirmed that there will be no change in 2026, putting relegation firmly on the table! Realistically any one of 5 teams could take the drop alongside Worcestershire. Sussex, (150), Essex (150), Yorkshire (146), Hampshire (142) and Durham (140). The weather looked to be set fair, certainly in the South. My eyes were drawn to the BBC app more than usual as I sat watching my team, Essex. Yorkshire and Durham played each other in this round, a draw with maximum bonus points would put both in a strong position.
Nottinghamshire, having beaten Surrey in the penultimate round had a 14 point lead at the top of the table, with 203 points, Surrey sat 2nd on 189 and Somerset 3rd with 175. Nottinghamshire had won 6 matches before this final round, Surrey and Somerset just 4. Before this round there have been 70 Draws! That’s just short of 54% of all games played! Only 30 games have been won, 23% of games. The Kookaburra ball will have been a huge contributory factor in those stats and I truly hope that experiment is put to bed! The weather we cannot control, during any month between April and September I sat at one session this year, watching Simon Harmer bowl and for the first time since I’ve had a membership I was bored, thank you Kookaburra! Remarkably every game in this round saw a postitive result!
I did a quick count up of the days I’ve watched cricket at The Ambassador Cruise Line Ground in Chelmsford this season, happily I can refer to my photos. Going to Day 3 of this round 20 days of County Cricket and 4 days watching the One Day Cup. I moved into a ‘different’ age bracket for this season so my memebrship cost me £187. That equated to just under £7.80 a day! That, is remarkably good value! I enjoyed 2 days of County Cricket at Trent Bridge, my favourite international ground, 3 days at New Road in Worcester and a Day at the Oval, watching my team Essex. With another couple of days watching Surrey. I’m a big fan of the 50 over competition and travelled to Nettleworth to watch Essex play Notts and Leicester and Derby for the same competition. I buy a T20 Blast season ticket for Essex and enjoyed the cricket if not the results for the most part! In spite of rugby union coming into play for me over the cricket off-season I’ll be counting down the days to April 2026!
I’m finishing this off a day late as I spent Saturday at Twickenham watching the Red Roses with the Rugby World Cup! What a day! I kept as close an eye as I could on the cricket results with the awful reception.
Division 1
Essex v Somerset – The Ambassador Cruise Line, Chelmsford. Leiws Gregory won the toss for Somerset and elected to bat. Essex won by 7 wickets.
Somerset 433 All Out & 99 All Out, Essex 438 All Out & 99 for 3.
Somerset started this round with a possibility of reaching 2nd place and a bigger prize pot! They lost opener Archie Vaughan in the 7th over and were 20 for 1. 20 old debutant Josh Thomas (86 from 127 balls) and Tom Lammonby (47 from 129 balls) put on 121 for the 2nd wicket. James Rew (74 from 115 balls) and Lewis Goldsworthy in at 6 added 90 for the 5th wicket. Goldsworthy was 61* and Craig Overton 31* at the end of day 1. Overton reached 60 and Goldsworthy’s was the last wikcet to fall, he’d scored 100 from 193 balls. Somerset batted for 122.2 overs, scoring 433. Young Essex bowler Charlie Bennett making his actual debut, after sitting watching the wind and rain at Edgbaston, took 3 for 73 in his 16.2 overs.
Essex’s 1st innings was quite remarkable! Paul Walter and Dean Elgar shared 277 for the 1st wicket. Walter reaching his highest First Class score of 158 from 167 balls. It took an exceptional catch deom Goldsworthy to despatch Walter. Dean Elgar went on to score 118 from 227 balls. Simon Harer came in as Night Watch and Essex were close to their 1st batting point. Matt Critchley had the 3rd highest score at 29, but Essex did enough to reach the required points for safety, win, draw or lose. Craig Overton, seems to be one very angry man, he is though, a very good cricketer. He took 6 for 88 in his 27 overs. Essex scored 438 in 106 overs.
Somerset’s 2nd innings could have not been more of a contrast to theior 1st! They were bowled out for 99 in 33.3 overs. Jamie Porter took his 550th wicket for Essex, plus, to take 4 for 18 in his 12 overs. Bennett added another 2 to his tally. Thomas top scored with 39.
Essex required 95 runs to win, they made a meal of it, losing 3 wickets as they went! but Charlie Allison (32) and Matt Critchley (19) took them there!
Hampshire v Surrey – Utilita Rose Bowl, Southampton. Rory Burns won the toss and elected to bat. Surrey won by 20 runs.
