County Cricket: Duckett Double, Hadley Heroics

The two leading title contenders met at Trent Bridge but the batters dominated to produce a stalemate. Nottinghamshire stay top after Joe Clarke’s prolific form continued, and Ben Duckett notched his first century of the county season, and it was an unbeaten 203, although Surrey bowling Burns, Sibley and Patel at the end probably helped a wee bit. 

Warwickshire leapfrog Surrey into second spot following a 377-run trouncing of Yorkshire. It is a weird scorecard. Three sub-200 totals scattered around the decisive Warwicks second innings of 553-6 declared, in which Sam Hain’s 164 not out headed a succession of solid scores. Oliver Hannon-Dalby was back in the Warwickshire fold after his Worcestershire loan, and claimed match figures of 7-71 against his home county. Harry Brook chipped in with sixty-six runs but couldn’t save his side. 

One-time leaders Somerset continued their miserable May, leading Glamorgan before crumbling in their second innings despite two more Tom Abell half-centuries. Inexperienced Aussie Ryan Hadley took 3-28 but it was his batting which sparked the last-day headlines. Glamorgan still faced an awkward target of 283, and Hadley entered the fray as nightwatchman with four wickets down. Incredibly, he was still there at the death, having persevered for almost five hours, facing more deliveries than in the whole of his first-class career, finally driving to the boundary to bring up his maiden fifty and winning the match by two wickets. His fifty-over 114 partnership with Sean Dickson (76) defied all that the Somerset seamers could throw at them and now the Welsh are above them in the table. 

Sussex achieved victory number three, with Leicestershire their latest victims at Hove. Centuries from Daniel Hughes (the only one by any opener this week) and John Simpson put them out of sight, then three wickets apiece by Robinson and Hudson-Prentice left the batsmen with a simple chase which they won at a gallop. Meanwhile, at Chelmsford, Hampshire’s batting woes continued, their hosts Essex winning by six wickets inside three days. The visitors’ James Fuller took 5-43 in the first outing but Matt Critchley compensated for early jitters against Kyle Abbott (4-36) by thumping fifteen fours in his unbeaten match-winning ninety. Hampshire now have the unenviable task of defeating leaders Notts later this week. 

In Division Two, Durham remain at the helm, comfortably beating Worcestershire by nine wickets at New Road. Despite Ben Raine’s 5-63 and 2-54 by the rarely-spotted Ben Stokes, Worcester claimed a slender led at halfway. However, Callum Parkinson (5-13) induced a collapse which left Gay and McKinney to add to their run tallies and steer their side to victory. 

Middlesex returned from Old Trafford with a win bonus and healthy bowling figures, especially by Ryan Higgins. On the third and final day, Ben Geddes steadied the ship and piloted his side home by six wickets, dropping Lancashire to fourth. Last week, Northants crushed Worcestershire by an innings but this time they were on the end of a similar pasting. Derbyshire recovered from a loss to Kent to compile a formidable 604-7 declared, crowned by a double-hundred stand between Martin Andersson and Brooke Guest. Northants tried to drop anchor, but with Shoaib Bashir sending down more than sixty overs and Guest catching six nicks off the seamers, Derby were patient and took the win. 

Having collected their first triumph for a year last week, Kent made it two on the bounce at Bristol. Gloucestershire pushed them all the way to the closing session, with Bell and Williams taking fourteen of the eighteen wickets to fall. Nonetheless, James Taylor enjoyed his first ten-wicket haul and Tawanda Muyeye (90 and 108) top-scored for Kent in the two-wicket success. 

In the last round before a Championship break, Kent entertain leaders Durham at Beckenham and Middlesex welcome Derbyshire to Lord’s. Northants visit Gloucestershire, and it’s off to the Southport seaside for Lancs and Worcestershire. 

