Rothesay County Championship 2025 Round 2 Previews – Division 1 and 2 - All Fixtures – April 11-14

Here are all the match previews for Round 2 of the Rothesay County Championship 2025 – Division 1 and 2

 

Division One

Durham vs Warwickshire

Warwickshire travel to Chester-le-Street in the second round of the Rothesay County Championship this week, with both sides looking to bounce back from disappointing opening fixtures.

Durham were beaten comprehensively by Nottinghamshire, losing by eight wickets and struggling to find any traction with the bat. Matters were not helped by the notable absence of David Bedingham, who was competing with Western Province in the CSA Four Day Championship. The South African was the top run scorer in Division One last summer and is expected to be back in time for the match with Warwickshire.

The return of Bedingham will be even more of a relief having witnessed an entirely unsuccessful opening week for Emilio Gay. The Bedford born batter was anticipated to make waves with his arrival at Durham but sunk in both innings last week registering two ducks.

Colin Ackerman offered best resistance in a largely ineffective Durham batting display. The 34-year-old recorded two centuries in the match against Notts, making him the second highest run scorer in the competition. Support was offered in the form of a fifty from captain Alex Lees in the first innings.

With the ball, it was the ever-reliable Matthew Potts that forced the most breakthroughs, taking 4/112 in a dominant first Nottinghamshire innings last time out. Durham will need the England seamer to fire at home if they are to achieve their first win of the 2025 campaign.

Meanwhile, Warwickshire were held to a draw by a solid Sussex side on a flat Edgbaston track in the opening round of the County Championship. New head coach, Ian Westwood, will be a little concerned that his side appeared on the back foot for the majority of the match against newly promoted Sussex, but there were positives to take.

Opening batter Rob Yates was comfortable at the crease collecting 115 runs in the first innings and finishing 62 not out as the draw unfolded on the last day. Ed Barnard continued his middle order prowess, contributing with a knock of 82 and taking two wickets in Sussex’s first innings.

Debutant Ethan Bamber produced a devastating opening spell on the first morning, taking two wickets with successive deliveries at one point to leave Sussex 40/3 at lunch. The ex-Middlesex seamer proved his swinging bowling could be a potent threat at times this season.

There was also a promising addition in the spin department with teenager Tazeem Ali taking four wickets in his maiden First-Class match. The leg-spinner found turn in difficult conditions and provides an extra option in Warwickshire’s bowling outfit.

Westwood will be desperate for the return of Olly Hanon-Dalby from injury. The seamer was Warwickshire’s top wicket-taker last summer, and his presence would undoubtedly sharpen their attack with the ball. Although, a pre-season hand injury is likely to keep him out for another couple of game weeks.

Predicted lineups

Durham: Alex Lees (c), Ben McKinney, Colin Ackerman, David Bedingham, Will Rhodes, Ollie Robinson (wk), Graham Clark, George Drissell, Ben Raine, Paul Coughlin, Matthew Potts

Warwickshire: Alex Davies (c), Rob Yates, Hamza Shaikh, Sam Hain, Dan Mousley, Ed Barnard, Kai Smith (wk), Ethan Bamber, Michael Booth, Vishwa Fernando, Tazeem Ali

 

Nottinghamshire vs Essex

Nottinghamshire currently sit top of Division One following their eight-wicket victory over Durham. Notts will face a far sterner test this week as they welcome Essex to Trent Bridge. Chris Silverwood’s side produced an impressive draw against run away title favourites Surrey in the opening round of fixtures and will be targeting maximum points against Notts, who finished just outside the relegation places in 2024.

However, the first week demonstrated that Nottinghamshire have some firepower to be feared this season. Overseas signing Ferguson O’Neil tormented Durham batters, securing a five-for in the first innings and taking eight wickets in the match, leaving him as top wicket taker from the first round of matches. The Australian quick will be available for the rest of April and so could pose problems for Essex in the upcoming fixture.

Josh Tongue was an effective bowling partner for O’Neil, taking seven wickets across the match last week. Tongue’s outstanding start to the season was further accentuated when he struck his maiden First-Class fifty.

The bulk of the runs in Notts’ opening week victory were provided by Ben Slater (92 from 147) and Lyndon James, who hit his first century of the summer, getting 125 from 160 deliveries. Additional half centuries from Freddie McCann and Matthew Montgomery mean most of the Nottinghamshire order have made reasonable starts and will be looking to prove their batting acumens again against title contenders Essex.

