Key events
“Morning Tanya! “Morning Mes!
“I think all the press box will like this.”
Good to see Douglas Jardine fielding on the boundary.
I sneaked into Lord’s for an hour yesterday evening to see Northants hit some what-ho sixes. I discovered Gary Naylor and some lime cake in the press box, both were a pleasure. The old ground was looking lovely, with a nice scattering of people in to warm their bones with sunshine and cricket for the last time till April.
A great stat from Oscar from The Cricketer: Kent are about to be promoted with the lowest number of wickets to spin in the country.
Warwickshire close on title, Kent lead promotion race
James Wallace
Warwickshire made serene progress towards a ninth county championship title on a cloudy day at Edgbaston. A delay for autumnal mid-morning bad light in Birmingham curtailed their progress briefly in the first session but captain Ed Barnard and Sam Hain were as unbothered by the lingering nimbus as they were Leicestershire’s bowlers.
Barnard fell caught behind for 88 but Hain was the last man out for 142. Ethan Bamber and Chris Woakes struck in fading light to leave Leicestershire 55-3 and still adrift by 192 runs. A third two-day victory in a row was kiboshed by early evening gloom but Saturday will surely see Warwickshire clinch the 2026 trophy.
Somerset’s slim title hopes fizzled like flat cider in Taunton, their failure to take a third bowling bonus point as Surrey amassed 422 meant that Warwickshire can draw and still take the spoils.
Last season’s winners Nottinghamshire reduced Yorkshire to 179 all out in their first innings. Olly Stone sent Jonny Bairstow’s middle stump for the sort of cartwheel Simone Biles would be proud of as he took five wickets at Trent Bridge. However, bad news filtered through in the afternoon that Stone was injured – reportedly a hamstring – and it was serious enough for him to be immediately withdrawn from the match.
Asa Tribe fell short of a double century in Cardiff but his 184 helped Glamorgan amass 505 in their first innings against Essex who then collapsed at the foot of the mountain on 100 for seven. Sussex are well on top of Hampshire at Southampton, Jaydev Unadkat’s five for 32 saw the home side skittled for 128 in response to 244.
In Division Two, a defiant century from Ben Compton at Canterbury kept Kent’s promotion prospects in the balance as they made 353 and then took two Gloucestershire wickets to leave the visitors 63 runs shy.
Fellow promotion chasers Northamptonshire fought back to 249 for seven against Middlesex but a slender lead of 97 runs will need to thicken on the hob if they are to set a challenging chase.
Durham defied some mizzly Manchester weather and Lancashire’s bowlers to post 493 in their first innings. Worcestershire are in control against Derbyshire, where a fourth-innings chase of over 300 already looks out of reach.
Overnight scores
Division One
Cardiff: Glamorgan 505 v Essex 100-7
Essex trail by 405 with three wickets left
Utilita: Hampshire 128 v Sussex 244 & 216-5
Sussex lead by 332 with five wickets left
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 251 & 55-3 v Yorkshire 179
Nottinghamshire lead by 127 runs with seven wickets left
Taunton: Somerset 222-3 v Surrey 422
Somerset trail by 200 runs with seven wickets left
Edgbaston: Warwickshire 372 v Leicestershire 125 & 55-3
Leicestershire trail by 192 runs with seven wickets left
Division Two
Canterbury: Kent 353 v Gloucestershire 229 & 61-2
Gloucestershire trail by 63 runs with eight wickets left
Old Trafford: Lancashire 10-0 v Durham 493
Lancashire trail by 483 runs with 10 wickets left
Lord’s: Middlesex 255 v Northamptonshire 103 & 249-7
Northants lead by 97 with three wickets left
Worcester: Worcestershire 214 & 203-9 v Derbyshire 88
Worcestershire lead by 329 runs with one wicket left
Preamble
Good morning from Edgbaston and welcome to the penultimate day of the season! It’s so crispy with morning cold that the security man is in gloves, but the sun is out and Warwickshire’s players are in the middle. Olly Hannon-Dalby, in mid-calf length socks that make him look as if he’s just raced back from school, is gingerly turning his arm over.
Thanks so much to Jim for covering (gorgeously) the first two days of this final round, I feel like I’m sneaking in during the third act and everyone has already eaten the Maltesers. Warwickshire need just seven wickets this morning to wrap things up and put their paws on the 2026 title. It’s been a long road since April 3, but they’re nearly there.
Play starts at 10.30 am here and around the grounds. Do join us for one final Saturday of cricket.
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