Team of the Week:- Hughes (Sus), Duckett (Not), Clarke (Not), Hain (War), Muyeye (Ken), Guest (Der +), Higgins (Mid), Hadley (Gla), C Parkinson (Dur), Hannon-Dalby (War), J Taylor (Ken)

County Cricket: Northants Blast Off!

 The Vitality Blast was launched last week with seemingly muted fanfare. 2025 sees relatively few overseas superstars joining the counties for an occasional batting cameo or a couple of wickets. The New Zealand trio of Williamson, Neesham and Santner didn’t exactly set the game alight this week, and the one outstanding performance came from an English regular of the county circuit. 

Twenty20 in this county tends to be a completely unpredictable affair, with unlikely stars and even more unlikely winners. In the North division, it is Northamptonshire enjoying the success of a 4-game 100|% record and a red-ball specialist, Keaton Jennings, the highest scorer to date. His 95 for Lancashire against Nottinghamshire is the highest individual mark so far, coming from only 49 balls. In that match, he shared an opening stand of 177 with Luke Wells, for whom the Blast was surely made.

 Other all-rounders fared quite well. Dvid Willey has returned to Northamptonshire, contributing eight wickets and 133 runs. Sam Curran had his moments for Surrey, young James Coles (Sussex) biffed some useful boundaries while Hampshire’s Liam Dawson may well have added to his four wickets had he not been swiped by England. Veterans Samit Patel and Ravi Bopara each crunched an unbeaten eighty-something and Jimmy Anderson proved that a class bowler can succeed in any format, even in his forties. 

The Bears’ Sam Hain maintained his Championship batting form at a super rate of knots, and his fellow Bear – neither Warwickshire nor Birmingham – Alex Davies was the ‘keeper-batsman of the week. Jason Roy seemed happier in his T20 domain. Having bagged a pair for Surrey last week, he opened his 2025 Vitality account with a 92. 

However, the ace performer must be 36-year-old seamer Ben Sanderson. Before Friday, he already had a 4-15 to his name, against Leicestershire, but he managed to snatch four wickets in ONE OVER! Worcestershire were by this stage already beaten but he polished things off with a hat-trick from the very last ball of the innings.

Behind them, Lancashire and Leicestershire each have three victories, but the latter defeated the former by five wickets when they met at Old Trafford. At the other end of the table, Derbyshire and Yorkshire have yet to get off the mark. The most prolific runfest was witnessed at Trent Bridge where Jack Haynes’ magnificent 89 not out helped chase down the Bears’ target of 227 with five balls to spare. 

In the South, Somerset and Hampshire have the only 100% records to date. Matt Henry and Riley Meredith have been the pick of a useful attack, and the top order, even without Banton, has done enough to win all three games batting second. Hampshire’s most decisive performance was their 106-run battering of Essex, featuring excellent bowling by Scott Currie and Dawson. 

Next week, Northants face Lancashire, Durham and the Bears, and one of the highlights must be Somerset’s trip up the A38 to Bristol for the West Country derby.

Team of the Week:- Jennings (Lan), Roy (Sur), Davies (War +), Hain (War), Haynes (Not), S Curran (Sur), Coles (Sus), Willey (Nor), Bess (Yor), Currie (Ham), Sanderson (Nor)  

No Landslide in the Blast

The UK general election may have delivered a decisive verdict for change, but it’s as you were in county cricket. After the County Championship fireworks, this week’s T20 Blast fixtures turned out to include a box of damp squibs. Damp being then operative word, with five complete washouts and a couple decided by Duckworth Lewis. Middlesex suffered two successive abandonments, one against Surrey, whose subsequent ten-over thrash victory against Kent kept them on top of the South Division. 

Sussex were blown away by Glamorgan’s 235-6 despite a Tymal Mills four-wicket haul, but remain on Surrey’s coat-tails thanks to a 22-run win against rivals Hampshire. James Coles starred in this one, combing a brisk 46 with 4-34. Somerset’s loss on the penultimate ball to Gloucestershire cost them third place, overtaken by Essex with Thursday’s success over Kent at Chelmsford. Paul Walter was their in-form man. 