Similarly, Silverwood's team will be encouraged from their season’s opener. Stealing a share of the points from Surrey, who are overwhelming favourites to make it four Championships in a row, is a success, especially when Essex were arguably in the better position.

Centuries were commonplace as Essex racked up 582/6 before declaring against Surrey. Jordan Cox, Matt Critchley, and Michael Pepper all produced powerful scores over 100 in a domineering display from the middle order. Cox was particularly aggressive, registering a strike rate of 79.05 in his 117 runs, continuing the theme of speedy scoring later in innings for Essex that we saw in 2024. All the above mentioned will be eager for more runs this week.

With the ball, the experienced Simon Harmer looks set to hound batting sides once again this summer. The South African took 45 wickets last campaign and started 2025 strongly, claiming five wickets in the match at average of 25.80. Sam Cook and Jamie Porter chipped in with wickets along the way and will be aiming to assert themselves more on matches as the season progresses, with Essex aiming to mount a title challenge.

Predicted Lineups

Nottinghamshire: Haseeb Hameed (c), Ben Slater, Freddie McCann, Joe Clarke (wk), Jack Haynes, Matthew Montgomery, Lyndon James, Fergus O’Neil, Farhan Ahmed, Josh Tongue, Dillon Pennington

Essex: Charlie Allison, Paul Walter, Tom Westley (c), Jordan Cox, Matt Critchley, Michael Pepper (wk), Noah Thain, Simon Harmer, Shane Snater, Sam Cook, Jamie Porter

 

Surrey vs Hampshire

This match up offers an early season title rivalry, and any advantage gained could be pivotal to the outcome of the Championship. Established winners Surrey looked shaky in the first round and Hampshire will hope to be able to topple the red ball giant this year.

Part of the reason for Surrey’s slow start is the unsettled bowling options, and more surprises in selection are expected at the Oval this week.

Dan Worrall was a shock omission from the team sheet in Surrey’s season opener, compounded by the fact he was included in the match squad. The Cricketer reported that Surrey’s only comment on the issue was that “we’re just trying to get him right,” leaving spectators and analysts speculating. One possibility is that the star seamer is being rested for an anticipated England Test cap against Zimbabwe on May 22^nd, as the 33-year-old Australian seeks to switch allegiances. If that is to be the case, then another exclusion this week looks likely.

Kemar roach was a late signing to cover the first four games of the 2025 County Championship, presumably anticipating Worrall’s complications. The West Indian has been a consistent performer for the London side in their title winning seasons and will hope to improve on his two-wicket haul against Essex. Additional reinforcement in the pace department will arrive in May in the form of Kiwi international Nathan Smith. Until then Matthew Fisher, the new domestic signing from Yorkshire, seems most probable to fill in, despite a disappointing debut.

Gus Atkinson remains a doubt due to his England availability, while Tom Lawes and Cameron Steel are sidelined through injury. Other bolstering bowling options that will become available later in the season include Will Jacks, Sam Curran, Jamie Overton, and Reece Topley but currently all are involved in the IPL.

Surrey head coach Gareth Batty will be pleased that at least his settled batting machine got whirring again in the first-round match. All of Surrey’s top six have all played Test cricket for England and looked comfortable last week. Ben Foakes scored well across both innings with scores of 92 and 50, while Burns and Sibley both recorded fifties to start off the 2025 season.

Hampshire on the other hand, got off to a fine start, dismantling newly promoted Yorkshire for a five-wicket win last weekend. Adrian Birrell’s side were the bridesmaid last year, pushing Surrey all the way and are well in the discussion for leading a title charge this summer.

Key man Liam Dawson threatened with the ball against the White Rose taking 3/8 in just 4.4 overs in the first innings. Seamers Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal claimed five wickets each across the match and Kiwi paceman Brett Hampton completes a balanced bowling unit.

There were concerns over who would fill the void left by James Vince’s retirement after he was Hampshire’s top run scorer in the 2024 County Championship. Mark Stoneman was drafted in from Middlesex in an attempt to plug that top order gap, and although still early in the season, fans will be optimistic after he batted well for his 46 from 67 in Hampshire’s first innings.

