County Cricket: Critchley and Rew off to Another Flier

Luckily for the cricketing fraternity, Storm Dave subsided just in time for the new County Championship season, even if Chester-le-Street required some residual tidy-up, causing a delay in Durham’s opener against Kent. 

This time last year, I confidently predicted success for Surrey and Lancashire and naturally I was wrong. I’ll stick with them for topping their respective divisions in 2026. Mind you, Surrey’s bowling is currently nowhere near as star-studded as their batting. They struggled early on against Warwickshire, for whom Dan Mousley top-scored with 144. Only Ben Foakes’ 128 kept Surrey in the game on day one, but Jamie Smith and Dan Lawrence held their nerves to lodge tons of their own and see out the draw. 

Champions Nottinghamshire didn’t have it all their way, either, ceding the initiative to their hosts, Somerset. Toms Abell and Kohler-Cadmore, plus James Rew were in fine form with the bat and the latter, at barely 22, already boasts twelve first-class hundreds. He opened the 2025 campaign in similar fashion. Captain Craig Overton delayed the fourth-day declaration for far too long to stand any chance of winning. 

Essex all-rounder Matt Critchley was another who, as last year, was quick out of the blocks. He tonked Hampshire’s attack for 173 before destroying their second innings efforts with a return of 5-9. Leicestershire’s surprise return to Division One resulted in a heavy defeat at home to Sussex. Tom Clark was the game’s only centurion, but the star performer was the county’s academy graduate Henry Crocombe, whose pace netted him a match aggregate of 9-69. After a twelve-point deduction, Sussex will be relieved to have a positive number on the board. 

The other promoted side, in the top tier for the first time since 2005, more than held their own. Glamorgan brought Division One cricket back to Cardiff and it was 40-year-old Colin Ingram who showed the way in each innings against Yorkshire, for whom Dom Bess took seven wickets. The home side’s Mason Crane went one better, including a five-fer. Jonny Bairstow was one of the first players to be replaced under the competition’s experimental substitution rule after he injured a finger early on. 

In Division Two, Middlesex trounced Gloucestershire by an innings. Skipper Leus du Plooy racked up 182 before unleashing his bowlers. Veteran Toby Roland-Jones took 5-37 then, with Gloucester following on, it was Ryan Higgins and teenager Sebastian Morgan who inflicted the damage. 

It was an excellent week for anyone called Anderson or Andersson. At 43, James rolled back the years for Lancashire, claiming eight Northants victims. The Red Roses were heading for a surefire victory, but on the final day, George Bartlett marshalled the tail brilliantly to avoid defeat, even if it left him high and dry on 95 not out. Credit, too, to team-mates McManus and Sanderson for digging in so effectively in the closing stages. Emilio Gay was 2026’s first ton-maker in Durham’s draw against Kent, while Derbyshire’s Martin Andersson notched the opening double-hundred. He put on 273 for the fifth wicket with Luis Reece as the county declared on 625-8. Kent passed 300 on both occasions but needed the solid batting of Brookes, Waite and Taylor to secure the draw. 

Team of the Week:-  L. Wells (Lan), Lategan (Wor), Du Plooy (Mid), Mousley (War), J Rew (Som +), Ingram (Gla), Critchley (Ess), Andersson (Der), Roland-Jones (Mid), Crocombe (Sus), Anderson (Lan)

County Cricket: Nottinghamshire End the Summer in Style

At the start of the domestic cricket season, I feared another summer of Surrey dominance and Somerset near-misses. Well, with regard to the latter, we did finish third in the Championship and were beaten semi-finalists in the One-Day Cup but proved triumphant in the T20 Blast. Not a bad 2025 at all. 

As for Surrey, they looked all set to retain the four-day crown only for Nottinghamshire to blow the whole thing wide open with that memorable twenty-run victory at The Oval. In the final round of fixtures, all they effectively needed to do was outperform Surrey in first innings bonus points and the pennant would be on the way from London to the East Midlands. 

It may have been late September but all nine matches produced results; not a single draw. Notts welcomed Warwickshire to Trent Bridge while Surrey popped down the M3 to meet Hampshire, desperately fighting for top tier survival. Mohammad Abbas and Brett Hutton did their bit with the ball but at the Rose Bowl, Sibley, Burns et all came unstuck in the face of wily Kyle Abbott, James Fuller and new recruit Washington Sundar. Zero batting points, game over.  Another Haseeb Hameed century set up his side’s seventh win of the campaign to take the crown in style. By the time, Raful Chahar ripped through the second Hampshire innings with 8-51, it was too late for Surrey. 

At one stage, Somerset had an outside chance of nicking the runners-up position. Against relegation-threatened Essex, Lewis Goldsworthy’s even ton helped them to 438 all out, only for a 277-run opening stand by Elgar and Walter to scupper any hopes of victory. A draw looked certain until Jamie Porter (4-18) and co skittled the visitors for 99, leaving Allison to conclude matters with a six off Jake Ball on the final morning. 

