Left Arm Around

As round one of the 2025 English County Championship season concluded across both divisions yesterday, here is my summary of all nine results.

Division 1

Essex v Surrey: DRAW

After conceding a commanding 582 in the first innings- courtesy of Jordan Cox, Matt Critchley and Michael Pepper centuries- defending champions Surrey fought well to salvage a draw at Chelmsford. Scoring 365 in their first dig, they were left to bat out the final day on a challenging surface. A quality Essex attack toiled hard in pursuit of victory, but Surrey survived comfortably enough on 219/6. Dom Sibley (66) and Ben Foakes (50) were extremely disciplined in a valiant stand of 100 from 247 deliveries, repelling the likes of Jamie Porter, Sam Cook and Simon Harmer who provided a constant threat.

Next fixtures: Essex (A) v Notts, Surrey (H) v Hampshire

Hampshire v Yorkshire: HAM won by five wickets

A well-deserved victory for hosts Hampshire to consign Yorkshire to defeat on their return to the top-flight. Despite bowling well to restrict Hampshire to 249 in their first innings, Jonny Bairstow’s side were always chasing the game after opting to bat and managing just 121. Kyle Abbott and Liam Dawson were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets apiece. The White Rose battled valiantly to give themselves hope after a determined Adam Lyth ton and 56 from captain Bairstow in the third innings, however Hampshire held their nerve to chase 148 on the third evening. Tom Prest’s brilliant 57 was the highlight, even though he fell one run shy of victory.

Next fixtures: Hampshire (A) v Surrey, Yorkshire (H) v Worcs

Nottinghamshire v Durham: NOTTS won by eight wickets

This impressive victory by the hosts was laid down by a brilliant effort of 579 all-out in the first innings at Trent Bridge. Though the likes of Ben Slater and Freddie McCann at the top were important in laying the foundations, it was the lower order that propelled the total to a match-winning score. Lyndon James was the star with 125 from number eight, while tailender Josh Tongue hit his highest first-class score in a patient knock of 55. Colin Ackermann deserves huge plaudits for crunching tons in both innings for Durham, but support from the other end was nowhere near enough to salvage a positive result. Australian quick Fergus O’Neill starred with match figures of 8/116 on his debut for Notts, while pacer Josh Tongue bolstered his England Test ambitions with 5/66 in Durham’s second innings. They then knocked off their target of 89 inside 18 overs as Haseeb Hameed and Joe Clarke finished unbeaten on 39 and 35 respectively.

Next fixtures: Notts (H) v Essex, Durham (H) v Warwickshire

Somerset v Worcestershire: DRAW

A truly extraordinary contest at Taunton saw the visitors salvage an unlikely draw after surviving for 200 overs to end 485/9. Basil D’Oliveira struck a resolute 121, while bowler Matthew Waite held firm to finish unbeaten on 87 from 270 balls. Number 11 Tom Hinley survived for 14.3 overs alongside Waite to deny Somerset victory after dominating the vast majority of the game. Worcestershire were bundled out for 154 inside two sessions when Kasey Aldridge claimed 5/36, before the highly-rated Tom Banton shattered all manner of records. His brutal knock of 371, featuring 56 fours and two sixes, is now the highest score in the county’s history after surpassing Justin Langer’s effort of 342 against Surrey in July 2006. An incredible stand of 371 between Banton and fellow centurion James Rew (152) also became the highest fifth-wicket partnership in Somerset’s history. Their mammoth total of 670/7d, however, was somehow not enough to claw them over the line. A great advert for English domestic cricket….

Next fixtures: Somerset (A) v Sussex, Worcs (A) v Yorkshire

Warwickshire v Sussex: DRAW

Despite quick bowler Ethan Bamber ripping through the Sussex top-order with three wickets early on day one, almost all of the remaining action was dominated by the blade on a flat Edgbaston track. Tom Clark and captain John Simpson starred with impressive hundreds in an imposing total of 528, before the hosts fought back in aggressive fashion. Bears skipper Alex Davies was the first to fall for a blistering 66, but fellow opener Rob Yates was able to convert a positive start into something more substantial with 115 as he recorded his 11th first-class century. Dan Mousley and Ed Barnard would add crucial fifties of their own in an effort of 454 all-out, only 76 adrift of Sussex. Any possible ideas of a positive result quickly faded away as Sussex were unable to press the accelerator soon enough in the third innings. They opted to declare on 313/7 from 85 overs following 82* from Tom Alsop, however Warwickshire had just 28 overs to face in response. You feel both sides will have left content…