Surrey 147 All Out & 281 All Out, Hampshire 248 All Out & 160 All Out
Surrey in chasing a 4th title were bowled out in 47.2 overs for 147! Dan Lawrence top scored with 36. The wickets were shared between 4 bowlers.
Hampshire lsot steady wickets before Washington Sundar (56 from 110 balls) and James Fuller (21) put on 62 for the 7th wicket. Surrey used 6 bowler and they all took at least 1 wicket as Hampshire were bowled out in 79.4 overs for 248.
Surrey had been at risk of losing 2nd place and £130K they fell to 120 for 5. Dan Lawrence (47) and 17 year old Ralphie Albert (63 from 90 balls) put on 97 for the 6th wicket. Surrey batted for 85.3 overs and scored 281.
Relegation was very much on the table for Hampshire. They had a decent start and were 61 for 1, Ali Orr top scored in the innings with 48. As they went from 61 for 1 to 160 all out. Signing for the match Indian spinner Rahul Chahar took 8 for 51 in his 24 overs.
Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire – Trent Bridge, Nottingham. Haseeb Hameed won the toss for Nottinghamshire and put Warwickshire in to bat. Nottinghamshire won by 10 Wickets.
Warwickshire 258 & 133 All Out, Nottinghamshire 374 All Out & 20 for no wicket.
Nottinghmashire were without Josh Tongue, who’d been key at the Oval. for this one but his replacement Muhammad Abbas was no bad shout! Warwickshire lost opener Alex Davies in the 2nd over and they werre 2 for 1. Rob Yates (32) and Will Young (48) put on 70 for the 2nd wicket. Ed Barnard (48) and Dan Mousley (74 from 96 balls) added 117 for the 6th wicket. Mousley’s was the last wicket to fall, Warwickshire were bowled out in 85.4 overs for 258. Brett Hutton took 4 wickets.
Nottinghamshire captain Haseeb Hameed led by example and after his team fell to 57 for 2 he and Joe Clarke (52 from 85 balls) put on 124 for the 3rd wicket. Hameed’s was the 5th wicket to fall, he scored 122 from 211 balls. Keeper Kyle Verreynne (83 from 119 balls) hit the 6 that confirmed Notts place as Champions in 2026, he and Liam Patterson-White (70 from 75 balls) shared 119 for the 7th wicket. Notts made 374 in 97.3 overs.
Warwickshire were bowled out in 54 overs for 133, Sam Hain top scored with 42. The 4 bowlers used shared the wickets.
Notts needed just 3.4 overs to finish the season in style! They had 7 wins, only 1 loss and 6 draws! Congratulations Nottinghamshire!
Worcestershire v Sussex – Visit Worcestershire New Road, Worcester. John Simpson won the toss for Sussex and put Worcestershire in to bat. Sussex won by 3 Wickets.
Worcestershire 123 All Out & 287 All Out, Sussex 350 All Out & 63 for 7
In the middle of some carnage at New Road where Worcestershire were bowled out in 34.3 overs, Dan Lategan top scored with 41. Ollie Robinson took 6 for 68 in his 15.4 overs.
Sussex fell to 67 for 4, James Coles and Keeper/Captain John Simpson shared a 5th wicket partnership of 155. Coles scored 102 from 108 balls, Simpson scored 129 from 160 balls. Sussex were bowled out in 65.4 overs and scored 350. Tom Taylor took 4 for 106.
Worcestershire had a better 2nd innings, Jake Libby (72 from 97 balls) and Rehaan Edavalath put on 113 for the 1st wicket. They batted for 75 overs and scored 287. Ollie Robinson took 5 for 74 in his 26 overs, takign his game tally to 11!
Worcestershire managed to take 7 wickets as Sussex chased the win. Tom Taylor too 4 for 22, making his personal tally 8 wickets over the game. I really enjoyed my 3 days at New Road this Summer, and hope they have a better red ball 2026!
Yorkshire v Durham – Headingley, Leeds. Alex Lees won the toss for Durham and elected to bat. Yorkshire won by an innings and 44 runs
Durham 346 All Out & 85 All Out, Yorkshiure 476 All Out
Durham, fighting to stay in the top tier, lost both openers by the 5th over and were 7 for 2. David Bedingham (93 from 195 balls) and Will Rhodes (50 from 102 balls) put on 101 for the 4th wicket. Bedingham’s was the 7th wcket to fall. Ben Raine and Matthew Potts (310 added 87 for the 8th wicket. Raine’s was the last wicket to fall, he scored 101 from 105 balls. Jack White took 5 for 69 in his 20.2 overs.