In the North group, the top two were also unchanged. Birmingham Bears remain in charge courtesy of two contrasting triumphs on the road. At Leeds, Sam Hain struck eight sixes in an unbeaten 98, the highest individual score of the week, but Yorkshire ‘keeper Donovan Ferreira’s 32-ball 66 took the home side within four runs of the target. Next up were Nottinghamshire, who were skittled for just 57, the wickets shared by seven Bears bowlers. The top three batsmen finished the job in just 32 balls. 

The best bowling figures came from the Worcestershire seamer Matthew Waite and young Yorkshire leg-spinner Jafer Chohan. Waite’s 5-21, together with Adam Hose’s runs, did for Leicestershire, while Chohan claimed 5-14 in the defeat of next-door Durham, including three in four balls. 

With just one week of group games left, Surrey and the Bears are in pole position to head straight for Finals Day but with four to play, anything can happen. Surrey can’t afford to drop points against Somerset, Essex or Hampshire and face Kent next Friday. The Bears’ challenge looks easier on paper than Lancashire’s, and the hot-off-the-press news of the Roses match abandonment will help their cause. Don’t rule out Northamptonshire, either, as they meet both the counties above them, placing progress to the knockouts in their own hands. 

Team of the Week:- Carlson (Gla), Hughes (Sus), Hain (Bir), Hose (Wor), Walter (Ess), Ingram (Gla), Ferreira (Yor +), Waite (Wor), Briggs (Bir), Mills (Sus), Jafer Chohan (Yor) 

County Batters run riot

At the end of last week, all four Division One counties batting first racked up scores well in excess of 500. Pity the spinners twirling away for hours with no reward: Danny Briggs and Simon Kerrigan ended with figures of 1-166 and 0-177, respectively. The opening run blitz almost guaranteed there being no results. 

Bristol hosted the exception. Tom Abell’s 142 and a run-a-ball 89 from Lewis Gregory helped Somerset to 591-7 declared, a total Severn derby rivals Gloucestershire failed to match in two attempts. For the first time this season, Somerset’s line-up looked as strong as in 2021 and Jack Leach led the march to victory, taking 8-90. 

At Beckenham, Surrey set a remarkable new world record for first-class cricket. Their 671-9 was the highest total to include no centuries! Pope, Overton and Foakes each passed 90 but none pushed on to three figures. Jamie then chipped in with 3-37 as Kent slipped to 230, but rain ensured league leaders Surrey couldn’t press home their advantage. 

The Roses fixtures always make headlines, and Joe Root’s 147 was, surprisingly, his first against Lancashire in the County Championship. However, James Anderson dismissed him for four in the second innings. The former England captain notwithstanding, Lancashire dominated the game from the off, as Keaton Jennings followed last week’s 110 with an even more impressive  238. Meanwhile, at Edgbaston, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire served up a rather dreary draw to suck the life out of bowlers. There were 1,165 runs but only ten wickets. Vasconcelos and Young shared an opening stand of 287 for the visitors then, in response, Sam Hain and Matt Lamb extended their partnership to 254 as the game petered out. Luke Procter also made 100 not out but Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes missed out, dismissed for 99. 

This week, Surrey aren’t playing so Lancashire could overtake them by beating Essex at Old Trafford. I’ll cheer Somerset against Hampshire as they aim to complete a trio of triumphs following the previous three drubbings. 

In Division Two, bowlers had slightly more success. Durham and Glamorgan went as far as producing an exciting contest which could have swung either way on the fourth day. Despite another poor start, Glamorgan established a first-innings lead then Michael Neser and Marnus Labuschagne bowled them into an even stronger position. However, defending only 195, the home team regained the advantage as Matt Potts seamed his way through the line-up, taking 7-40, easily the best county figures of the week. 

