The third week of the Rothesay County Championship has been and gone, the final week in which all 18 counties were in action before the staggered break integrates itself into the season. There were wins for only Essex and Middlesex this week as rain swept across the country – forcing seven games into draws.
At the early stage of the season, Nottinghamshire and Sussex sit joint-top of the Division One table, while reigning champions Surrey sit seventh after three draws. In Division Two, Leicestershire and Kent are the early pace setters, occupying the promotion places, while title favourites Lancashire are languishing down in fifth after a lacklustre start to the season.
1. Alex Lees – Durham (172)
Ex-England opener Alex Lees made his first significant contribution to Durham’s 2025 season with a mammoth 172 against his home county, Yorkshire. The White Rose put a respectable 307 on the board in their first innings, but at the time Lees was finally dismissed, Durham sat pretty on 301-2. His partnership with Emilio Gay showcased exactly why the Chester-le-Street outfit had been tipped to threaten the top of the Division One table.
Captain Lees has become one of the most consistent run scorers in the country across recent years, making the successful move north at the end of 2018. The 32-year-old surpassed 11,000 runs in First Class cricket at the start of April – and combined with Durham’s stacked batting lineup – it is hard to see him slowing down anytime soon.
2. Tom Haines – Sussex (174 & 69*)
Tom Haines has had a remarkable start to the County Championship season, putting himself firmly in the conversation for an England Test debut this summer. The Sussex man has scored 141, 174 and 69 not out in his last three innings, taking his tally for the season to a championship best 449.
His 174 against champions Surrey was the determining factor in Sussex’s first innings 435, with only three other batsmen scoring more than 15. Despite the flat wicket that Hove provided, Haines showed quality to survive for seven and a half hours against a bowling attack consisting of Gus Atkinson, Dan Worrall, Jordan Clark and Matthew Fisher. The opener would eventually be bowled by Atkinson, chopping a good length ball onto the stumps.
3. Emilio Gay – Durham (152)
While Lees was piling on the runs at Chester-le-Street, Gay was at the other end, recording his first century in a Durham shirt. The pair came together for a 279-run partnership, falling just short of 70 overs long, as the number three lasted a whopping 335 minutes at the crease.
Gay, who celebrated his 25th birthday last week, scored 152 at a much-needed time. Having made the move from Northamptonshire over the winter, he scored three ducks in his first four innings of the season, falling far short of the high expectations the Italian international had set for himself. Despite his ventures into List A cricket with Italy, the ex-Northants man is another in a long line of potential England players in the coming years.
4. Dan Lawrence – Surrey (117) (1-87 & 0-36)
Dan Lawrence has started the season under par with bat in hand – as has most of Surrey’s lineup – with most of his success so far coming with the ball. The former England man has acted as Surrey’s main spinner, in response to the flat wickets both Essex and Sussex have served up so far. This week at Hove, Lawrence was able to make a statement in his traditional role, smashing 117 runs from just 111 balls, including six maximums along the way.
The number four was aided by another 80-plus score from opener Dom Sibley, as well as a century from England vice-captain Ollie Pope. A further 60 from Ben Foakes meant that Surrey sat on 420-5, just 15 runs behind their hosts first innings efforts. Lawrence’s ability and intent to move the game forwards on a flat wicket during a rain affected match gave supporters hope that a result could be squeezed out of the game.
5. Peter Handscomb – Leicestershire (142*)
Leicestershire’s exciting start to the 2025 campaign has been much of a team effort, with numerous players chipping in with result-altering contributions. Arguably a more important factor is Peter Handscomb’s calming influence as captain, with the 33-year-old returning to Grace Road to lead a fairly young side.
The ex-Australian international scored an unbeaten 142 at Old Trafford against a promising Lancashire attack, allowing the Foxes to declare with a 228-run lead at the innings break. His side had the Red Rose hanging by a thread on the evening of day three, as Logan van Beek and Ian Holland reduced them to 16-3, but the classic Manchester weather stole Leicestershire’s chances of coming away with a famous – and deserved – win.
