County Cricket: It’s Warwickshire’s Title to Lose

The penultimate round of Championship fixtures threw all sorts of spanners into the works. Leicestershire were docked 27 points for their sub-standard pitch last month, but their five-wicket victory over Hampshire gave them faint hope of Division One survival whilst relegating their defeated rivals. Yet again, Hampshire failed to register a batting bonus point, Ian Holland taking 6-38, but at least Nick Gubbins made 132 in the second innings to give Leicester a stiff target. However, with Kelly and Cox putting on 156 for the fifth wicket, success was assured. 

Essex are the only county within reach of Leicestershire, after succumbing to a two-day hammering by Warwickshire. Ethan Bamber took his season’s wicket tally to sixty as the home side were bowled out twice for under 200. Warwickshire’s rapid win added pressure to title rivals Nottinghamshire and Somerset. For three days at Leeds, there was little to choose between the Cidermen and Yorkshire. Inexperienced Tyke seamer Ben Cliff took 8-76 but the real turning point was the patient stand of 166 between George Hill and former Somerset spinner Dom Bess, which yanked their side from 54-6 to respectability. The visitors looked rocky on 76-3 but Ben Coad and Cliff again ripped through the rest to leave Somerset eleven points adrift of the Midlanders. 

At Hove, third-placed Nottinghamshire were always struggling against Sussex, who established a 118-run first-innings lead. On day four, there was to be no fairytale revival as Aristides Karvelas, who must be the only Greece-registered bowler in the county game, took 5-42, then his team knocked off the required 76 with the loss of three wickets. 

Twenty wickets tumbled on the first day at The Oval, so the match was decided by a second-innings runfest. Glamorgan’s Asa Tribe compiled an excellent 155 and Mason Crane a career-best 114 not out on their way to a total of 594. Despite a century from Ryan Patel, Surrey could not get close and slipped to their fourth loss of a disappointing summer. They now cannot finish higher than fifth. 

Surrey now stand in the way of Somerset’s bid for that elusive maiden title but, if Warwickshire avoid defeat at home to Leicestershire, the pennant will transfer from Trent Bridge to Edgbaston next season. Sigh…. 

In Division Two, Durham maintained their unbeaten record with a draw against Worcestershire. Former India opener Mayank Agarwal struck the week’s highest individual score (177) on day one, assisted by ‘keeper Ollie Robinson (97), but a 179 partnership for Hose and D’Oliveira anchored a solid response in spite of Ben Stokes’ six wickets. Weather and time conspired to produce a stalemate on the fourth day. 

Behind them – a long way behind – Kent advanced into the second promotion slot by beating Lancashire inside three days. Khaled Ahmed ended with match analyses of 8-94 as Kent eased to a win by seven wickets. Fellow Durham-chasers Northamptonshire were just twenty-three runs short of a brilliant triumph versus Derbyshire when bad light and rain cruelly intervened. The soon-to-retire Derby captain Wayne Madsen ended a barren run of form with a first-innings 151, but Ricardo Vasconcelos (132) set Northants on their way to a probable vital win before the elements took charge. 

At Bristol, foul weather also denied Middlesex a deserved victory over bottom side Gloucestershire. Visiting ‘keeper Harry Duke’s 94 was the game’s top score but on the final day it was the seam duo of Higgins and Roland-Jones who had the hosts on the rack at 145-9 until play was called off. 

These two will now help decide who goes up with Durham. Northants travel to Lord’s this week while Gloucester visit Canterbury, where Kent are surely favourites. It is getting tense…. 

Team of the Week: Vasconcelos (Nor), Tribe (Gla), Agarwal (Dur), Madsen (Der), Hose (Wor), Duke (Mid +), Daz Ahmed (Glo), Holland (Lei), Khaled Ahmed (Ken), Cliff (Yor), Bamber (War)

County Cricket: Gloucester Gallop but Rhodes Makes One-Day Hay

The 2025 Royal London One-Day Cup launched this week without the Hundred’s hullabaloo but threw the spotlight on some of the less lauded counties and individuals more often seen plying their trade in the Seconds. 

With few players lost to the more lucrative competition, Gloucestershire would be expected to thrive in the 50-over cup and they duly won all three opening fixtures, racking up plenty of runs in the process. They swept aside Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Surrey, the latter fielding a host of unknowns and little-knowns. Ben Charlesworth, Oliver Price and James Taylor enjoyed their time at the crease, and James Bracey was one of several wicketkeepers to shine during the past week and a half. 

Welbeck CC’s ground at Sookholme played host to Nottinghamshire’s home fixtures, including a high-scoring tie with Worcestershire. Tom Moores thrashed 140 off 93 balls, following it up with a golden duck! Jake Libby and Kashif Ali each reached three figures in the nailbiting Notts defeat. Somerset’s Rew brothers enjoyed a couple of big partnerships but failed in a two-wicket surrender to Lancashire. 

Somerset’s victims included Durham, who nonetheless had easy wins over Sussex and Kent. In the first match, Ollie Robinson claimed the rare distinction of making a hundred and taking six catches. Yet even his performance was eclipsed by team-mate Will Rhodes who ended the week as both the tournament’s highest run-scorer and wicket-taker. In that same Sussex encounter, he fashioned 96 then took 5-30 with his seamers. 

The highest score of the week was Imam ul-Haq’s 159 in Yorkshire’s 202-run massacre of Northants. The county are the only one in Group B with two wins from two, which also owed much to young Ben Cliff’s seven wickets, including 5-46 at Northampton. Other five-fors were achieved by the likes of Alfie Ogborne (Somerset) and Leicestershire’s teenage quick, Alex Green, who took five not once but twice in his two games. 

I should also mention a couple of players who excelled in a losing cause. Essex suffered a run of three defeats despite Tom Westley’s sterling efforts with bat and ball. At Neath, Glamorgan’s only completed match was notable for two substantial individual innings. Hampshire’s skipper Nick Gubbins stroked an unbeaten 144, before his opposite number Kiran Carlson reacted to the steady fall of wickets at the other end (all caught) by lashing ten sixes in a 92-ball 135. The home side’s innings lasted only five balls later, still 72 adrift. 

The next batch of fixtures includes the Roses tie at York, Glamorgan’s trip over the Severn Bridge to Gloucestershire, whose position atop Group A will be matched by Hampshire should they overcome Worcestershire and Leicestershire. In Group B, the Yorkshire-Somerset clash could be critical, but Lancashire need to make up for lost time and their Sedburgh washout with a successful South Coast jaunt to Sussex and Kent. 

Team of the Week:- Imam ul-Huq (Yor), Bracey (Glo +), Libby (Wor), Rhodes (Dur), Carlson (Gla), Kashif Ali (Wor), Westley (Ess), Ogborne (Som), Zaman Akhtar (Glo), A Green (Lei), Cliff (Yor)