At Derby, Shan Masood maintained his remarkable form with another century, and his 113 was eclipsed by number seven, Anuj Dal, who reached 114 when Godleman declared the innings at 565-8. Worcestershire avoided defeat thanks to day four stonewalling by centurion Jake Libby, Azhar Ali and first-innings ton-maker Jack Haynes. At Lord’s, leaders Middlesex kept Nottinghamshire at bay despite the latter’s dominance throughout. Notts skipper Steven Mullaney accelerated his declaration decision by launching a T20-style second-innings assault. He struck eight sixes en route to a hundred, but Sam Robson played a patient 101 not out, assisted by Max Holden’s 18 which spanned almost three hours. Struggling Leicestershire were spared another defeat, this time against Sussex, who themselves had not won for eighteen games. At 209-7 on Sunday morning, an innings defeat was on the cards, but a combination of rain showers and sturdy defence by Harry Swindells, and bowler Callum Parkinson gobbled up the overs needed by Sussex to complete the victory. 

In the last round of fixtures before Twenty20 blasts off at the Bank Holiday weekend, Middlesex entertain Durham while Nottinghamshire wait to pounce should they beat neighbours Derbyshire. Glamorgan have played a game more but, should they win and Middlesex lose, they could enter the Championship break in pole position. 

Team of the Week: Vasconcelos (Nor), Jennings (Lan), Hain (War), Root (Yor), Foakes (Sur +), Lamb (War), Mullaney (Not), Neser (Gla), Pattinson (Not), Leach (Som), Potts (Dur).

T20 Blast off for Surrey, Sharks and Bears

The confusing melange of T20 Blast fixtures has been going for a week and a bit now and still I can’t really get a handle on it. Covid, CPL, injury and potentially greater Hundred rewards have robbed the competition of numerous international stars. Indeed I am familiar with only a small proportion of those who have signed contracts and a few of those, like the reliable big-hitter Paul Stirling of Middlesex, have already been and gone. 

In any case, the best performers of the early group exchanges have been of the home-grown variety or foreigners who were already involved in the Championship. In the North Group, reigning champs Nottinghamshire haven’t exactly set the tournament alight, despite Alex Hales’ 54-ball 96 not out against Durham and Joe Clarke’s stunning 136 to beat Northamptonshire, the highest score of the week which featured 11 sixes. 

Instead, Birmingham Bears and Lancashire Lightning are leading the way. The Warwickshire outfit have excelled with three half-centuries from Sam Hain and frugal spin bowling by Jake Lintott and Danny Briggs. Liam Livingstone’s all-round consistency and a few Jos Buttler cameos have driven the Red Roses, whose only defeat came against Worcestershire. Another England ‘keeper, Jonny Bairstow, has starred for Yorkshire, the only team so far to beat the Bears. Sadly the Leicestershire Foxes have been hunted to defeat in all their four matches. 

As of Tuesday night, the South division’s top three was identical to how it finished last season. Sussex and Surrey each enjoyed three comprehensive victories. The Sharks’ George Garton has eight chap wickets to his name but special mention should go to his slow bowling team-mate Archie Lenham. The son of a former Sussex favourite of mine, Neil, he captured three Hampshire wickets and is only sixteen! Their 100% records are on the line when they meet on Thursday. Something has to give. 

Kent Spitfires are hot on their tails, thanks in large part to Jack Leaning’s runs and Fred Klaasen’s wickets. They aren’t resting 45 year-old Darren Stevens either, and he hasn’t disappointed with the ball. Other notable performances in the first Blast week include a 5-32 against Kent by Middlesex import South African Chris Green – whose mum incidentally is Billericay-born tennis player Lisa Gould! – and three big scores from Marnus Labuschagne in Glamorgan’s colours. At this early stage he’s the Blast’s top scorer. 

