The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and Opinions
It’s been another wonderful season of county cricket, one well worth looking back at. Earlier today, The Sports Lowdown brought you a review of Division 2, now we’ll take a look at Division 1.
9th – Nottinghamshire
A disastrous campaign for Nottinghamshire. Their opening round win in the County Championship was their only one of the season as they were relegated to Division Two after a ten year stay in the top flight. Only in the T20 competition did Nottinghamshire consistently produce the kinds of performances they are capable of. They lost just twice on their way to Finals Day before bowing out in the Semi Finals to eventual winners Northants. On the whole though, a team packed full of talented players severely underperformed and it cost Mick Newell his job as director of cricket. That position will pass to former England coach Peter Moores and he will have work to do to ensure Nottinghamshire quickly return to the first division.
8th – Hampshire
This was the season in which Hampshire’s luck run out. Having survived last year by just two points, this time around they finished ten points adrift. They had safety in their own hands but defeat to Durham in their final match sealed their fate. Traditionally more successful with the white ball, Hampshire failed to reach Finals Day for the first time since 2009 and they were no better in the One Day Cup. A season to forget, for sure.
7th – Lancashire
Lancashire escaped by the skin of their teeth, despite losing their final game of the season. They didn’t win in the County Championship after May and had to rely on Hampshire’s similarly poor form to survive. They didn’t come close to defending their T20 title and struggled too in the One Day Cup. The performance of Haseeb Hameed was perhaps their only bright spark in a difficult season. His performance with the bat has led to an England call up at the age of nineteen. They surely start as one of the favourites for relegation next season, several signings are needed to avoid that.
6th – Warwickshire
A poor season for the Bears in the County Championship but an emphatic final round victory over Lancashire ensured their survival. They struggled too in the T20 Blast but found their form in the One Day Cup. Led by ex-England batsmen Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott and backed up by a strong bowling attack, they found a formula that worked for them. They improved as the competition went on and swept Surrey aside in the final to clinch the trophy. Warwickshire have now won all three titles in the last five years.
5th – Surrey
A season of two halves for Surrey. They didn’t win any of their first seven County Championship games but lost just once after recording their first victory. What looked like an immediate return to Division Two turned in to a solid fifth place finish. Although they exited the T20 Blast in the group stages, another impressive performance in the One Day Cup led them to their second consecutive final. However, they were well beaten by Warwickshire and finished as runners up once more.
4th – Durham
Durham battled financial problems to finish in a very respectable fourth place. They had a great run in the T20 Blast, reaching Finals Day for only the second time before losing to Northamptonshire in the final. They were very unlucky to miss out on the knockout stages of the One Day Cup, finishing with the same amount of points as four other teams and going out on Net Run Rate. Durham’s biggest issues lie off the pitch however. Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick have both joined Surrey and it is unlikely they’ll have the money to replace such quality players. They still face a possible points deduction that could even lead to relegation as a result of their bailout from the ECB. Whatever division they are playing in next season, it promises to be a challenging one.
3rd – Yorkshire
Yorkshire couldn’t have come much closer to claiming a third successive County Championship title. Although they finished third in the end, had they defeated Middlesex in the final game of the season that would have been enough to with first once more. Although they missed out on another title, that final game was a fitting send off to Jason Gillespie, a man who has transformed the county’s fortunes. Whilst Gillespie hasn’t had the same success in white ball cricket, this year Yorkshire were much improved, reaching the Semi Finals of both competitions.
2nd – Somerset
Despite narrowly missing out on their first ever County Championship title, this has been a great season for Somerset. They won their final three games of the season to top the table with a day to go but missed out as a result of Middlesex’s victory over Yorkshire. The season didn’t start off well, their T20 campaign was disastrous and a succession of draws in the County Championship had the team in real danger of relegation. However, they turned things around in the One Day Cup, topping their group and hammering Worcestershire in the Quarter Finals before being beaten by Yorkshire. It will take a while for Somerset to get over the manner in which they missed out on being county champions but when they do they can take pride in some wonderful performances during the second half of the season.
1st – Middlesex
Middlesex claimed their first County Championship title in twenty-three years in the most dramatic of fashions. Toby Roland-Jones’ hat-trick sealed a 61-run victory over Yorkshire in a winner-takes-all finale, a fitting conclusion to a wonderful season. They finished the season as the only team across both divisions to remain unbeaten. They were less successful in one day cricket but did manage to reach the knockout stages of the T20 for the first time since they won it in 2008.
