The conclusion of week eight of Rothesay County Championship action also brought with it the end of the opening block of the season. Starting from Thursday, the 18 counties will lock away their whites, instead donning the colourful attire of the Vitality Blast. After seven games, it is Nottinghamshire who have sprung a surprise to sit atop of the Division One table, extending their lead with a 163-run win over Yorkshire at Headingley. The White Rose join Worcestershire as the two sides occupying the relegation spots.
In Division Two, it is an exciting Leicestershire side who sit 31-points clear at the summit. The Foxes picked up their fifth win of the season with an innings and three run victory at home to Lancashire. East Midlands neighbours Derbyshire are somewhat unexpectedly sat in second, also recording their own innings victory against Kent. Kent prop up the table, although do remain within seven points of Lancashire, Middlesex and Northamptonshire.
1. Caleb Jewell – Derbyshire (232)
After scoring five half-centuries in his first six innings of the season, Caleb Jewell had endured a minor lean patch, averaging 27.5 across his last seven innings. This week, the 28-year-old saw a return of the form that Derbyshire fans had gotten used to seeing, scoring a career-best 232 against Kent. It is Jewell’s first ton since his 100 not out for Tasmania against New South Wales two months ago, although this one coming further up the order.
The Incora County Ground has served up some flat pitches in 2025, with the home side scoring north of 300 in four of their six home innings so far – including 472 and 587-5 declared. Jewell’s natural stroke play is a perfect match for the Falcons, with his fast starts often allowing the more traditional Harry Came (who scored 89) and Wayne Madsen (100) to settle in around him. The Hobart-born batsman will certainly be on the radar of Australian selectors ahead of a busy year of Test cricket.
2. Ben Compton – Kent (156 & 49)
Batting on the same pitch as Jewell, Ben Compton also made sure to cash in, although was not rewarded with the same application from his teammates. It feels some time ago that the Kent opener was mooted as a possible England candidate, reaching 1,000 First Class runs before the end of May in 2022, including a century against New Zealand while batting for a County Select XI.
The opener scored short of half of Ken’s first innings runs in the East Midlands, while Daniel Bell-Drummond’s 61 was the only other individual score to exceed 19. Compton has been a much-needed mainstay at the top of the batting order. Zak Crawley’s England exploits opened the door for wicketkeeper Harry Finch to open the batting, but a lack of runs means that 39-year-old Joe Denly now partners the third-highest run scorer in the division.
3. Rehan Ahmed – Leicestershire (136)
The County Championship always throws up surprises, shake ups of the order and new talent year on year, but not many would have predicted Rehan Ahmed would have a duo of centuries during the first two months of the season. In a Leicestershire side that has found extreme success with their seam attack, Ahmed has been utilised as a batsman who can bowl as fifth or even sixth bowler, as opposed to the first-choice leg-spinner he has become for the England Test side. Despite this, he has taken seven wickets at an average of 22 in 2025.
Both centuries coming against Lancashire, Ahmed was able to set up a comprehensive victory at Grace Road. The England man enjoyed a 256-run partnership with former captain Lewis Hill, who scored 119 himself, taking the hosts 74 runs ahead of their opponents by the time it was broken. With ball in hand, Ahmed bowled with control to restrict his second innings economy to a mere 2.0 an over.
4. Sam Hain – Warwickshire (86 & 87*)
Perhaps unlucky not to score a 20th First Class century at New Road, Sam Hain seemed to be batting on a different pitch to everyone else. The Hong Kong-born batsman posted 86 in the first innings, falling short of the three figures as the final five Warwickshire wickets quickly tumbled in the space of 5.4 overs. He would go one run closer – and unbeaten – in the second innings, this time being left stranded at the final three Bears wickets departed for just 15 runs.
Chasing 327 runs for an unlikely victory, Worcestershire looked to be on the ropes at 181-8 before rain intervened to force the draw. Hain’s batting efforts were the only real difference between two sides that both saw their seamers flourish and their batsman flounder. A welcome return to form, his first innings 50 was the first time the ex-England man had reached the milestone this season.
5. Charlie Allison – Essex (0 & 140)
After being clean bowled by older brother Ben for a duck last week, Charlie Allison’s time at the top of the Essex order had come to an end. Despite looking technically sound, along with some promising shots, the 20-year-old averaged 17.1 as an opener from nine innings. His move down to number four in the Essex order may have been a defensive move, but it may just have unlocked his undoubted ability.
Despite falling for a duck in the first innings, Allison bounced back to score his maiden First Class century. The ton came against a bowling attack consisting of Dan Worrall, Sam Curran, Nathan Smith and Jamie Overton, and almost set his side up for victory. His score meant that the defending champions were asked to chase 418, and with rain interrupting the match with Surrey 289-7, the Chelmsford-based outfit will be disappointed not to claim victory at The Oval.
6. Saif Zaib – Northamptonshire (159 & 56) (0-34 & 0-3)
A handy all-rounder who can sometimes struggle with inconsistencies, Saif Zaib has made a fantastic start to Northamptonshire’s 2025 season. Batting at six, Zaib has scored three centuries already this season, doubling his number of red-ball tons inside an eight-week period.