6. Saif Zaib – Northamptonshire (105) (0-2)
In another rain-affected match, Northamptonshire looked in pole position to leave Derbyshire with a maximum 24-point haul. The hosts were bowled out for 307 before Luke Procter’s 150 allowed Northants to dictate the game.
So good was Procter’s work, all-rounder Saif Zaib arrived at the crease with his side four wickets down but already holding a two-run lead. Zaib went on to smash 105 from 90 deliveries, allowing his side to declare on 500-8 after he was eventually dismissed by Jack Morely. In the early rounds of the championship where draws will be common, Zaib’s blistering knock to secure extra bonus points could prove vital come the end of the season.
7. James Bracey (WK) – Gloucestershire (151* & 30*) (4 catches & 1 stumping)
James Bracey has had a remarkable return to form over recent years after the shambolic handling of his England call-up. Now batting as a regular in the middle order, Bracey went unbeaten across his two innings against Kent, with his first innings 151 undoubtedly the highlight. Combined with Gloucestershire debutant Cameron Green, the pair put on a 167-run partnership before the Australian retired hurt upon reaching triple figures.
With the gloves, Bracey was as trustworthy as ever, taking four catches from the 16 Kent wickets that fell in the match. The wicketkeeper would record his first stumping of the season when centurion Ben Compton came down the wicket to Graeme van Buuren, missing his defensive shot, allowing Bracey to collect easily and whip the bails off.
8. Fergus O’Neill – Nottinghamshire (50) (5-19 & 2-34)
Australian seamer Fergus O’Neill is somewhat unfortunate to have not made this list yet this season. The Victoria man has taken 18 wickets at an average of 14.72 across Nottinghamshire’s first three games, propelling himself into the minds of Australian selectors ahead of this winter’s Ashes series.
O’Neill – along with Brett Hutton – took five wickets in Warwickshire’s first innings, reducing the hosts to a measly 93 all out. The bowling figures of O’Neill were astonishing, racking up 14-6-19-5, while claiming the wickets of middle order trio Sam Hain, Dan Mousley and Ed Barnard. In Notts’ batting reply, O’Neill contributed with a half century from 53 balls, helping move the game further away from the opponents before rain intervened.
9. Tom Scriven – Leicestershire (16*) (5-46)
Leicestershire all-rounder Tom Scriven bagged his maiden First Class Five-wicket haul at Old Trafford, finishing Lancashire’s first innings with figures of 20-6-46-5. Scriven had taken the wickets of Marcus Harris and Matty Hurst, stopping the Lancashire fightback in its tracks and reducing them to 184-5.
After tea on day two, the 26-year-old would dismiss Luke Wells, George Balderson and Anderson Phillip within 11 balls, leaving tailenders Saqib Mahmood and John Turner at the crease. It was an innings long in the making for Scriven, who is quickly becoming a dependable championship all-rounder.
10. Nathan Gilchrist – Kent (1) (7-100 & 0-43)
Despite Kent conceding 472 to Gloucestershire, Nathan Gilchrist can walk away from the innings pleased with his individual performance. The 24-year-old has become a mainstay of the Kent seam attack over the last couple of seasons, with this week being one of his most prolific yet.
Gilchrist took seven wickets for just 100 runs, a career best bowling innings, taking the wickets of internationals Cameron Bancroft and the previously mentioned Green. The spell leaves Gilchrist just one short of reaching a century of First Class wickets, a feat that you feel is merely a step on his way to bigger things.
11. Jamie Porter – Essex (0 & 0*) (2-49 & 6-52)
The most controversial moment of the week came at Chelmsford as Jamie Porter wrapped up Essex’s 28-run victory over Worcestershire. Porter took a diving catch off his own bowling to dismiss the charging Ethan Brookes who was on 88 from 104 – 64 of which had come with number 11 Jacob Duffy at the crease. The batsman claimed that the ball was grounded, before Porter pointed at Brookes, causing commotion in the middle before the umpires resolved the situation and confirmed the dismissal.
Despite the scenes at the end of the game, it should not be forgotten how important Porter’s spell was. In the absence of partner in crime Sam Cook, Porter lead the attack and rattled through the Pears’ middle order, taking them from 162-5 to 192-8, especially decisive in a low-scoring affair.