Team of the Week: Clarke (Not), Livingstone (Lan), Bairstow (Yor +), Labuschagne (Gla), Hain (War), Howell (Glo), S Curran (Sur), Garton (Sus), Klaasen (Ken), Briggs (War), Lintott (War)

Essex and Somerset fixed in a two-horse race

The World Cup may be throwing up a few surprises but the County Championship is turning into more of a two-horse race each week. Yorkshire began the latest round of fixtures in third place but Essex made quick work of the Tyke visitors, thanks largely to the redoubtable Aussie Peter Siddle and Simon Harmer.

After two days in Taunton, Somerset’s position was less assured. Spin was king, and both Ravi Ashwin and 20 year-old debutant Liam Patterson-White were running rings around the home team, with the crucial exceptions of Azhar Ali and Jamie Overton. Totals had been dropping with each innings completed but still Nottinghamshire had well over a day to reach a target of 255. No chance.  The situation seemed tailor-made for Jack Leach and Dom Bess but it was the pace of Jamie Overton which hastened the demise of the bottom county and restored Somerset’s fifteen-point advantage. Next week it’s our turn to face Yorkshire while Essex welcome Warwickshire to the County Ground which, on paper, looks the easier task.

Surrey’s 2019 nightmare continued, losing to Kent by five wickets at The Oval. Dean Elgar struck a couple of sixties but a five-for by Darren Stevens, resembling more than ever a veteran umpire rather than a deadly seamer, and six catches and a half-century by Ollie Robinson ended any chances of a Morkel-inspired fightback.

Meanwhile at the Rose Bowl, Hampshire appeared determined to repeat ther May hammering of Warwickshire. A maiden hundred from opener Ian Holland and Aneurin Donald’s 173 set up a first innings lead of 232. However, Sam Hain’s poor run of scores ended with two centuries, and an unbeaten ninth wicket stand of 112 by Patel and Brookes staved off defeat on the fourth day.

In the second flight, Lancashire failed to capitalise on Glamorgan’s rest week, only managing a draw at Northampton. This left them only seven points clear at the top. Northants were far from outplayed and the Red Roses should be thankful for Alex Davies’ first ton of the campaign and final afternoon resistance by captain Vilas and Bohannon.

Derbyshire edged above Sussex into third by means of an 82-run defeat of Worcestershire at Kidderminster. 21 wickets had fallen on the first day but centuries by young Tom Lace and old Callum Ferguson took things into a fourth day when Derby bowlers Palladino and Rampaul ended the home side’s chances of victory and, very possibly, promotion.

Leicestershire must have fancied their chances at home to Durham but instead ended up bottom of the Championship. Skipper Cameron Bancroft led from the front while Ben Raine and Chris Rushworth claimed sixteen wickets between them in a 119-run triumph which catapulted them into fifth place. After such a terrible start they could yet be in the First Division next year.

Middlesex also leapt three positions by outscoring Gloucestershire at their regular Northwood outpost. The visitors’ Ryan Higgins bowled well, as did Tim Murtagh (when does he ever bowl badly?) but the match really belonged to Toby Roland-Jones. His first innings 7-52 followed by 51 not out extended Gloucester’s target to a tricky 216. Murtagh’s 5-44 led the way but Roland-Jones took his match tally to ten wickets and the 19 points were theirs.

Team of the Week: Holland (Ham), A Davies (Lan), Hain (War), Ferguson (Wor), Donald (Ham), Robinson (Ken +), Roland-Jones (Mid), Raine (Dur), Higgins (Glo), Bess (Som), Harmer (Ess)

Hampshire’s 100% start in One Day Cup

The first week’s fixtures in the Royal London One-Day Cup have generated the expected variety of trouncings and nail-biters, predictable and surprises. Hampshire are the only side to have won all three matches they’ve played, while in the North division, Worcestershire’s 100% record comes from only two yet is enough to top the table.

