The Easter Weekend brought the opening of the County Championship 2026, sadly sun didn’t arrive with it! My cricket watching season started a week earlier with a warm up match between Essex and Yorkshire. That was a decent run out for both teams, if a bit crazy, it would surely have made sense to play a nearby county! Jonny Bairstow looked a lot fitter and we were treated to a very nice 50 from his bat. On to the business in hand! Leicestershire and Glamorgan had come into Division 1 as Worcestershire and Durham went the other way
Division 1
Glamorgan v Yorkshire – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Jonny Bairstow won the toss for Yorkshire and put Glamorgan in to bat. Match Drawn.
Glamorgan 302 All Out & 218 for 5 Yorkshire 226 All Out & 239 for 7
36 overs were bowled on a soggy Day 1 in Cardiff. Glamorgan were 99 for 4 at the end of the, recovering somewhat from being 28 for 4. Colin Ingram and Ben Kellaway (52) batted on and put on a total of 101 for the 5th wicket. Ingram’s was the 7th wicket to fall, he scored 103 from 226 balls. Mason Crane scored a very useful 51. Glamorgan faced 120.3 overs and were bowled out for 302.
Yorkshire faced just 10 balls on Day 2, they were then bowled out for 226 in a total of 60.2 overs. Matthew Revis top scored with 50 from 79 balls. Jonny Bairstow didn’t bat, Will Luxton re[placed him due to injury. Mason Crane took 5 for 55 in his 16.2 overs.
Glamorgan faced 45 overs on Day 3 and were 111 for 3. Glamorgan batted on, facing a total of 72.5 overs in their 2nd innings, they declared in 218 for 5. Coiln Ingram scored another 75.
Yorkshire needed to bat out the rest of the day to save the draw. They faced 67.4 overs and lost 7 wickets, but mamaged to bat through. Opener Adam Lyth top scored with 97 from 100 balls.
Hampshire v Essex – Utilita Bowl, Southampton – Ben Brown won the toss for Hampshire and put Essex in to bat. Essex won by an innings and 137 runs.
Essex 461 for 7, Hampshire 156 All Out & 168 All Out
Bad light stopped play in Southampton after 66.4 overs. Essex lost Dean Elgar in the first over, then were 67 for 3 in the 29th over, captain Tom Westley had also retired with a finger injury. Essex benefiting from the new injury, illness and significant life events replacement as Noah Thain will replace Westley, ge can bat, but not bowl. Essex really could have done with this when Jordan Cox was hospitalised with appendicitis a couple of years ago at the Oval! Matt Critchley (97*) and Charlie Allison (60*) took Essex to 219 for 3 by the end of Day 1. Critchley and Allison (80) batted on, putting on a total of 186 for the 4th wicket. Michael Pepper (32) and Critchley shared a 50 run partnership for the 5th wicket. Critchley and Simon Harmer added 92 for the 6th, Critchley made his highest FC score with 173 from 266 balls. Harmer (71) and Shane Snater (37) added another 61 before Essec declared on 461 for 7. Essex batted for 138.3 overs.
In reply Hampshire were 48 for 3 after 14.4 overs on Day 2. Essex took 17 wickets on Day 3! Kyle Abbot top scored in Hampshire’s 1st innings, as they were bowled out in 48.3 overs for 156. Essex used 6 bowlers all of whom took at least 1 wicket. Sam Cook now standing as Captain took 3.
Nick Gubbins (48) and Tom Prest put on 81 for the 2nd wicket but they were the only 2 batters to score more than 14. Hampshie were bowled out 59.3 overs. Matt Critchley made this 1st match of 2026 a very special one for him personally as he took 5 for 9 in 4.3 overs. Adding to his 1 wicket for 0 from 3 balls!
Leicestershire v Sussex – Uptonsteel Grace Road, Leicester. Ian Holland won the toss for Leicestershire and put Sussex in to bat. Sussex won by 222 runs.
Sussex 361 All Out &,364 All Out, Leicestershire 245 All Out
Leicestershire faced a big blow before their new season started with the news that Peter Handscomb will not be in England this year due to family needs. That’s a real shame for both them and the competition overall. Sussex were starting their season on minus 12 after a points deduction due to financial issues.
Tom Clark scored a first day Century making 101 from 164 balls. He and opener Tom Haines (56) put on 79 for the 2nd wicket. A mention for another Sussex Tom – Tom Price in at 7 scored 43. Sussex made 351 in 89.5 overs. Sussex added just 10 to their score on Day 2
Leicestershire faced 4 overs on Day 1 and lost opener Rishi Patel, they were 15 for 1 at the end of Day 1. ake Weatherald Leicestershire’s new signing from Australia had a great start, socring 83 from 107 balls, his was the 7th wicket to fall and Leicestershire were 154 for 7. Keeper Ben Cox (44) and Ben Green (43) put on 81 for the 8th wicket. Leicestershire were bowled out for 245 in 65 overs. Henry Crocombe took 5 for 33 in 12 overs and Ollie Robinson 5 for 42 in his 16 overs.
