Test hopefuls Rehan Ahmed and Tom Hartley sent a timely reminder to the England selectors with stunning all-round efforts within the Rothesay County Championship.
The spin bowling pair each struck centuries and claimed two five-wicket hauls, a feat only achieved by Liam Dawson over the previous two campaigns and Richard Hadlee in 1987.
Ahmed’s memorable performance helped Division Two table-toppers Leicestershire take a large step towards promotion with 4 games remaining, whilst Hartley’s heroics guided a rejuvenated Lancashire to a second successive win which keeps their hopes alive of a right away return to the highest flight.
In what was a great week for former England Test spinners, Jack Leach took six wickets within the second innings of Somerset’s victory over Durham, whilst Dom Bess went one higher in Yorkshire’s draw with leaders Surrey, where Dom Sibley also became the primary player to surpass 1,000 runs for the campaign.
Elsewhere, Essex earned an important victory away at Sussex of their fight for survival but bottom side Worcestershire let slip a powerful position against rivals Warwickshire to stay firmly rooted to the foot of the table.
But who else joined Ahmed and Hartley within the standout performances from the most recent round of motion because the County Championship edges nearer to the September ending line?
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1. Ben Charlesworth (Gloucestershire)
The result may not have gone Gloucestershire’s way at Cheltenham but 24-year-old Charlesworth offered spirited resistance in registering his second century of the campaign.
In response to the visitors’ 557, the left-hander showed positive intent after the early lack of Cameron Bancroft by reaching his half-century with a six, before bringing up his fourth First-Class ton off just 123 balls in a second-wicket partnership price 171 with Joe Phillips.
Charlesworth was eventually dismissed for an excellent season’s-best 160, a five-and-a-half hour knock with 22 boundaries and one six, though ultimately his side were unable to avoid the follow-on as that dismissal sparked a collapse for the hosts from 296-3 to 381 all out.
Second time around, the opener once more proved a frustrating figure for the Lancashire bowlers in a 98-run opening stand with Bancroft and top-scored with 71 off 122 balls on a pitch offering assistance for the spinners.
2. Kiran Carlson (Glamorgan)
Glamorgan skipper Carlson led by example to guide his side to a fourth victory of the season and leapfrog Derbyshire into second within the table.
After constructing a considerable first innings lead, Glamorgan were pegged back within the second innings by a rallying Kent on a slow surface however it was the part-time spin of Carlson who made the crucial breakthrough of top-scorer Harry Finch on 68 with the visitors’ lead passing 160.
Taking on from frontline spinner Ben Kellaway who left the sector after a marathon 30-over spell, Carlson took an extra two wickets – his first scalps of the campaign – to assist swiftly remove the tail and set the hosts a potentially tricky 189 to win.
Falling to 40-3 early on a potentially tense final day, the captain steadied the ship with a fluent knock that quickly vanished any nerves contained in the home dressing room, striking the winning runs to complete unbeaten on 89 off 115 balls because the Welsh side accomplished the win by five wickets to spice up their bid for promotion.
3. Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
The primary Englishman since Sir Ian Botham in 1980 to attain a century and take 13 wickets in the identical First-Class game, a game of a lifetime in what has already been a formidable campaign by the 20-year-old.
Greater responsibility in the highest order with the bat has seen the all-rounder produce 4 centuries up to now this season at a median of 45.78 – only Northamptonshire’s Saif Zaib has more.
What made his 115 in the primary innings at Derby much more impressive was that he was in the center at 0-2 after the early lack of each openers, before fluently racing to the 80’s by lunch with a mix of classical and flamboyant stroke play.
With ball in hand, the leg-spinner twice produced career-best figures – 6-51 in the primary innings followed by 7-93 within the second – to also turn into the primary Leicestershire player to take greater than 12 wickets and rating a century in the identical match since Fred Geeson in 1901.
When Derbyshire’s final day resistance was finally ended, the visitors had prolonged the gap to their now third-placed opponents to 51 points with a sixth win of the season and look well set to secure Division One status after a 22-year hiatus.
4. Beau Webster (Warwickshire)
The Australian all-rounder returned from Test duty within the Caribbean with an important final day century as Warwickshire recovered to secure an unlikely victory against neighbours Worcestershire at Edgbaston.
The Tasmanian had only passed 50 once in his first 4 games for the club but finished unbeaten on 100 because the hosts sensationally chased a goal of 393 with five wickets in hand after being second best for the vast majority of the primary three days.
In easing batting conditions, Webster’s controlled 166-ball innings was involved in a pivotal 160-run partnership with Zen Malik, who made a career-best 142, for the fourth wicket after which went on so as to add 84 in only 11.2 overs with Kai Smith to see them over the road with 82 balls to spare.