On the South coast, it’s been Riley Rossouw rather than Hashim Amla who has provided South African runs for Hampshire while Worcestershire’s best performances have come from the lower order. Somerset got off to a cracking start, thumping Surrey in double-quick time with Craig Overton’s 4-29 outstanding. An amazing 159 from the in-form James Hildreth helped defeat Glamorgan but his subsequent 87 couldn’t prevent a loss to Sussex for whom Luke Wright reached three figures. The county’s medium-pacer Ollie Robinson has also been one of the most consistent wicket-takers so far.

Poor Glamorgan. Despite the arrival of Colin Ingram for the white-ball season, they’ve yet to register a victory, falling an agonising two runs short against Middlesex. However, Kent sit below them in the South table despite two solid starts by Daniel Bell-Drummond. Gloucestershire are faring somewhat better, beating the Welsh as well as Essex along the way. Their H men, Hankins, Howell and Higgins have been especially useful with the bat.

Further north, another H man, Sam Hain, struck two centuries for Warwickshire while Paul Horton also struck 103 in Leicestershire’s opener at Northampton. However, for consistent run-making, you had to look at the Roses counties. Horton’s replacement at Lancashire, Keaton Jennings, racked up 278, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore accumulated 292, including 164 in Yorkshire’s 142-run win over Durham. His colleague Cheteshwar Pujara has also found form at last. Normally considered a red-ball specialist, the Indian star produced an impressive run of 82, 73 and 101 so it is perhaps surprising that Yorkshire have only one victory to their name.

It hasn’t been a great week for bowlers. Robinson’s team-mate Chris Liddle, Harry Gurney (Notts) and Lancashire’s young leg-spinner Matt Parkinson head the wicket table with nine apiece but the May sunshine has been kinder to the willow-wielders.

Nottinghamshire’s formidable squad looks tailor-made for retaining their title and they amassed an impressive 409-7 against Leicestershire. Samit Patel celebrated his new contract with a 63-ball century and a couple of wickets. However, they lost easily to Northamptonshire whose poor start in the Championship has been set aside to allow new confidence in 50-over cricket to take over. With Division One strugglers Worcestershire also riding high, it’s encouraging that there are no dominant counties across all formats. Long may it continue.

Team of the Week:

Jennings (Lan), Davies (Lan, +), Kohler-Cadmore (Yor), Pujara (Yor), Hildreth (Som), Hain (War), Bopara (Ess), Ingram (Gla), Berg (Ham), Parkinson (Lan), Robinson (Sus)

Lumb and Wessels on Fire!

As the County Championship took its first week off this summer, the 50-over One-Day Cup kicked off alongside the continuing T20 Blast. Gloucestershire have made a terrible start to their title defence, losing all three fixtures so far. Mind you, they should have beaten Somerset in their first match, but Jamie Overton and Tim Groenewald produced a tenth wicket stand of 65 to clinch an unlikely win with three balls to spare.

Somerset top the South Group with Essex and Glamorgan but all eyes this week have been on Nottinghamshire and their opening partnership of Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels. All three of their stands reached three figures, including an astonishing 342 against Northants. It broke the old Dravid/Ganguly List A record in England, while the county total of 445-8 is the second highest anywhere in the world. Even more remarkable was that Northants fell only 20 runs short, and the aggregate of 870 was a mere two behind the world record. Lumb made 184, Wessels 146 but perhaps both were outdone by the opponents’ Rory Kleinveldt. Having to bat with a runner, he had to go for boundaries. Thumping ten 4s and nine 6s, he amassed 128 from 63 balls before falling five overs from home.

Lumb made 133 in the Warwickshire game, and both he and Wessels made fifties in their twenty-over match for good measure. For all the runs racked up by Notts, their net run rate is inferior to Derbyshire’s. Ben Slater (against Durham) and Hamish Rutherford (vs Worcestershire) scored centuries while Shiv Thakor, deprived of batting opportunites, has again been amongst the wickets.

