The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and Opinions
It’s been another wonderful season of county cricket, one well worth looking back at. Here is a review of each team’s performance, starting with those in Division Two of the County Championship.
9th – Derbyshire
Another struggle for Derbyshire in which they won just seven of their thirty-eight matches in all competitions. Although they only lost four times in the Championship, they failed to win a single game and finished bottom of the second division. They finished seventh in their group in both the One Day Cup and the T20 Blast.
Without Mark Footitt, their bowling attack has been severely weakened whilst their batting relies far too much on Wayne Madsen. If they are to be more competitive next season then several signings are needed and the first of those, Gary Wilson from Surrey, has already been announced.
8th – Glamorgan
A familiar season for the Welshmen. After a fourth place finish in the Championship last year they were back towards the bottom this time around. Their one positive to take from the season was their performance in the T20 Blast where they lost just three times in the group stages. However, a thrashing by Yorkshire in the Quarter Finals put paid to any hope of reaching Finals Day for a second time.
7th- Leicestershire
To say that the last few seasons have been difficult ones for Leicestershire would be something of an understatement. A much needed rebuilding job began with the signings of experienced batsmen Neil Dexter, Paul Horton and Mark Pettini and their early season form helped the side make a good start and that was enough to ensure they didn’t finish bottom of the County Championship for a fourth consecutive year.
There’s a lot of work still to do however, Leicestershire struggled in both white ball formats and although they remain England’s most successful T20 side, they don’t look like winning another title any time soon.
6th – Gloucestershire
A mid-table finish for Gloucestershire, something they have become accustomed to in recent years. Their biggest disappointment may well be their failure to defend their One Day Cup title, winning just twice and being eliminated in the group stages. They were stronger in the T20 Blast, winning more points than anyone else in the group stages but failed to take that good form in to the knockouts, losing to Durham in the Quarter Finals.
5th- Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire continued their fantastic white ball form by claiming their second T20 title in three years. Ben Duckett had a phenomenal season in all formats and has been rewarded with a place on England’s winter tour. However, it would be wrong to single out just one player as key to their success. Northants are testament to how teams with spirit, coaching and instruction can defeat squads with far more money.
However, after losing David Willey to Yorkshire last summer, Olly Stone has followed suit and joined Warwickshire. If Northants continue to lose their best players, how long can their success continue?
4th- Sussex
Having been dramatically relegated at the end of last season, Sussex will be disappointed not to have returned to the top flight at the first attempt. Steve Magoffin continued to lead the attack, but injuries along with the tragic death of Matt Hobden left him bereft of support. Finishing bottom of their group in the One Day Cup after winning just once was a real low point. However, with the reappearance of the second promotion spot and more luck with injuries, Sussex still have a squad more than capable of returning to Division One next season.
3rd- Worcestershire
An up-and-down season if ever there was one. Four straight victories to kick of their T20 campaign had fans dreaming of a first ever appearance at Finals Day but their form slumped and they failed to get out of their group. Consecutive defeats in the County Championship before their disappointing One Day Cup defeat to Somerset effectively ended their season a month early. However, they won their final two games to finish in third place. Not a bad summer but they need an experienced player or two to complement their promising youngsters if they’re to compete for promotion next year.
2nd – Kent
A good season for Kent, a big improvement on last year when they finished seventh. Sam Northeast had a fantastic season and with Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Billings also on the books there, they have an exciting batting line-up emerging. They can count themselves unlucky not to be playing in Division One next year but they have the potential to be there the season after.
1st – Essex
A fantastic season for who Essex who finally managed to win promotion from Division 2. After finishing third in each of the last three seasons, with only one promotion place available this time Essex were going to have to raise their game, and raise it they did. Nick Browne and Tom Westley scored mountains of runs at the top of the order, Graham Napier and David Masters continued to work wonders with the ball, as they have done for years, and the side were brilliantly led by Ryan ten Doeschate.
They were successful with the white ball too, qualifying for the knockout stages in both formats and although they were twice losing Quarter-Finalists, their main aim at the start of the season was achieved with a couple of games to spare. However, the retirements of Napier and Masters, two county cricket stalwarts, leaves two huge holes that will need to be filled if they are to stand a chance of survival in Division One.