Sussex faced 35 overs on Day 2 and were 149 for 3. Opener Daniel Hughes had made 70. Jack Carson (85) who I imagine came in as a Night Watch put on 119 for the 7th wicket with Tom Price (73). Sussex were bowled out in 92.5 overs for 364.
Leicestershire faced 38 overs on Day 3 and were 125 for 5. Leicestershire faced another 40.1 overs and were bowled out for 258. Keeper Ben Cox top scored with 60. Henry Crocombe added another 4 wickets to his tally for the match.
Somerset v Nottinghamshire – The Cooper Associated County Ground, Taunton. Haseeb Hameed won the toss for Nottinghamshire and put Somerset in to bat. Match Drawn
Somerset 347 All Out & Nottinghamshire 338 All Out.
Another team with 3 starting Toms! One such, Tom Abell scored a Day 1 Century, making 108 from 186. Somerset faced 89.1 overs and were 292 for 6 at the end of Day 1. James Rew (64) and Abell put on 140 for the 4th wicket. Craig Overton was 60* from 84 balls as Somerset were bowled out for 347 in 103.5 overs. Dillon Pennington took 5 for 65 in his 26.5 overs.
The Nottinghamshire openers put on 59 for the 1st wicket and were 218 for 3 after facing 67 overs on Day 2. Joe Clarke (70*) and Jack Haynes (53*) had put on 90 before play stopped for the day. Hayes (55) was out early in the day, Clarke went on to score 92. Nottinghamshire batted for 103.2 overs, scoring 338.
Somerset faced 54 overs on Day 3 and were 214 for 1. Tom Kohler-Cadmore (94*) and James Rew (108*) had put on 207. Both Kohler-Cadmore with 104 from 175 and Rew with 122 from 184 balls reached first match of the season Centuries. They put on a total of 244 for the 2nd wicket. Tom Lammonby (69) and Tom Abell (42) put on 80 for the 4th wicket. Somerset declared after 88 overs on 407 for 5.
Nottinghamshire only needed to bat for 45 overs, they lost 3 wickets for 140, saving the draw.
Warwickshire v Surrey – Edgbaston, Birmingham. New captain Ed Barnard won the toss for Warwickhire and put Surrey in to bat. Match Drawn.
Surrey 328 All Out & 447 for 4 dec Warwickshire 544 All Out
Surrey were 17 for 2 then fell to 65 for 6 in the 31st over. Ben Foakes was another Day 1 Century maker with 128 from 199 balls, he and Tom Lawes (83) put on 155 for the 7th wicket. Surrey were 238 at the end of Day 1. Surrey were all out for 328 after facing 95.1 overs.
Warwickshire faced 80 overs on Day 2 Openers Rob Yates (58) and Alex Davies (70) put on 116 for the 1st wicket. Dan Mousley was 112* and Sam Hain 80* at the end of Day 2. Mousley went on to score 144 from 178 balls and Hain 94. Beau Webster made 53 as Warwickshire built a big total, they faced 128.3 overs and scored 544.
Surrey faced 43 overs on Day 3 and were 169 for 3. Jamie Smith came good in the 2nd innings scoring 132 from 261 balls, he and Dan Lawrence who made 161 from 258 balls put on 217 for the 4th wicket. Surrey batted all day, facing 124 overs.
Division 2
Derbyshire v Worcesteshire – The Central Co-Op County Ground, Derby. Brett D’Oliveira won the toss for Worcestershire and put Derbyshire in to bat. Match Drawn.
Derbyshire 625 for 8 dec, Worcestershire 312 All Out & 314 for 7
Derbyshire’s openers Harry Came (50) and Caleb Jewell (56) put on 82 for the first wicket. Martin Andersson was another Day 1 Century Maker and was 134* from 165 at ther end of Day 1, he and Luis `Reece (89*) put on 210 after the 4th wicket. Derbyshire finished Day1 on 391 for 4. Derbyshire and Andersson batted on, Andersson scored 228 from 271 balls! Reexe went on to make his own century making 114 from 168 balls. Derbyshire were 557 for 6 when Andersson was out, he and Reece put on 273 for the 5th wicket. Anuj Dal added 55 and Derbyshire declared on 635 for 8 after batting for 140.4 overs.
Worcestershire faced 36 overs on Day 2, opener Dan Lategan was on 77* at the end of the day, Worcestershire were 113 for 2. New signing Dan Lategan opened and scpred 89 before he was run out. Captain Brett D’Oliveira made 50. Worcestershire were bowled out in 94.1 overs for 312.
Following on Worcestershire faced 27 overs on Day 3 and were 68 for 1. They needed to bat all day on Day 4, in another match where the Draw needed to be sought. 93 overs were bowled, Worcestershire lost 7 wickets for 314. Matthew Waite top scored with 66 and the points were shared!
Durham v Kent – Banks Homes Riverside, Chester-Le-Street. Daniel Bell-Drummond won the toss for Kent and put Durham in to bat. Match Drawn.