Elsewhere, Hain, Bell and Trott were in the runs for Warwickshire, and Johann Myburgh (Somerset), Kevin O’Brien (Leicestershire) and Jesse Ryder (Essex) were also consistently high in their scoring. It certainly wasn’t a week for bowlers, but then modern one-day cricket is fundamentally designed for batsmen: all fielding restrictions, big blades and short boundaries.

Twenty20 is even worse, but at least there were opportunities for experienced Aussie seamers Clint McKay and Michael Hogan to work their magic. Northants currently boast the only 100% record in this year’s Blast while Yorkshire are in the unenviable position of losing all three games played to date. While the big signings like Gayle, Bravo, McCullum, Afridi, Jayawardene et al undoubtedly shift tickets, the top performers on the pitch thus far are home-growners like Daniel Bell-Drummond of Kent, Joe Leach from Worcestershire and Leicestershire’s Ben Raine. Time will tell whether the picture changes as the competition progresses.


Team of the Week: Lumb (Not), Wessels (Not), K O’Brien (Lei), Westley (Ess), Hain (War), Buttler (Lan +), Thakor (Der), Dawson (Ham), Howell (Glo), McKay (Lei), Hogan (Gla)

Team of the Week: Yorkshire's Finest

For the week ending 12th September, it's tempting to select the entire Yorkshire Eleven which clinched the County Championship in such style, albeit perhaps without naughty captain Andrew Gale! However, I must stick to my guns and pick players on their performances around the grounds.

That doesn't meanm I can't name the White Rose opener Adam Lyth, back to his best in 2014 and hammering on the door of England's Test team while Sam Robson desperately tries to lock it from the other side. His 122 laid the foundation for the hefty first innings total at Trent Bridge, with which Nottinghamshire simply could not compete. Bangladesh bowlers couldn't contain West Indian number one Kraigg Brathwaite either; he plundered 212 in their easy Test match victory.

Some big middle order scorers must leave the week disappointed. Apologies to Northeast, Trott, Roy and Borthwick but you just missed out. Ed Joyce seems to be ending the summer the way he started it. The Sussex veteran struck 137 and 79 to beat Lancashire and leave them facing relegation square in the face. My four and five together produced a record partnership for Gloucestershire against poor Leicestershire. Skipper Alex Gidman led the way with 264 in 274 balls, aided and abetted by South African 'keeper Gareth Roderick's 171. He is fine form with the bat in first-class cricket and, with a British passport, he could yet represent England. He takes the gloves in my fantasy XI despite taking no catches at all in the match. He just edges out Niall O'Brien, who claimed six victims and a century for Leicestershire in the same game.

Teenager Sam Hain hit his maiden double-hundred for Warwickshire, alongside the man he might have expected to replace in the county line-up, Jonathan Trott. Ben Stokes found his batting form, too, plundering 164 in 113 deliveries and taking 1-50 in Durham's Royal London Cup semi-final victory over Notts, who had a pretty shoddy week all round.

Nevertheless, the star all-rounder was Jack Shantry of Worcestershire. Their promotion campaign train seemed heading for a fatal derailment until his 89-ball century and last-day 4-44, giving him ten wickets for the match and a chance to play again in the top flight next year.

Sulieman Benn has been largely eclipsed by Narine lately in West Indian spin circles but he returned 5-39 and 2-44 in that 499th Test. Keith Barker's eight dismissals played a big part in Warwickshire's trouncing of Northants but the last place goes to another Yorkshireman. Old curlylocks himself, Ryan Sidebottom, has spearheaded the Yorkshire attack with Jack Brooks brilliantly all season, and his 6-30 in the second innings was the best bowling analysis of the week.

Celebratory (white) roses go to: Lyth (Yor), Brathwaite (WI), Joyce (Sus), Roderick (Glo +), Gidman (Glo *), Hain (War), Stokes (Dur), Shantry (Wor), Benn (WI), Barker (War), Sidebottom(Yor).

Yorkshire County Champions!

