Final County Champs Round Up

So another, perhaps the last proper, county season has come to an end (well Sussex have still to play Surrey, but it makes no odds as far as the championship or relegation are concerned).

In Division One neither of the bottom two sides playing could pull off the win that might have saved their Div 1 bacon. Staffs lost by seven wickets to Middlesex; and Somerset lost by 87 runs to Warwickshire. That win took Warwickshire up to second in the table, as Sussex, for the second year in succession, made the 600 mile round trip to Harrogate in north Yorkshire, for the game to be called off without a ball being bowled. At the top Kent, already champions, completed a nervy victory over Berkshire, having been bowled out for 165, they then bowled Berkshire out for 139 to win by 26 runs.

Division One

In Division Two it will be Lancashire and Notts that come straight back into Div 1 for the 2017 season, having both been relegated last year. Notts made it with ease beating Worcestershire by 61 runs, having put 239/9 on the board. Lancs however had more of a struggle. First they had to wait for the rain to clear and the pitch to dry, and then, having bowled Wales out for just 79, in a match reduced to 35 overs, they plunged to 23/6 in reply. But Sophie Ecclestone rose to the occasion with 42* batting at 7, to take Lancs over the line seven down, and keep Hants in Div 2 for a second year. Hants had done what they could by beating relegated Essex by 50 runs, and Essex will be joined in Div 3 by Leicestershire, promoted last year from Div 3, but returning straight back as they lost their last game to Devon by 137 runs. 

Division Two 

Quite what 2017 holds for county cricket is unclear. The ECB have announced that the KSL will be extended to the 50 over format in games to be played before the World Cup in England in June. It is difficult to see many KSL players playing county cricket as well as 50 over KSL, and none of the potential England squad are likely to be available until after the World Cup finishes. The KSL T20 competition will then again be run in August. County cricket looks like it will be squeezed out of the equation. We shall see!

MD
05/IX/16