I was keeping a close eye in this one, Yorkshire lost Finlay Bean in the 7th over and were 9 gfor 1. His fellow opener Adam Lyth (69 from 127 balls) and Mayank Agarwal, signed for 3 games put on 127 for the 2nd wicket. Agarawal them shared 63 for the 3rd wicket with James Wharton who only scored 7 of those runs! Matthew Revis (38) and Agarwal then added 78 for the 5th wicket. Agarwal was out for 175 from 195 balls. George Hill (88 from 149 balls and Jordan Thompson (50 from 116 balls) added 86 for the 8th wicket. Yorkshire batted for 141.4 overs and scored 475. Ben Raine took 5 for 76 in his 35.4 overs.
Durham needed to save the draw to save their Division 1 status. Much to the delight of the Hampshire fan sat next to me at Twickenham, they were bowled out for 85 in 44.5 overs. George Hill and Dom Bess both took 4 wickets. That result saw the end of Durham’s stay in Division 1!
Division 2
Glamorgan v Lancashire – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Josh Bohannon won the toss for Lancashire and put Glamorgan in to bat. Lancashire won by 7 Wickets.
Glamorgan 265 All Out & 241 All Out, Lancashire 374 All Out & 134 for 3
Opener Zaim ul Hasssan was out for a Platinum Duck, Asa Tribe followed him back to the dressing room in the 6th over and Glamorgan were 20 for 2. Wickets fell steadily before Timm van der Gugten (53 from 122 balls) and Mason Crane put on 82 for the 8th wicket. Glamorgan werte bowled out in 73.2 overs for 265. Tom Bailey took 5 for 51 in his 19.2 overs.
The Lancashire openers Luke Wells (78 from 157 balls) and Keaton Jennings (49 from 87 balls) put on 75 for the 1st wicket. George Bell (45) and Wells added 75 for the 3rd wicket. Michael Jones (62 from 31 balls) and George Balderson (51 from 72 balls) put on 88 for the 5th wicket. Lancashire batted for 96.4 oevrs and scored 374.
Glamorgan were bowled out in 85 overs for 241. Keeper Chris Cooke top scored with 52 from 105 balls. George Balderson took 4 for 75.
Kent v Derbyshire – The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury. Wayne Madsen won the toss for Derbyshire and elected to bat. Derbyshire won by an innings and 229 runs.
Derbyshire 698 for 6, Kent 271 All Out & 198 All Out
At the time of writing on the morning of day 2 Derbyshire were 490 for 2., with both Opener Luis Reece and Wayne Madsen heading towards double centuries! Madsen fell just short of that landmark with 198 from 236 balls. Madsen and Reece had put on 418 for the 3rd wicket! Reece was out for 211 from 342 balls. Martin Andersson (85 from 75 balls) and Anuj Dal (52* from 53 balls) shared a 6th wicket partnership of 108. Madsen declared on 698 for 6, they batted for 145 overs.
Kent started their 1st innings really well as the openers Ben Compton (46) and Ben Dawkins (61 from 132 balls) put on 111. Ekansh Singh in at 5 top scored with 71 from 113 balls. Kent scored 271 in 85.4 overs. Jack Morley took 5 for 99 in his 23 overs.
Kent were bowled out in 61.5 overs for 198. Compton (65 from 120 balls) had another decent innings and Joey Evison in at 5 scored 53 from 84 balls. Luis Reece added to a very memorable batting display by taking 5 for 63 in his 21.5 overs.
Middlesex v Gloucestershire – Lord’s, London. Leus du Plooy wom the toss for Middlesex and elected to bat. Middlesex won by an innings and 67 runs.
Middlesex 634 for 9 dec, Gloucestershire 286 All Out & 281 All Out
Middlesex lost both openers by the 8th over and were 34 for 2. Luke Hollman (55 from 81 balls) and Leus du Plooy put on 127 for the 3rd wicket. Ben Geddes (60 from 100 balls) joined his captain and they added 121 for the 5th wicket. Keeper Joe Cracknell (64 from 118 balls) and du Plooy shared a partnership of 116 for the 6th wicket. At the time of writing du Plooy is 194*. Seb Morgan (97 from 143 balls) and du Plooy added 179 for the 8th wicket. du Plooy went on to score 263* from 358 balls. He declared after 147.4 overs. Middlesex were 634 for 9.
