The seventh week of the Rothesay County Championship saw surprises across the board as all 18 counties returned to action. Runaway leaders Nottinghamshire fell to a seven-wicket defeat at Chester-le-Street as Durham recorded their first home win of the season. The result means that Surrey now sit three points behind the Trent Bridge outfit after their emphatic innings and 28 run victory at home to Yorkshire. Bottom of the table Worcestershire grabbed their first win of the season with 225 runs separating themselves and Essex.
In Division Two, Leicestershire extended their lead at the top with a seven-wicket win over Middlesex at Lord’s. In-form Glamorgan have moved into third place after a comfortable home victory over Northamptonshire, with the latter falling to the bottom of the table, while Gloucestershire found their first success of the year with home victory over Kent.
1. Haseeb Hameed – Nottinghamshire (206* & 13)
Haseeb Hameed has started the 2025 campaign in scintillating form. The former England opener has scored 695 runs – the most in the top division – averaging a staggering 99.28. Still only 28-years-old, Hameed surpassed 8,000 First Class runs during his six-hour knock against Durham.
After a 104-run opening partnership with Ben Slater, Hameed stood at the other end while Nottinghamshire endured a mini-collapse and fell to 140-4. Cameos from Kyle Verreynne and Brett Hutton helped the Notts total increase, but nobody came close to Hameed’s unbeaten 206. Perhaps a contrast to the batter that England fans remember from 2021, the Nottinghamshire captain scored his runs at a strike rate above 85, showcasing more freedom at the crease than earlier in his career.
2. Luke Wells – Lancashire (141 & 50) (1-40 & 0-13)
Lancashire’s lacklustre start to the season saw the Red Rose make drastic changes after defeat at Northamptonshire last week, but maybe the best change of all was to move Luke Wells back to the top of the order. The former Sussex man had formed a dangerous partnership with Keaton Jennings in previous years, but had moved down to number six in order to allow Michael Jones and Matthew Hurst to bat in the top five.
Wells was back to his old self at Old Trafford. His 141 set the platform for the hosts to post a sizeable 458 on a slow Manchester pitch. By the time the opener was dismissed, Lancashire sat on 244-5, just six runs shy of achieving their first bonus batting point with 21.4 overs left before the cut off. With Derbyshire narrowly avoiding the follow-on, Wells was forced to bat for a second time in the match, posting a 65-ball half-century as Marcus Harris’ men aimed to push for a declaration early on day four.
3. Emilio Gay – Durham (104 & 0)
In a Jekyll & Hyde start to the season, Emilio Gay notched his second century in a Durham shirt with a gritty 104 against Nottinghamshire. Normally batting at three, the Italian came to the crease with his side 156-2, thanks in part to 17-year-old nightwatchman James Minto sticking around to score 67 from 113 deliveries.
Gay’s century was all that of a classic number three’s innings with the three figures coming up after five-hours in the middle, coming at a strike rate of 47. In response to Hameed’s monstrous innings, Gay and wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson forged a 127-run stand, taking the hosts to 402-5, just five runs behind the visitors’ initial blow. His second hundred of the season, Gay’s only regret could be that he did not kick on to record a larger score.
4. Cameron Green – Gloucestershire (128 & 67*)
Cameron Green’s arrival in Bristol has been well documented. The Australian all-rounder was a marquee – and maybe surprising – signing for Gloucestershire, with the county being aided by a ‘significant donation’ from a member in order to get the deal over the line. The member in question will have no regrets over his financial contribution after Green’s match-winning performance against Kent.
Batting at five, Green scored 128 and was one-half of a 222-run partnership with fellow centurion James Bracey, moving the hosts from an uncomfortable position into a dominant one. The value of Green’s runs are somewhat inflated due to the Australian’s recent back injury ruling him out of any bowling, but the 25-year-old would produce again in the fourth innings. Chasing 162, Gloucestershire found themselves 57-4, but the all-rounder remained at the crease to post 67 not out and guide his side to victory with three wickets in hand, with no other batsman posting more than 19.
5. Jonny Bairstow – Yorkshire (89 & 77)
After Yorkshire’s innings defeat at Surrey, it was confirmed newly installed captain Jonny Bairstow will miss their upcoming clash with Nottinghamshire. Bairstow will instead replace Will Jacks in the Mumbai Indians squad for the remainder of the Indian Premier League season, due to Jacks’ upcoming England commitments. Currently occupying the second relegation spot, Yorkshire will certainly feel the impact of losing an in-form Bairstow.
The 35-year-old fell agonisingly short of a 32nd First Class century at The Oval, falling to the part time spin of Dan Lawrence. His innings did hold together a Yorkshire side that never threatened the defending champions, with six batsmen falling for single-digit scores. Facing an innings-break deficit of 257, Bairstow and James Wharton offered hope of a northern revival down south, but as soon as the latter was dismissed by Matthew Fisher, Yorkshire’s captain was fighting a lone battle. The White Rose collapsed from 167-3 to 229 all out, with Bairstow falling to another part timer in Ryan Patel as he looked to force the hosts to bat again.