Despite a slow start to this year, Nick Gubbins’ assured batting last summer yielded 895 runs at an average of 55.93. When coupled with experienced First-Class batters Liam Dawson and Ben Brown further down the order, there is enough batting to ensure that Hampshire are a real contender in 2025.

The forecast is mainly sunny for the opening stages of the match, but showers are threatening to interrupt the last two days, so winning the toss and setting a big total could be a big advantage. Batters always relish the prospect of playing at the Oval, leaving bowlers to work hard for their rewards. Both teams will want to establish themselves as being in contention for the title this year and it is set to be a fascinating encounter.

 

Predicted Lineups

Surrey: Rory Burns (c), Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope, Jamie Smith, Ben Foakes (wk), Dan Lawrence, Ryan Patel, Jordan Clark, Matthew Fisher, James Taylor, Kemar Roach

Hampshire: Mark Stoneman, Fletcha Middleton, Nick Gubbins, Toby Albert, Tom Prest, Liam Dawson, Ben Brown (c & wk), Brett Hampton, Kyle Abbott, Brad Wheal, Sonny Baker

 

Sussex vs Somerset

First Division County Cricket returns to Hove for the first time in 10 years this Friday as Somerset travel to the south coast to face Sussex. The last time the two sides met in the County Championship was in 2015 when a Marcus Trescothick double century was the highlight of a rain impacted draw at the 1^st Central ground.

Since then, the sides have had very different fortunes. Somerset have been runners up in Division One on three occasions and finished third last summer. Conversely, Sussex have been stranded in the lower tiers of domestic cricket, until rejuvenation under Paul Farbrace. Finally, the 2024 season produced long-awaited success and sealed promotion to Division One once again.

Sussex were unbeaten at home in their Division Two title winning campaign, gathering five wins and two draws. Head coach Farbrace will be reliant on consistent performances at Hove again this summer as he targets a top four finish.

Somerset are tricky opposition to begin home life against in the top tier. A high scoring draw against Worcestershire contained signs that Somerset have a lot of potential to be competing at the very top of the division.

Most notable was the sensational, record-breaking innings scored by Tom Banton. The England international recorded 371 runs off 403 balls, the highest ever reached by a Somerset batter and the fifth highest County Championship score of all time. Supported by keeper James Rew, who registered his first century of the summer and Somerset regular Tom Abell’s fifty, it is clear that there is plenty of batting firepower available.

The wickets in Worcestershire’s first innings came from an unlikely source. All-rounder Kasey Aldrige produced one of his best performances in a Somerset shirt as he took a five-for in just eight overs of bowling. The ever-reliable Craig Overton contributed with five wickets in the match and is likely to open the bowling again this week.

By the second innings, a turning pitch saw Jack Leach seize control. Tying down one end, the veteran England spinner bowled 65 overs, taking four wickets with an economy of 1.64. Hove has hosted many memorable moments for spinners and a battle of turn may develop as the game progresses this weekend. Jack Carson was Sussex's’ top wicket-taker last summer and the young offspinner started brightly against Warwickshire in round one. Both slow bowlers could be the difference maker in this fixture.

Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson will be eager to have a greater impact in the upcoming games, after having left much to be desired in this 2/76 haul against Warwickshire. The Argus have reported that the ex-England seamer is nursing a soreness on the sole of a foot. Head coach Farbrace said: “That is one we will need to monitor.”

With overseas pace reinforcements Nathan McAndrew and Gurinder Sandhu only become available later in the summer, injury to Robinson may open a path to selection for Sean Hunt or Henry Crocombe. However, with Robinson being quintessential to Sussex’s resurgence, if the quick is anywhere close to fitness it is likely that Farbrace will risk him to start.

Similarly in the Somerset camp, Will Smeed (foot) and Tom Kohler-Cadmore (PSL) are unavailable this time out.

A settled Sussex batting outfit impressed at Warwickshire in the opening match. Captain John Simpson’s prolific form persisted as he struck a commanding 181 not out in a potent partnership with Tom Clark in their first innings. Clark was eventually dismissed for 140 and middle order contributions in the match from James Coles (51 & 47) and Tom Alsop (82) signal that Sussex’s batters are ready for the challenge of Division One.