The Gloucestershire openers Joe Philips (36) and Ben Charlsworth (63 from 80 balls) put on 109 for the 1st wicket. Keeper James Bracey scored 60 from 114 balls. They were bowled out in 88.1 overs for 286. Zafar Gohar took 5 for 53 in his 23 overs.
Gloucestershire’s 2nd innings saw a similat score of 281 in 90 overs. Opener Joe Phillips (35) and Ollie Price (61 from 112 balls) put on 92 for the 2nd wicket. Toby Roland-Jones took 4 for 57.
Northamptonshire v Leicestershire – County Ground, Northampton. Ian Holland won the todd for Leicestershire and elected to bat. Leicestershire won by 167 runs.
Leicestershire 429 All Out & 260 for 5 dec, Northampstonshire 189 All Out & 333 All Out
Openers Rishi Patel (44) and Sol Budinger (44) put on 70 for the 1st wicket. Leicestershire fell to 110 for 4 before Jonny Tattersall (47), starting his new 3 year contract a couple of months early, put on 98 for the 5th wicket with Stephen Eskinazi. Liam Trevaskis (37) shared a partnership of 76 with Eskinazi. Eskinazi’s was the 9th wicket to fall, he scored 155 from 240 balls. Leicestershire batted for 107.6 overs, scoring 429.
Northamptonshire were bowled out in 57.2 overs for 189. Saif Zaib top scored with 62 from 75 balls. 5 of the 6 bowlers shared the wickets.
Northamptonshire’s 2nd innings was more successful, they scored 333 in 105.5 overs. Saif Zaib (58 from 100 balls) and Stuart van der Merwe put on 80 for the 6th wicket. van der Merwe then shared a partnership of 128 with George Bartlett (50 from 91 balls). van der Merwe’s was the last wicket to fall, he scoed 116 from 209 balls.
Century Makers and 5 Wicket Takers
- Haseeb Hameed – Nottinghamshire – 122 from 211 Balls
- James Coles – Sussex – 102 from 108 Balls
- John Simpson – Sussex – 129 from 160 Balls
- Dean Elgar – Essex – 118 from 227 Balls
- Paul Walter – Essex – 158 from 167 Balls
- Ben Raine – Durham – 101 from 105 Balls
- Mayank Agarwal – Yorkshire – 175 from 195 Balls
- Luis Reece – Derbyshire – 211 from 342 Balls
- Wayne Madsen – Derbyshire – 198 from 236 Balls
- Stephen Eskinazi – Leicestershire – 155 from 240 Balls
- Stuart van der Merwe – Northamptonshire – 116 from 209 Balls
- Craig Overton – Somerset – 6 for 88 in 27 Overs
- Rahul Chahar – Surrey – 8 for 51 in 24 Overs
- Jack White – Yorkshire – 5 for 69 in 20.2 Overs
- Ben Raine – Durham – 5 for 76 in 35.4 Overs
The Final Division 1 Table
| 1 | Nottinghamshire | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 32 | 34 | 224 |
| 2 | Surrey | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 30 | 34 | 208 |
| 3 | Somerset | 14 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 29 | 37 | 181 |
| 4 | Sussex | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 40 | 172 |
| 5 | Warwickshire | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 21 | 31 | 172 |
| 6 | Essex | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 27 | 33 | 172 |
| 7 | Yorkshire | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 36 | 168 |
| 8 | Hampshire | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 37 | 145 |
| 9 | Durham | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 30 | 34 | 144 |
| 10 | Worcestershire | 14 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 39 | 103 |
The Final Division 2 Table
| 1 | Leicestershire | 14 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 46 | 35 | 241 |
| 2 | Glamorgan | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 32 | 34 | 193 |
| 3 | Derbyshire | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 32 | 36 | 188 |
| 4 | Middlesex | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 36 | 182 |
| 5 | Lancashire | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 26 | 37 | 175 |
| 6 | Gloucestershire | 14 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 35 | 37 | 166 |
| 7 | Northamptonshire | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 36 | 143 |
| 8 | Kent | 14 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 30 | 114 |
2025 saw Nottinghamshire crowned County Champions for the first time in 15 years! Leicestershire will, who topped Division 2 and will play Division 1 cricket for the 1st time since 2003. Glamorgan join then, they haven’t played at the top level since 2004. I’m hoping Essex get drawn away to both! Congratulations to all 3 Counties! Roll on April!
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