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England pack the heavy artillery for Australia
And a left-field choice in Will Jacks. Ali with the lowdown.
14-match Championship to continue
With one breath left in the season, clarity at last. The counties have voted to reject the proposed changes to the Championship structure, so the 14-match, two tier competition remains until (I was told) 2031 at the earliest.
Those in favour of reform needed 12 counties to vote for the new structure, a number they failed to gather when the votes came in.
Dickie Bird 1933-2025
Some sad news yesterday, with the announcement of the death of Dickie Bird. A man without side whose dedication to the game was both tender and moving. RIP Dickie in your white coat in the sky.
Vic and Hoppsy did him proud:
Division Two table
1 Leicestershire 218 Champions
2 Glamorgan 189 promoted
3 Derbyshire 164
4 Gloucestershire 163
5 Middlesex 159
6 Lancashire 153
7 Northamptonshire 140
8 Kent 113
Division One table
1 Nottinghamshire 203
2 Surrey 189
3 Somerset 179
4 Warwickshire 168
5 Sussex 150
6 Essex 150
7 Yorkshire 146
8 Hampshire 142
9 Durham 140
10 Worcestershire 100 relegated
Fixtures
Chelmsford: Essex v Somerset
Southampton: Hampshire v Surrey
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire
New Road: Worcestershire v Sussex
Headingley: Yorkshire v Durham
DIVISION TWO
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Lancashire
Canterbury: Kent v Derbyshire
Lord’s: Middlesex v Gloucestershire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Leicestershire
Preamble
Good morning from a bright autumnal day in the north, the dog’s belly wet from the heavy dew, sunflowers straining for one last show. Somehow, we’re here again, the final round of the County Championship.
And, as luck might have it, there is (nearly) all to play for. After last week’s umbrella gnawer at The Oval, Notts go into the final round with a 14-point lead, needing a maximum of ten points to knock second-placed Surrey off their perch. Surrey need a win and for Notts to crumble under pressure.
At the other end of the table, relegation candidates Yorkshire and Durham fight it out at Headingley. Ten points will keep Yorkshire north of the drop, while Hampshire, Sussex and Essex also sit nervously with their calculators.
We already know that Leicestershire are champions and rise to Division One alongside Glamorgan, and that Worcestershire play their last match in the top tier.
Play starts at 10.30am round the grounds, do join us for one last hurrah.