Worcestershire were already down and out, and Sussex merely rubbed their noses in it. Centuries from James Coles and John Simpson, plus eleven wickets for Ollie Robinson set up win number four, although seamer Tom Taylor, a rare bright light in Worcester’s dismal Championship season, almost sparked a sensational comeback. Never mind, at least they have the 50-over trophy in their New Road cabinet. 

Going into the final afternoon, the other relegation slot was still uncertain. Hampshire looked doomed, but it all rested on the outcome of Durham’s clash with Yorkshire at Headingley. Both sides had begun the week in deep trouble but the home team had a six-point advantage. With Hampshire beaten, a draw would suit both counties. Ben Raine clubbed 101 for Durham, then took 5-76, although Mayank Agarwal’s 175 anchored Yorkshire’s superior total of 475. On the South Coast, tears must have been shed and cats kicked, only for Dom Bess and George Hill to orchestrate a horrendous batting humiliation on day four. Durham lost, and were relegated by a single point. Across the season, their bonus point tally was extremely respectable but they had failed to cash in, losing six games to Hampshire’s three, and that cost them dearly. 

Leicestershire and Glamorgan were already assured of replacing them in Division One. I am so glad that these less-prosperous and relatively unfancied counties had beaten the big boys of Middlesex and Lancashire to promotion. Leicestershire maintained their impressive form, defeating Northants by 167 runs. Rehan Ahmed was absent but on-loan Steve Eskinazi weighed in with 155. Liam Trevaskis closed his campaign with 6-85. 

Glamorgan didn’t sign off with a win, but they didn’t need to. Instead, they handed Lancashire a consolation prize at Cardiff, Tom Bailey and George Balderson sharing thirteen wickets. Middlesex captain Leus du Plooy struck the highest score of the week, a hefty 263 not out, en route for an innings win over Gloucestershire but Derbyshire clinched third place with their own crushing victory over bottom side Kent. Experienced batsmen Luis Reece (211) and Wayne Madsen (198) put on 358 for the third wicket, out of 698-6 declared, and Reece’s 5-63 made him only the 51^st player ever in world first-class cricket to strike a double-hundred and claim a five-for. That’s some achievement! 

Watch out for my season review and 2025 all-format Team of the Year. 

Team of the Week:- Reece (Der), Walter (Ess), Agarwal (Yor), Du Plooy (Mid), Madsen (Der), Eskinazi (Lei), Simpson (Sus +), Hill (Yor), Robinson (|Sus), Hutton (Not), Raful Chahar (Sur)

Surrey March On

While Australia were warming up for the Ashes with a comprehensive defeat of India to clinch the World Test Championship, Surrey were sweeping all before them in both the Blast and County Championship. Hot sun blazed upon most pitches last week and the champions’ batsmen responded with some fiery strokeplay. In T20, they racked up 258-6 against Sussex and 236-2 in Glamorgan, with Laurie Evans scoring a total of 211. He doesn’t play the four-day stuff much these days but Surrey nonetheless boast a formidable line-up. At Canterbury, an upset looked on the cards as Kent set them 501 to win. Such is Surrey’s form, it was never really in doubt. Dom Sibley (140 not out) anchored, Jamie Smith (114 in 77 balls) smashed and Ben Foakes steered their serene course to victory and a 31-point lead in Division One. 

It was a mixed week for Somerset. Hampshire handed them a first defeat in the Blast after throwing away a winning position in the final overs before taking it out on Gloucestershire. Sadly, in red-ball cricket it was the same old story. Essex dominated at Chelmsford, where Alastair Cook and all-rounder Matt Critchley provided the runs, Porter and Harmer most of the wickets. 

At Trent Bridge, Warwickshire enforced the follow-on, emboldened by a 416-run lead, only for Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke to remember how to build an innings. His first Championship century was a double. At Southport, Lancashire also established a solid first-innings advantage over Hampshire, despite Felix Organ’s 6-67. A Gubbins-Vince rally made the home team bat again, only for Dane Vilas to guide them to the sixteen points. 

In the second tier, Yorkshire finally opened their account by defeating Derbyshire by three wickets at Chesterfield. On the first morning, the home county were mauled by Fisher and Coad, slipping to 15-4 and only just reaching three figures by the end of the innings. Second time around, a slaughter looked certain as they plunged to 17-4. This time, the rest of the side didn’t go down s easily. Captain Leus du Plooy and Haider Ali shared a stand of 277 and Yorkshire’s victory charge looked decidedly ropey. In the end it was Yorkshire’s own captain Shan Masood who grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck with an unbeaten 95. 

Leicestershire came away from Gloucestershire with a valuable 5-wicket triumph. Colin Ackermann and Rehan Ahmed had to step on the gas to reach the 215 target before time ran out. There were runs galore at Chester-le-Street where Durham and Glamorgan traded centuries en route for a draw. Kiran Carlson stroked 162 for the Welsh, then Bedingham (151) and Robinson (102) helped Durham to a mighty 630, leaving Chris Cooke (134 not out) and Van Gugten (55 not out) to see the side to stumps. 