In the two big matches of the week, 'twere Yorkshire and Worcestershire who prevailed, and so two of the big prizes have been decided with a few weeks still to go.

Congratulations first to the White Roses, who gave closest rivals Nottinghamshire a fearful thumping at Trent Bridge to clinch the Championship pennant. Even without Joe Root and Gary Ballance for much of the summer, their blend of largely homegrown talent, young and old, has proved irresistible despite a dodgy start to the season. The job was done with a typical mix of contributors, from Adam Lyth's sixth Championship century to Ryan Sidebottom's second innings 6-30, a 99 from Ballance, 95 from Tim Bresnan and six more wickets snapped by Mr Headband Jack Brooks. Joe Root made only 11 but he captained the side in place of Andrew Gale to round off a mostly pleasing season for the 23 year-old Sheffielder.

Warwickshire also won by an innings - against Northants - to be favourites for the runners-up position. Their fourth wicket partnership of 370 was the cornerstone. Jonathan Trott may have lost his England central contract but he has delivered some useful end-of-season runs for his county. Nevertheless his 164 was eclipsed by Sam Hain's maiden double-century. The teenager is in fine four-day form at the moment and must surely get to represent England and put his Aussie past behind him! Another 19 year-old Ben Duckett was the bright spot in Northamptonshire's eleventh defeat of a miserable campaign. He scored 126 runs to go with last week's century.

Sussex advanced to fourth after beating Lancashire in a game that at lunchtime looked certain to be drawn. Chris Jordan and Stuart Magoffin claimed some quick wickets, then Ed Joyce and Craig Cachopa led the dash to reach the 251 target in the 47th over. Lancashire now look to be heading into Division Two. They must win their final match and hope Middlesex lose their last two. They were helped by Durham overcoming their rivals at Lord's. This in turn makes the middle table very congested. Scott Borthwick's first day 176 proved decisive while all the bowlers chipped in with wickets. Pity Tim Murtagh, though; he grabbed a ten-for yet still ended up on the losing side.

Northamptonshire have long been doomed but now we know they will be replaced by Worcestershire. Their momentum had been temporarily disrupted but today they snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Needing just 217 to win and seemingly cruising at 131-2, Surrey threw away the match, and their chances of promotion, by collapsing to 189 all out. As in the first innings, it was Jack Shantry who did much of the damage, taking 4-44. With a crazy maiden hundred the previous day and ten wickets in total, he was the toast of New Road. Whatever the angle of his elbow, Saeed Ajmal's 63 wickets earlier in the season cannot be forgotten either.

Essex retain a mathematical chance of overtaking Hampshire for the remaining promotion spot after beating Kent by nine wickets in three days. On day one, Sam Northeast scored 117 out of his side's 198, but James Foster's 108 and excellent bowling by David Masters and Graham Napier left Kent reeling. Glamorgan lifted themselves two places after a low-scoring triumph at Cardiff. Seamers Allenby, Hogan and Wagg produced the goods as only Wes Durston showed any fight for Derbyshire on the third day. Big signing Cheteshwar Pujara scored just 7 and 0 on his county debut.

Only one match ended drawn, and only because batsmen were utterly dominant. Gloucestershire racked up a massive 646 in only four sessions, including a career-best 264 in only 274 balls by skipper Alex Gidman. Along with South African wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick, he compiled a stand of 393, beating by far the club record set back in the halcyon pre-war days of Wally Hammond! To their credit, bottom-placed Leicestershire also accumulated 565. Don't know when they last boasted three centurions in the same innings but Ned Eckersley, Niall O'Brien and Greg Smith each reached three figures. The draw was made certain by 104 not out from the other Gidman, Will.

Next week's games are unlikely to decide very much, although a win for Hampshire at home to Kent will give them a massive advantage over Essex going into the concluding round of fixtures, when late-September weather may have a say in who wins or loses. Nobody wants that.