With largely good weather predicted except for some showers on day three, there is plenty of potential for cricket to be played and with two strong bowling sides, a result is possible. A Somerset victory would maintain their credentials as a worthy title contender this year, but a resolute Sussex side offer a potential banana skin. Farbrace’s men will not want to disappoint a bubbling home crowd who are eager to support their team in the topflight after so many years away.

Predicted lineups

Sussex: Daniel Hughes, Tom Haines, Tom Clark, Tom Alsop, James Coles, John Simpson (c & wk), Fynn Hudson-Prentice, Danny Lamb, Jack Carson, Ollie Robinson, Jayden Seales

Somerset: Archie Vaughan, Sean Dickson, Tom Lammonby, Tom Abell, Tom Banton, James Rew (wk), Lewis Gregory (c), Kasey Aldridge, Craig Overton, Josh Davey, Jack Leach

 

Yorkshire vs Worcestershire

Yorkshire hope to fight back from a poor opening weekend showing, as they succumbed to a five wicket, three-day defeat at the hands of a rampant Hampshire.

News of Jonny Bairstow having whole season availability and taking up the red ball captaincy fuelled Yorkshire fans’ optimism in the off season, but it was a muted return to Division One last weekend in a low scoring affair at the Utilita Bowl.

England batter Dawid Malan was top scorer with a meagre 31 runs as The White Rose were skittled out for 121 in just 34.4 overs in their first innings back in Division One. Adam Lyth offered some reprise in the second innings with a crafted 106 from 275 balls. The veteran opener was pivotal to Yorkshire’s promotion last summer, registering five hundreds and five half centuries in 14 matches.

Bairstow reached his half century before being bowled by young quick Sonny Baker and the Yorkshire captain will be desperate to lead his boyhood club to an early season win this time around.

Dom Bess found joy against Hampshire, claiming five wickets in the match. Bess has England Test experience and will be expected to deliver as the side’s lead spinner, despite a mixed 2024 campaign which produced 14 wickets over six matches.

In regards to seamers, it was Jack White that profited the most in the season opener, taking five wickets in the match. The 33-year-old joined over the winter from Northamptonshire where he had a standout 2023 campaign, claiming 50 wickets. Ben Coad is tipped to achieve more throughout the summer, having been top wicket-taker for The White Rose in 2024, reaching 56 wickets at 15.80. Between them, there is ample seam options to cause problems for a Worcestershire side with some batting vulnerability.

Worcestershire were dismissed for 154 in their first innings of the season, a worrying sign for Alan Richardson’s side who only one won match in the entirety of the 2024 County Championship.

Captain D’Oliveira led the way in a more respectable second innings display, with his first century of the 2025 season coming from 340 balls. Adam Hose and Matthew Waite batted sensibly to secure the draw against Somerset scoring 82 from 151 and 87 from 319, respectively. There were also signs that top scorer from 2024, Kashif Ali, was discovering form again as he reached 51 from 91 in the second innings.

Bowling also proved difficult for Worcestershire, albeit against a dominant Somerset side. The wickets were spread amongst the toiling attack with eight different bowlers trying their luck in an eclectic, ineffective, offensive. Alan Richardson will be relieved that overseas Kiwi quick Jacob Duffy should be available for selection having returned from the New Zealand Super Smash. It may be that academy prospect Adam Finch is the one that makes way for the Duffy’s County Championship entrance.

Bookmaker’s suggestions imply this match will be a relegation dogfight come the end of the season. As such, both teams will deem it a must win and exciting cricket could ensue in search of a result. Despite the lowly expectations of final standings, there is a wealth of cricketing talent on display with many players yet to find form this summer. If performance potentials are reached this week, the Headingly crowd will be in for treat.

Predicted lineups

Yorkshire: Adam Lyth, Finlay Bean, James Wharton, Dawid Malan, Will Luxton, Jonny Bairstow (c & wk), George Hill, Dom Bess, Ben Coad, Ben Cliff, Jack White

Worcestershire: Jake Libby, Gareth Roderick (wk), Kashif Ali, Ethan Brookes, Adam Hose, Brett D’Oliveira (c), Matthew Waite, Tom Taylor, Ben Allison, Tom Hinley, Jacob Duffy

 Division Two

Gloucestershire vs Glamorgan

A derby this early in the season is always an enticing prospect, though neither side is coming into the match in good form, with both Gloucestershire and Glamorgan losing inside three days in round one. Each side finished 6^th and 7^th respectively in the 2024 County Championship and a similar return appears to be looming.