The most exciting conclusion was witnessed at Hove, where Sussex and Worcestershire slugged it out to the bitter end. Worcester opener Jake Libby was in imperious form, hitting 198 and 97, but Sussex’s Carson, Haines and Alsop set their opponents a formidable target of 386 in 79 overs. At 317-3, it looked gettable and, even after Azhar Ali fell for a well-paced ton, Worcester required only eight off Nathan McAndrew’s final over. Remarkably, he conceded just three, Leach swinging and missing for the six needed off the final delivery. The draw meant it was Sussex who sit in second place behind Durham. 

Back to the Blast for the next few weeks…. 

Team of the Week:- Libby (Wor), Evans (Sur), Clarke (Not), Bedingham (Dur), Carlson (Glam), Du Plooy (Der), Foakes (Sur +), Critchley (Ess), Fisher (Yor), Porter (Ess), Cook (Ess)

Hampshire’s remarkable turnaround to win Blast

A week ago, I felt that momentum was with Somerset but, after struggling to contain Lancashire in the Championship then being strangled by Hampshire in the T20 semi-final at Edgbaston, all that evaporated. Instead, it was Hampshire who proved to be on the roll which really mattered.

Incredibly, they lost their opening four group fixtures but fought back to qualify for the knockouts. In the Final against Lancashire, despite a below-par total of 152-8, Matt Parkinson's four wickets, a brief opening blitz by Phil Salt and a few tumbling ramp shots from Keaton Jennings, James Vince’s men showed admirable patience and belief in their ability. Dane Vilas’ strategy of a solid Powerplay and thereafter minimising risk to reach the modest target seemed sensible but, as against Somerset a few hours earlier, Liam Dawson’s consistently mean spin and Nathan Ellis’ brilliant execution of the slower ball turned things around in remarkable fashion – then it could all have gone ridiculously awry. Lightning had to score a boundary from the final ball but Richard Gleeson was bowled. Cue pitch invasion, fireworks, the usual Sky razzmatazz. Until umpire Graham Lloyd was spotted signalling a no-ball: Ellis had overstepped! Once the pyrotechnic smoke had dispersed, Ellis and Gleeson had to take breath again only this time the target had been reduced by two, and it was a free hit. Could the Hawks have blown all that good work? No, Gleeson swung and missed and Hampshire had won – again.

Phew! I could get to like Twenty20 after all.

Earlier in the week, there had been some remarkable performances in the four-day format. Amidst an orgy of runs around the country, Keaton Jennings struck the first Championship triple-century for five seasons against Somerset, for whom only Lewis Goldsworthy possessed the determination to prevent a sixth defeat of the summer.

At Scarborough, Yorkshire and Surrey fought a real ding-dong of a game. Both counties passed 500 in their first innings. Opener Adam Lyth and ‘keeper Jonny Tattersall, in his first Championship appearance of 2022, put on 305 for the sixth wicket, and the latter took three stumpings and two catches off spinner Dom Bess as Surrey went for their shots. With a draw looking the most likely outcome, Jamie Overton’s 6-61 gave the leaders a chance of a last-afternoon victory. The batters timed the chase perfectly, Foakes and debutant Hardie finished the job with just three balls to spare.

Therefore, Surrey remain in the driving seat but those Hampshire boys don’t know when they’re beaten. They made relatively short work of Warwickshire with a side very different from the one which succeeded in the Blast. In particular, veteran seamers Barker and Abbott were back in form.

Essex thrashed Gloucestershire by nine wickets, thanks to a century from Alastair Cook and one of those vintage Simon Harmer one-man bowling shows; he ended with match analyses of 13-156. Northamptonshire spinners Keogh and Kerrigan took all ten Kent wickets on the final day to claim a 203-run triumph at Canterbury. South African Ryan Rickelton supplied a fair chunk of those runs.

Two other Saffers were accumulating plenty for Leicestershire at Hove. There were batting records galore, as only fifteen wickets fell for 1,564 runs. Tom Alsop top-scored with 150 as Sussex piled on 588, but this total was eclipsed easily by the visitors. The reply had an inauspicious start, as Hazad fell first-ball. However, most of the rest filled their boots. In particular, Colin Ackermann and Wiaan Mulder each made double-hundreds, sharing an unbeaten county record partnership of 477 as the county declared on 756-4, easily their best-ever in the competition.

Also in Division Two, another South African, Leus du Plooy, scored a century in each innings for Derbyshire at Chester-le-Street. However, Chris Rushworth celebrated his 36h birthday with the fifth ten-for of his long career to keep Durham n the match. Meanwhile, Worcestershire were surprise winners over Middlesex and Glamorgan matched leaders Nottinghamshire all the way at Cardiff. Michael Hogan’s 4-47 and centuries from Byrom and Northeast provided an opportunity to win, only for Clarke and James to ensure a draw. No records, no fireworks, no men in giraffe costumes. Just another day in the office.

Team of the Week: Lyth (Yor), Jennings (Lan), Alsop (Sus), Ackermann (Lei), Du Plooy (Der), Mulder (Lei), Tattersall (Yor +), J Overton (Sur), Harmer (Ess), M Parkinson (Lan), Rushworth (Dur)