Durham 335 All Out & 218 for 9 dec, Kent 197 All Out & 234 for 5
Durham lost opener Ben Mckinney for 8 and were 12 for 1. Emilio Gay in at 3 scored a Day 1 Century with 128 from 141 balls. Durham scored 335 in 77.4 overs. Keith Dudgeon took 4 for 83.
Kent faced 14.3 overs on Day 1 and lost both openers, Ben Compton for 4 and Zak Crawley for 9. they were 50 for 2 at the end of Day 1. Newly returned Sam Northeast top scored for Kent with 94 from 144 balls, his was the last wicket to fall as Kent were bowled out in 55.2 overs for 197.
Durham faced 22 overs on Day 2 and were 83 for 2. There was no play on Day 3 after Storm Dave had hit the ground hard! It was unlikely that this match would be anything but a draw, but Durham Captain gave Kent a slight chance declaring on 218 for 9 after another 30 overs.
Kent had 57 overs to try to get the win, they fell short biut saved the draw. They were 234 for 5 at the end of the day. Tawanda Muyeye scored 109 from 121 balls giving any travelling fans something to shout about!
Middlesex v Gloucestershire – Lord’s, London. Cameron Bancroft won the toss for Gloucestershire and put Middlesex in to bat.
Middlesex 445 for 9 dec, Gloucestershire 216 All Out &
Leus du Plooy in at 4 was 98* at the end of Day 1, Keeper Joe Cracknell was at the other end on 58*. Middlesex werre 279 for 5 at the end of Day 1. du Plooy went on to score 182 from 274 balls. He and Cracknell (97) put on 181 for the 6th wicket. Middlesex declared on 445 for 9 after 131 overs.
Gloucestershire faced 48.4 overs on Day 2 and were 116 for 4. Miles Hammond top scored with 77 as Gloucestershire were bolwed out in 87 overs for 216. Toby Roland-Jones took 5 for 37 in his 22 overs.
Gloucestershire faced 56 overs on Day 3 and were 120 for 3.
Northamptonshire v Lancashire – County Ground, Northampton. James Anderson won the toss and elected to bat! The only captiain to make that decision!
Lancashire 384 All Out & 194 All Out, Northamptonshire 258 All Out & 213 for 9
Luke Wells (87) and Josh Bohannon (90) put on 132 for the 2nd wicket. Michael Jones in at 5 scored 71, Lancashire were 346 for 7 at the end of Day 1. Lancashire were all out for 384 after facing 106.3 overs. Ben Sanderson (is Ben the 2nd most common name in the CC?) took 5 for 79 in 28.3 overs.
Jimmy Anderson took 5 for 64 in 13 overs, his 56th 5 wicket haul! Sir James Anderson is 43 years old! Northamptonshire Keeper was 54* at the end of Day 2, his team were 215 for 9 after 62 overs at the end of Day 2. Northamptonshire faced another 19.4 overs and were nowled out for 258. Anderson’s final figures were 5 for 66 from his 15.4 overs.
Lancashire were bowled out in 75.4 overs, Luke Wells top scored with 40. Harry Conway and Calvin Harrison both took 4 wickets.
Northamptonshire faced 4 overs on Day 3 and were 9 for 1. Another 94 overs wetre bowled on Day 4, Lancashire couldn’t get the 10th wicket to secure the win. George Bartlett in at 8 frustrated them scoring 95* from 197 balls, saving the draw for his team.
Century Makers and 5 Wicket Takers
- Colin Ingram – Glamorgan – 103 from 226 Balls
- Matt Critchley – Essex – 173 from 266 Balls
- Tom Clark – Sussex – 101 from 164 Balls
- Tom Abell – Somerset – 108 from 186 Balls
- Tom Kohler-Cadmore – Somerset – 104 from 175 Balls
- James Rew – Somerset – 122 from 184 Balls
- Ben Foakes – Surrey – 128 from 199 Balls
- Dan Mousley – Warwickshire – 144 from 178 Balls
- Jamie Smith – Surrey – 132 from 261 Balls
- Dan Lawrence – Surrey – 161 from 258 Balls
- Martin Andersson – Derbyshire – 228 from 271 Balls
- Luis Reece – Derbyshire – 114 from 168 Balls
- Emilio Gay – Durham – 128 from 141 Balls
- Tawanda Muyeye – Kent – 109 from 121 Balls
- Leud du Plooy – Middlesex – 182 from 274 Balls
- Mason Crane – Glamorgan – 5 for 55 in 16/2 Overs
- Matt Critchley – Essex – 5 for 9 in 4.3 Overs
- Ollie ~Robinson – Sussex – 5 for 42 in 16 Overs
- Henry Crocombe – Sussex – 5 for 33 in 12 Overs
- Dillon Pennington – Nottinghamshire – 5 for 65 in 26.5 Overs
- Toby Roland Jones – Middlesex – 5 for 37 in 22 Overs
- Ben Sanderson – Northamptonshire – 5 for 79 in 28.3 Overs
- James Anderson – Lancashire – 5 for 66 in 18 Overs
365 Sporting Days - New! 