Last summer, this fixture produced one of the most enthralling matches of the competition as Glamorgan came within one run of chasing a mammoth 593 to break a record in First-Class cricket. Instead, the edge of the bat was found, and a tie was the outcome. Let us hope for similar drama this time around.

Batters disappointed for both teams last weekend. Gloucestershire’s struggled with the medium fast seam of Luis Reece and Anuj Dal in Derby, while Glamorgan’s upper order collapsed under pressure from Ian Holland. A better showing is needed this week, perhaps carrying on some momentum from second innings centuries from Ben Charlesworth for the Shire and Kiran Carlson for Glamorgan.

Gloucestershire will be strengthened with the imminent return of new skipper Cameron Bancroft. The Australian managed 832 runs last campaign in a difficult season, hitting three centuries in the process. It is expected that Bancroft will replace Chris Dent as an opening bat. Additional recruitments arrive for round three, as Cameron Green becomes available to add firepower to an already stacked middle order with Miles Hammond and James Bracey coming in at four and five.

Gloucestershire also boast one of the more threatening attacks in the division with the raw pace of 6”5 quick Marchant de Lange and 24-year-old Ajeet Singh Dale. Tom Price will be keen to recover from a disappointing 2024 season which saw him collect only 9 wickets at 38.88 from nine innings.

The Seat Unique Stadium will be prepared to provide extra bite to the aggressive pace bowling. However, groundsmen will have to be cautious following the abandonment of the game against Northamptonshire during the last campaign because of an unsafe pitch.

It was out with the old and in with the new exhibited in Glamorgan’s mixed bowling success in the opening round. Last season’s certain wicket taker Timm van der Gugten was poor, only claiming one wicket in the match. It was instead new overseas signing Asitha Fernando who shone brightest, taking 4/71 in Leicestershire’s first innings.

The opening match week saw Glamorgan lineup with two spinners who largely failed to impress. In particular, Shoaib Bashir would have been disheartened by his 22 wicketless overs. The young England spinner will hope to have another chance to prove his worth in his loan spell from Somerset. Usually favoured leg spinner, Mason Crane, is still out injured.

Opening partnerships remain an issue of contention at Glamorgan with Eddie Byrom and Zain ul-Hassan pooling just 51 runs between them last time out. Sam Northeast and Colin Ingram are capable of producing more and the team does bat deep.

Gloucestershire go into the game as favourites, especially when accounting for a stronger bowling outfit on paper, but if Glamorgan’s batters can weather the storm of seam, then the game becomes much tighter.

Predicted lineups

Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancroft (c), Ben Charlesworth, Ollie Price, Miles Hammond, James Bracey (wk), Graeme van Buuren, Tom Price, Zaman Akhter, Matt Taylor, Ajeet Singh Dale, Marchant de Lange

Glamorgan: Zain ul-Hassan, Eddie Byrom, Sam Northeast (c), Kiran Carlson, Colin Ingram, Chris Cooke (wk), Ben Kellaway, Andy Gorvin, Timm van der Gugten, Asitha Fernando, Shoaib Bashir

 

Kent vs Middlesex

Kent and Middlesex are set to clash in their first County Championship match since the 2023 season at St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury. Both sides will feel they are in the hunt for promotion this season, but Kent already have their noses in front following a decent away victory in Northampton last week.

In a low scoring contest, many of Kent’s batters failed to impose themselves on their season opener. Zimbabwe international, Tawanda Muyeye produced the best return with a well-paced 72 from 106, while all-rounder Joey Evison collected his first fifty of the season.

Zak Crawley would have been frustrated at not capitalising from a decent start in the second innings, as he was dismissed for 31 from 58. The experienced England international struggled in last year’s County Championship, scoring only one century in 10 innings. Kent will need their senior batters to step up if they are to bounce back into Division One.

Conversely, Middlesex presented some standout batting displays including Max Holden’s controlled 184 against promotion rivals Lancashire last weekend. Thanks to his 69 from 115 in the first innings, Holden is the highest run scorer in the division this term and will be a key component of the London side’s batting.