Coming to the crease at 57-4, Zaib was aided by James Sales and Calvin Harrison both making scores north of 50 to claw Northants away from danger. Scoring 159, the all-rounder took the hosts to 469 all out, taking the game by the scruff of the neck and securing four batting bonus points in the process. The game eventually petered out into a draw, but Zaib’s improvements with the bat have been a bright spark in an otherwise dim Northamptonshire season.
7. John Simpson (WK) – Sussex (106*) (2 catches)
Making this side more times than anybody else this season, John Simpson has embodied Sussex’s fighting spirit since moving to the South Coast. Taking over as captain at Hove, Simpson has moulded his side into one of the most exciting in the country, although like anyone else, can be prone to a batting collapse.
It was Simpson’s work with the bat that most impressed this week, scoring an unbeaten 106 to go within touching distance of victory on day two. In response to Hampshire’s 154, Sussex were reduced to 83-5 as Simpson partnered with all-rounder Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who scored 74 himself. The duo moved the Sharks score to 256-6 in a stand that lasted almost 60 overs. Despite reaching three figures, the captain was unable to move the total any further along as the final four wickets fell for just a single run.
8. Jack Carson – Sussex (16) (1-21 & 5-26)
With his batting being the highlight of his 2025 so far, Jack Carson has made this team after claiming his first five-wicket haul of the season. After a four-wicket haul at Edgbaston on opening weekend, Carson had struggle to take wickets – although he does feature in a side that has featured Hudson-Prentice, Ollie Robinson and Jayden Seales.
The Northern Irishman bowled just four overs in the Hampshire first innings, trapping Nick Gubbins LBW. His second innings all but confirmed a derby day win after Simpson’s heroics, bowling 10 overs to take Hampshire wickets five through to nine, eliminating any slim prospect of a lower order revival posting a challenging target. Most importantly, Carson grabbed the big wicket of Liam Dawson – set on 48 at the time – in what felt like a hammer blow to the hosts. If not for Shoaib Bashir’s own return at Trent Bridge, maybe Carson’s performance would be of higher attention to those in charge.
9. Logan van Beek – Leicestershire (15) (3-38 & 4-61)
Over its history, the County Championship has had some iconic overseas signings. Maybe these players are not in the world’s elite group of players, but they come back year on year and adapt to whatever conditions are on offer. For me, Logan van Beek is certainly in that position. The Dutchman currently plies his trade at Leicestershire, taking the new ball alongside Ian Holland to lead an inexperienced bowling attack. The duo have taken 54 wickets between them so far with Holland averaging 17.1 to van Beek’s 23.7.
Against Lancashire, van Beek grabbed the wickets of Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings on day one, breaking a 74-run opening partnership to bring two fresh batsmen to the crease. While the latter went on to score 112 at the second time of asking, van Beek sent Wells back to the pavilion for a second time, this time adding the dangerous trio of Josh Bohannon, Marcus Harris and George Bell to his list. Despite not taking a fifer in the opening block of the season, van Beek has taken at least three wickets on five occasions this season, displaying his consistency that is so often lauded.
10. Matt Kuhnemann – Glamorgan (6*) (1-22 & 6-53)
Named in Australia’s 15-man squad for the World Test Championship final yet unlikely to play, Matt Kuhnemann has taken the opportunity to play alongside Marnus Labuschagne at Glamorgan. The leg-spinner signed in Cardiff to play a single game against Middlesex, certainly making an impact in his sole appearance.
Kuhnemann took six wickets in Middlesex’s second innings, including top order batsmen Max Holden, Sam Robson and Leus du Plooy – also dismissing du Plooy in the first innings. The Queensland man bowled 22.3 overs as the men from Lords’ narrowly avoided an innings defeat, instead setting a target of 8 for Glamorgan to chase down. It has been a challenging few months for Kuhnemann. After taking 16 wickets in a two-Test series in Sri Lanka, his bowling action was reported to the ICC, forcing the 28-year-old to undergo testing in order to be cleared again. With the possibility of an ICC medal on the horizon, he will be hoping that the next handful of weeks will be more enjoyable.
11. Mohammad Abbas – Nottinghamshire (6*) (6-45 & 1-52)
Eyebrows were raised when Mohammad Abbas made the move to Trent Bridge, coming off the back of a successful four-year stint at Hampshire, but the seamer has been in spectacular form at Trent Bridge this season. After Fergus O’Neill was the star in April, Abbas has taken over to take 16 wickets from three games, averaging 18.8 and going at an economy of 2.83. His skillset is complimentary to a Nottinghamshire attack that includes the likes of Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue, offering greater control over the ball.
Against Yorkshire, Abbas did the damage in the first innings to restrict the visitors to 159. Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne took both catches as the Pakistan man dismissed openers Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean with the new ball. Pennington and Brett Hutton got to work on the middle order before Abbas would return to dismiss a tail that was intending to attack.