County cricket: Notts are one win away from their first title in 15 years

1. Notts cut through Surrey’s knowhow

The showdown arrived early in sun-blessed south London, as Surrey and Nottinghamshire wrestled for the top spot in the County Championship going into the last round of matches. They did not let fans down and, one can but hope, gave pause to those considering more radical changes to the Championship format.

On the kind of pitch that The Oval has become in the 2020s – plenty for the bowlers early on, then flattening after a couple of days’ fun – a match worthy of its weight played out in weather rather better than elsewhere in the country.

After the two pace attacks had faced off, the game moved on swiftly with Notts ahead, but serial champions Surrey were confident of coming from behind. At the fall of the visitors’ sixth wicket in the second innings, their lead was a highly gettable 147 and Matt Fisher had nine scalps with power to add. Enter Lyndon James (47), Liam Patterson-White (58), Brett Hutton (42) and Josh Tongue (22).

Rory Burns had to endure opponents scoring the late-order runs that have so often driven his own team to success, but he would still have been confident walking to the crease with 315 to chase. He was walking even taller at the start of day four after he and Dom Sibley had knocked 66 off the target the previous evening. But the old script wasn’t to play out.

The champions were still favourites at 244 for five, but the single over of spin in the entire match was a game-changer. First Tom Curran, just starting to motor, was stumped by Kyle Verreynne off Patterson-White. Two runs later, Dan Lawrence departed for a round 50 and the pendulum had swung, never to return. Tongue finished off the resistance and held up the match ball as Nottinghamshire went 15 points clear, reduced to 14 after an over-rate penalty.

Nottinghamshire host Warwickshire at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, knowing a win will give them their first title since 2010; Surrey have a must-win-and-also-hope trip to the Utliita Bowl in Southampton.

Tom Lawes and Daniel Worrall know the title could be slipping through their fingers.

2. Organ stops Somerset

It’s even more of a dogfight at the other end of the table. As so often happens in sport, the very last opponents Hampshire needed to see 36 hours after a bit of a mauling in the Blast final were Somerset. Both XIs were changed, but scars are scars.

Spirits would have improved with five Somerset wickets in the bag before three figures were on the tins, but Tom Abell found a partner in Kasey Aldridge and their 221-run stand gave the home side a grip on the match they were never to relinquish.

Shot out in just above 50 overs by Jack Leach (what an asset he is to his county), Hampshire must have trodden wearily to the crease to follow on, grateful for the first-day washout.

Some old-fashioned digging in was required and, to their immense credit, that’s exactly what the batters delivered. Nick Gubbins lasted nearly four hours for his 37, Ben Brown over two and half for his 36, and Felix Organ a heroically self-denying 94 minutes for his four. Hampshire wriggled free.

Both clubs have suffered deductions this season, Somerset’s four points extinguishing their faint hope of a late run for the pennant, but Hampshire’s confiscated eight leaves them just two above the trapdoor. And Surrey, needing a win, are another not so welcome sight rolling into town.

3. Winning pays off in Division Two

Hands up who had Leicestershire and Glamorgan to finish first and second to secure promotion from Division Two?

Their six and five wins, respectively, outgun all of their rivals, with only Middlesex’s four going above a brace. After a few years in which there have been too many draws in the second flight, positive cricket has been rewarded and, though it’ll be much harder to repeat in 2026, I hope both counties retain their approaches.

4. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it

This column has long argued that there’s not much wrong with county cricket that can’t be solved by a bit of luck with the weather, rigorous cost control and a faintly sympathetic calendar.

A glance at the Division One table is evidence enough to make the point. Going into the final week, Nottinghamshire or Surrey (and, yes, I am aware of their player recruitment policies) could win it and any one of Sussex, Essex, Yorkshire, Hampshire or Durham could join Worcestershire in Division Two. And that’s betting without any points deductions levied by the blazers.

Rather like The Flashman Papers, the Championship needs contextual footnotes to appreciate it fully, but it’s worth making the effort. Whatever is decided for 2026, it must retain the scale of its canvas if we are to see its beauty in all its glory.

5. Orr shows his mettle

Grey skies and a very disappointing crowd greeted the players as they took the field at Trent Bridge for the One-Day Cup final. The semi-finals were three weeks earlier, so I can’t have been alone in having to look up the teams – Worcestershire v Hampshire as it happens – on the train up to Nottingham. Great sport, even merely good sport, creates its own sense of occasion and a knowledgeable and committed public were soon delivering their side of the bargain.

Under low slate skies, Hampshire made 237 off 45 overs, twice interrupted by rain. It was tricky to know if it was a good score or not, Ali Orr hitting their only two sixes and adding 10 fours – two more than the rest of his colleagues put together. His 110 off 130 balls compared well with their 111 off 142, making the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern adjusted target of 188 off 27 overs tough to assess as gettable or tricky.

Algorithms set aside, credit to the Worcestershire bowlers, whose changes of pace and skilfully nailed yorkers enabled them to concede just 24 runs from their last five overs, giving their batters the edge at the turnaround.

Henry Cullen and Matthew Waite celebrate as Worcestershire win the One-Day Cup final.

6. A poignant presentation for Worcestershire

Superb stuff from Hampshire substitute Tom Prest, who – alert to the possibilities at third man – dived forward to catch a shot from Gareth Roderick. Fielders are often happy to retreat and take the ball on the bounce to prevent the boundary but Prest committed early, ran hard and got his reward. More players should do the same.

A thriller emerged in the gloom, as DLS delivered a tremendous finish that swung this way and that. Hampshire supporters may disagree after they were waylaid at the death for the second Saturday in a row. Worcestershire kept swinging for the bleachers and hit them often enough.

Ethan Brookes, with 57 off 34 balls, and Matthew Waite (16 off five) were the heroes but, essentially, it was a victory for the brave. Worcestershire won the six-count eight to two with four batters clearing the ropes to Hampshire’s one. That was in spite of losing wickets to the big shots – say what you like about just knocking it around, it’s not how it’s played these days and innings like this show why.

Two other heroes deserve a mention. Firstly, the ground staff who were tireless across a long day, handling wet covers in the dirtiest of weather. We don’t thank them enough.

Secondly, the parents of Josh Baker, the Worcestershire cricketer who died in 2024 and who was memorialised on his team’s shirts, the JB33 Foundation over the heart of every player for every ball. They were there to celebrate with the players and to lift the trophy after Henry Cullen, Josh’s great friend, hit the winning runs. Sport really is the most important thing that doesn’t really matter.