Middlesex wrestled with underperforming opening pairs last summer with Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman adding 31, 0, 0 and 34 to the first wicket in the last three games of the 2024 season. This year, the latter has been replaced by Nathan Fernandes, but the opening woes persisted with the duo contributing five and four runs together against Lancashire. A low opening stand could be a recurring issue this campaign, although Robson did achieve 70 runs in the first innings following his partners dismissal.

Various batters in the middle order found good early looks with Leus du Plooy (41), Ryan Higgins (43) and Ben Geddes (72) all adding to the tallies in the match.

It was Kent’s bowlers that won them the match against Northamptonshire, led by overseas talent Keith Dudgeon, who is the second highest wicket-taker of Division Two with eight wickets in two innings. Seven of these came in the second innings, marking him as a danger for opposition this summer. Closer to home, academy prospect Jaskaran Singh collected 4 wickets in the first innings against Northamptonshire as he continues his development at the club.

Wickets came from a less likely source for Middlesex in their opener as new signing Zafar Gohar made an instant impact taking 4/79 and 3/64. The 29-year-old was not offered a new deal by Gloucestershire following a season hampered by injury. Having taken 118 County Championship wickets for his previous club, as well as hitting eight half-centuries with the bat, Gohar looks a shrewd piece of off-season business.

Middlesex’s leading wicket taker in the 2024 Championship was quiet in his first outing this summer. Toby Roland-Jones took 52 wickets at 22.55 last term and leads the seam attack again this year but could only muster three wickets in the first game of 2025. It is likely that Roalnd-Jones will bounce back and come close to being the leading wicket taker position for Middlesex again.

Kent underperformed against Northamptonshire but did enough to secure their first win. Part of the problem maybe the missing rip of leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson who has been nursing an injury. Parkinson may return to the squad against Middlesex following game time with Kent Second XI, but it could still be too soon for him to start.

Adam Hollioake’s side have won three of the five previous meetings with Middlesex and are favourites to do so this week. Despite this, if Middlesex can get the opening pair settled, then runs could flow, bringing a tight encounter.

Predicted lineups

Kent: Ben Compton, Zak Crawley, Daniel Bell-Drummond (c), Tawanda Muyeye, Jack Leaning, Joey Evison, Harry Finch (wk), Grant Stewart, Keith Dudgeon, Nathan Gilchrist, Jaskaran Singh

Middlesex: Sam Robson, Nathan Fernandes, Max Holden, Leus du Plooy, Ryan Higgins, Ben Geddes, Jack Davies (wk), Zafar Gohar, Toby Roland-Jones (c), Blake Cullen, Henry Brookes

 

Lancashire vs Northamptonshire

The Red Rose go in search of their first win of the campaign against Northamptonshire at Old Trafford. Lancashire reached a respectable draw with fellow title rivals Middlesex in the first round of matches and will hope to build on that momentum to surge to victory against Northamptonshire who finished fourth in Division Two in 2024.

Lancashire skipper Keaton Jennings maintained his tremendous form from last summer, in which he was top scorer for the club, by opening his account with scores of 55 and 49 against Middlesex. But it was Marcus Harris that stole the show, hammering his way to 138 at a strike rate of 70.05 in the first innings before adding 52 in the second, making him the second top scorer in Division Two. Michael Jones also sourced solid knocks of 40 and 44 meaning that strong starts to innings could be a feature of Lancashire’s play this season.

Conversely, Northamptonshire’s batting was dismal in their season opener as they got reduced to 143 and 114 all out against a rampant Kent attack. Only Rob Keogh and George Bartlett reached half-centuries in the match, and more will be required if they are to sustain a mid-table position this year. The underperformance of captain Luke Procter will be cause for concern. The veteran Englishman was the club's top scorer last season, registering 923 runs as well as contributing 21 wickets and his scoring was a staple of their batting outfit.

Northants are being forced into utilising a largely changed bowling attack in the County Championship this year and will be content with the first exhibition of their efforts. Jack White departed for Yorkshire in the off season and Ben Sanderson, who was the team’s top wicket-taker last summer, is still sidelined with injury.

Young fast bowler Raphy Weatherall seized the baton and sprinted away with it, as he grabbed six wickets in the match. Other openings for new signings Liam Guthrie and Dom Leech were successful as they claimed three wickets each as Kent were rolled over for 231 and 171.