6. Ollie Robinson (WK) – Durham (141) (7 catches)
Already mentioned for his stand with Gay, Ollie Robinson was Durham’s top scorer at Chester-le-Street with 141. After the dismissal of the number three, Robinson formed another strong partnership with all-rounder Graham Clark. The duo combined for 162 runs during their time in the middle, with Clark himself also reaching three figures with 121. Part of the England touring side in New Zealand over the winter, Robinson’s 10th First Class ton came at a strike rate of 74.
England’s obsession with the profile of their wicketkeeper is an age-old debate. Jos Buttler and Bairstow were trialled as Adam Gilchrist-like ‘keepers who could take the game away from the opposition, with Ben Foakes selected for his glove work. While James Rew is in the current England squad – and with Jordan Cox missing out again through injury – it is hard to see where Robinson fits in, although he may be the most well-rounded option when it comes to balancing the two disciplines.
7. Grant Stewart – Kent (182 & 41) (2-54)
June 27th, 2018. South Korea had just beaten Germany 2-0 in the World Cup, Shotgun by George Ezra was top of the UK charts and Alastair Cook was still a Test cricketer. It was also the day that Grant Stewart scored 103 from 74 against Middlesex to post his only First Class century. 2,515 days later in Bristol, he had his second.
Batting at number eight - but seven for the sake of this side - Stewart scored at just under a run a ball to take the visitors from 137-6 to 401-7. The importance of the knock cannot be understated. Former Warwickshire man Chris Benjamin posted 93, but no other Canterbury-based batter troubled Gloucestershire’s attack. Kent posted 424, a more than respectable score away from home before Green and Bracey counterattacked. Despite the result, Stewart’s efforts did secure Kent four batting bonus points, four more than many would have predicted after the top order were quickly dealt with.
8. Jordan Clark – Surrey (69) (3-31 & 4-45)
Surrey’s bowling attack is always hard to predict considering the sheer start power that resides at The Oval. Taking away a quarter of part-timers, Surrey have already used 10 bowlers in the County Championship this season. That in mind, Jordan Clark’s availability to become an ever-present in this side makes him one of the most quietly important players in the country. Clark currently has 22 wickets at an average of 23.3 this season, 10 more wickets than any other Surrey man.
On day one against Yorkshire, the 34-year-old conceded just 31 runs from 16.4 overs, arguably a more impressive figure than the three wickets he collected. In the second innings, Clark snatched the huge wicket of Adam Lyth, immediately pushing the visitors onto the back foot, before taking the second new ball early on day four to finish off the Yorkshire innings. With bat in hand, the ex-Lancashire man showed his worth with a classy 69, moving Surrey into a position where the innings victory was on the cards.
9. Matthew Waite – Worcestershire (73 & 8) (3-34 & 6-19)
Maybe the quirkiest stat to come from the weekend’s play, Worcestershire finally secured their first batting bonus points of the season – three of them for that matter. Another first innings collapse looked on the cards as the lower order were once again asked to salvage the seemingly impossible. In a contrast to his staunch defence on the opening weekend at Somerset, Matthew Waite played freely and aggressively to score 73 from 91 deliveries.
His most important contribution came with the ball as the all-rounder claimed his second five-wicket haul in red ball cricket. Waite finished the second Essex innings with career-best figures of 6-19, aiding his career-best match figures of 9-53. Worcestershire’s leading wicket taker dismissed set opener Charlie Allison and first innings top scorer Robin Das, before returning to blitz the lower order. He took four of the final five wickets, including two in four balls to wrap up the game, handing the Pears their first win of the season.
10. Kyle Abbott – Hampshire (14 & 25*) (5-47 & 3-44)
Kyle Abbott has had a fantastic start to 2025, sitting proudly at the top of the Division One wicket taking charts. Abbott, who played 11 Tests for South Africa in the mid-2010’s, has claimed 31 poles across 12 innings so far, averaging an astonishing 16.64. His opening spell against Warwickshire was crucial, reducing the Bears to 30-3 after sending Rob Yates and nightwatchman Oliver Hannon-Dalby back to the pavilion. The South Africa man would return to claim the destructive middle order trio of Sam Hain, Beau Webster and Ed Barnard.
He would take three more wickets in the second innings, dismissing Yates and Hain again, this time adding New Zealand batsman Tom Latham to an already impressive collection. James Fuller claimed his own fifer, while John Turner grabbed two wickets, meaning Abbott missed out on a 10-wicket haul for the match, but his efforts had already moved Hampshire into pole position for the win.
11. Ajeet Singh Dale – Gloucestershire (2) (7-110 & 2-69)
Gloucestershire paceman Ajeet Singh Dale bagged his second five-wicket haul in his five-year career, claiming best figures of 7-110. The fiery spell has moved the 24-year-old into joint second on the list of wicket takers in Division Two, having taken 22 wickets along with Nathan Gilchrist and Toby Roland-Jones. The form has earned him a call-up to the England Lions squad for two four-day games against India A next month.
Ben Compton, Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jack Leaning quickly departed to the bowling of Singh Dale, reducing the visitors to 64-4. The lower order revival – led by Stewart – somewhat dented the Englishman’s figures, although he would claim three wickets for 13 runs at the end of the innings. Wickets were much more evenly spread across Kent’s second visit to the crease, but Singh Dale’s ability to take wickets in clusters allowed Gloucestershire to remain in the match before the heroics of Green.