Next fixtures: Warwickshire (A) v Durham, Sussex (H) v Somerset

Division 2

Derbyshire v Gloucestershire: DER win by nine wickets

A comprehensive victory setup by left-armer Luis Reece’s career-best figures of 10/97, including six wickets in the first innings to dismiss the visitors for 222. The hosts pressed home their advantage with 391 of their own to establish a healthy lead. Aussie Caleb Jewell starred with a rapid 61 (48) at the top on his county debut, before skipper Wayne Madsen struck 118 to pass 16,000 first-class runs and record his 40th ton in the format. Gloucestershire opener Ben Charlesworth made 110 in response, but another strong bowling effort by Mickey Arthur’s side left them with only 91 to chase. They sealed victory inside 20 overs for the loss of only David Lloyd as Jewell and Harry Came remained unbeaten.

Next fixtures: Derbyshire (A) v Leicestershire, Gloucestershire (H) v Glamorgan

Glamorgan v Leicestershire: LEI won by TEN wickets

After winning the toss and opting to field, the visitors bowled fantastically as a unit to knock over Glamorgan for 229 at Sophia Gardens. Chris Cooke provided the main resistance with 55, while Ian Holland and Ben Mike were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets apiece. Another huge collective effort with the bat continued their dominance as Sol Budinger, Lewis Hill, Peter Handscomb, Ben Cox and Chris Wright all struck half-centuries. Sri Lankan seamer Asitha Fernando was excellent with 4-71, as was Chris Gorvin (4-51), yet England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir struggled for control and remained wicketless on his first loan appearance for Glamorgan. Though Kiran Carlson’s ton (113) allowed Glamorgan to recover from a perilous position of 46-5 in the third innings, it was merely a consolation prize after conceding a mammoth 198-run lead in the opening two days. Rehan Ahmed was promoted to open alongside Budinger to knock off their meagre victory target of 51 in just six overs.

Next fixtures: Glamorgan (A) v Gloucestershire, Leicestershire (H) v Derbyshire

Middlesex v Lancashire: DRAW

A topsy-turvy contest that saw Lancashire survive to share the spoils at the home of cricket. After conceding a deficit of 99 runs on first innings, courtesy of a fantastic Marcus Harris hundred for the Red Rose, Middlesex played themselves back into a position of strength when they hit 407 in the third innings. Max Holden was the star with 184 from number three, but he was extremely well supported in century partnerships alongside Ryan Higgins (43) and Ben Geddes (74). This was despite Lancs reducing them to 7/3 when Tom Bailey ripped through the top order. The visitors began brilliantly in pursuit of 309 on the final day as openers Michael Jones and Keaton Jennings looked to be aggressive, however Middlesex soon found their groove with four wickets for 26 runs. Marcus Harris struck another fifty and Luke Wells added 47, however it was all-rounder Balderson and Will Williams who ensured they wouldn’t leave North-West London with a loss on their return to the second division. They safely negotiated the final eight overs without major alarm, despite the persistent threat of Pakistan off-spinner Zafar Gohar (3-64).

Next fixtures: Middlesex (A) v Kent, Lancashire (H) v Northants

Northamptonshire v Kent: Kent won by 145 runs

A low-scoring affair was concluded by South African seamer Keith Dudgeon’s impressive haul of 7/36 on his Kent debut to dismiss the hosts for 114. In a contest that featured three innings of less than 200 runs, Kent’s first effort of 231 happened to be the difference between the two sides. Tawanda Muyeye’s 72 in a 104-run stand with Jack Leaning was the highlight, meanwhile England opener Zak Crawley continued his poor run of form with 1 & 31. His place in the national XI is under huge scrutiny ahead of the first Test of the summer against Zimbabwe in May.

Next fixtures: Northants (A) v Lancashire, Kent (H) v Middlesex

All sides will return to Championship action on Friday April 11.