Lancashire and England fans will have been disappointed not to have seen swing legend James Anderson starting last week. Sadly, due to a calf twinge, Anderson will miss the first month of the County Championship. In his place seamer Tom Bailey performed admirably, claiming a five-for in the opening match. Young medium pace, bowling all-rounder Tom Aspinwall will also be pleased, chipping in with figures of 4/42 in the opening innings.

Lancashire will be favourites for the match in their expected title push and with their key players looking sharp in round one, stopping them will be a challenge. Northamptonshire's batting outfit’s soft underbelly is at risk of being exposed again but if they can remain resolute, then an in-form attack may keep them in the game.

 

Predicted lineups

Lancashire: Keaton Jennings (c), Michael Jones, Josh Bohannon, Marcus Harris, Matty Hurst (wk), Luke Wells, George Balderson, Tom Bailey, Tom Aspinwall, Will Williams, Ollie Sutton

Northamptonshire: Ricardo Vasconcelos, Luke Procter (c), George Bartlett, James Sales, Saif Zaib, Rob Keogh, Lewis McManus (wk), Justin Broad, Dom Leech, Raphy Weatherall, Liam Guthrie

 

Leicestershire vs Derbyshire

Leicestershire lock horns with Derbyshire in an early top of the table clash in Division Two. Both sides won comprehensively in the first round and will be eager to carry on from where they left off. In Derbyshire’s case, they have already matched their total number of wins from the 2024 County Championship with victory over Gloucestershire, so will be hopeful they can avoid finishing bottom of the pile this summer.

Leicestershire sauntered to a 10-wicket victory against a poor Glamorgan in their first fixture. It was their batting that placed them in control, as they amassed 427 to pile the pressure on the Welsh side. An early half-century from captain Peter Handscomb is an excellent indicator that the experienced Australian is well set for another run rich season.

Further runs from Sol Budinger (56), Ben Mike (41), Ben Cox (51) and tailender Chris Wright (74) imply runs can be sourced throughout the order this term. There was also a desperately unlucky moment for Lewis Hill who was run out on 96. Regular runs this campaign could help them push towards an upper-mid table finish.

Meanwhile with the ball it was Ian Holland who dominated. The American all-rounder made his loan move from Hampshire permanent over the off season and repaid faith by taking seven wickets at 12.28 in the match. Holland has already reached half of his total tally from 2024 and will be eager to impress his new side over the course of this summer.

In Derbyshire, it was a familiar face putting his side in the driver’s seat as skipper Wayne Madsen began 2025 with a century as he struck 118 from 166 deliveries. Madsen was top scorer last year recording over a thousand runs and his leadership with the bat will be pivotal to Mickey Arthur’s side.

More crucially, is that Arthur may have discovered a solution to his team’s opening batting dilemma. The signing of Tasmanian opening specialist, Caleb Jewell, was an exciting one. The experienced Jewell had racked up 2,725 runs and seven centuries in his 48 First-Class marches and was tasked with providing greater resistance at the top of the order to help batters lower down. The plan worked to perfection against Gloucestershire as Caleb spanked a first innings 61 from just 48 balls and followed it up with 51 not out from 48 deliveries in the second innings.

Derbyshire struggled with the ball at times last campaign with top wicket-taker Zak Chappell reaching 31 wickets. There was no evidence of these struggles in the first round. Luis Reece eclipsed expectations to claim a 10-wicket haul in the match at an average of 9.70 with Chappell and Anuj Dal chipping in to complete the Gloucestershire rout.

Leicestershire put forward an excellent account of themselves in their opener and still have England spinner Rehan Ahmed available as a surprise factor. If they can bat deep with regularity, then they may be able to take enough wickets to turn more draws into wins this campaign. Derbyshire enter the match as underdogs, partly due to their shocking record in 2024. But with huge positives to take from their opening game and a potential solution being reached at the top of the order, getting passed them will not be easy.

Predicted lineups

Leicestershire: Rishi Patel, Sol Budinger, Ian Holland, Lewis Hill, Peter Handscomb (c), Rehan Ahmed, Ben Cox (wk), Ben Green, Ben Mike, Tom Scriven, Chris Wright

Derbyshire: David Lloyd, Caleb Jewell, Harry Came, Wayne Madsen (c), Brooke Guest (wk), Luis Reece, Anuj Dal, Martin Andersson, Zak Chappell, Jack Morley, Pat Brown

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