The 31-year-old had earlier scored certainly one of two half-centuries in the primary innings as Warwickshire could only muster 184 in reply to Worcestershire’s 333 and in addition claimed 3-39 with the ball within the second innings which included the important thing wicket of opener Gareth Roderick.
Nottinghamshire’s surprise pursuit of the County Championship title has been underpinned by an actual team effort with significant contributions throughout the side.
Local boy James has enjoyed a productive campaign and masterfully crafted a maiden double century as Notts were forced to accept a high-scoring draw against Hampshire at Southampton.
The 26-year-old arrived on the crease with the rating 232-5 but made an unbeaten 203 off 236 balls, with 20 fours and eight sixes, overtaking his previous high rating of 164 to make sure the title challengers secured maximum batting points and keep pace with leaders Surrey.
6. Matt Critchley (Essex)
Critchley played a star role with bat and ball as Essex hammered Sussex by an innings at Hove to sentence their hosts to a primary home Championship defeat since May 2022 and secure an enormous victory of their attempts to avoid relegation.
The all-rounder has once more been a consistent performer within the red ball format but his side, so often Surrey’s nearest challengers, have found themselves in an unexpected scrap to keep up their Division One status.
Critchley’s 123 was his tenth First-Class hundred, putting on 194 for the fifth-wicket inside 43 overs with fellow centurion Jordan Cox as Essex piled on 504 to guide by exactly 300 runs, taking full advantage of the relatively short leg-side boundary for his five sixes.
Having not been required to bowl through the first innings, the leg-spinner made the important thing breakthrough of Tom Alsop on 72 which triggered a collapse of 87 runs for the ultimate seven wickets as Sussex fell 39 runs short of creating Essex bat again – Critchley ending with figures of 4-41 to maneuver on to 23 wickets for the season, along with his 616 runs.
7. Luis Reece (Derbyshire)
In all, it proved to be a hugely disappointing performance by Derbyshire in a highly-anticipated top-of-the-table clash with Leicestershire because the danger looms of a disappointing T20 Blast campaign negatively impacting their early season red ball form.
Nonetheless, all-rounder Reece did have a successful personal outing in what has been an injury-hit season for the 34-year-old, taking career-best match figures of 11-120 at Derby to maneuver to the highest of the Division Two wicket-taking charts with 34.
After removing Rishi Patel on the third ball of the match, it was not until the morning of the second day where Reece did the damage, taking five wickets in a five-over blitz as Leicestershire collapsed from 360-3 to 398 all out.
Having been spared the follow-on on a difficult surface, the left-arm medium pacer took 4 wickets inside the opening 12 overs to present the hosts a glimmer of hope but by the point he bowled Ben Green to finish his second five-wicket haul of the match, the lead had prolonged well over 400.
8. Ethan Brookes (Worcestershire)
It can have resulted in disappointment for Worcestershire at Edgbaston, though Brookes did have joy against his former county with a career-best 140 which underpinned the Pears’ first innings total of 333 after opting to bat first.
The 24-year-old held firm on a primary day when the visitors toiled to 262-8 but got here out on day two in scintillating fashion, bringing up only his second First-Class century with a six, certainly one of eight maximums in total, the second most in an innings by a Worcestershire player only behind Graeme Hick’s 11 at Taunton in 1988.
Brookes was eventually out on 140 but showed his ability to clear the ropes again within the second innings, adding an extra seven to his tally in a rating of 87 – becoming a record for any individual at Edgbaston – which was once more the standout contribution as Worcestershire recovered from 132-7 to set the hosts a difficult 393 to win.
9. Chris Green (Lancashire)
The Australian has been some of the impressive overseas imports in county cricket since arriving at Lancashire in 2024 and added to his maiden First-Class hundred at Chesterfield within the last month with one other ton on a slow Cheltenham Festival pitch.
A private better of 160 off 199 balls, including 13 fours and eight sixes, was the best rating by a Lancashire number eight and gave the Red Rose the upper hand as they posted a formidable 557 against Gloucestershire, despite Green having walked out to the center with the scenario much less convincing at 209-6.
Together with Tom Hartley, the pair placed on a record-breaking stand for the ninth-wicket price a staggering 212 runs, eclipsing Lancashire’s previous highest set all the way in which back in 1907.
In his primary bowling role, whilst outdone by his spin partner, Green also managed two wickets in each innings to say match figures of 4-137 because the visitors enforced the follow-on on their solution to a second victory under interim captain James Anderson.
10. Tom Hartley (Lancashire)
Speaking of Hartley, the somewhat forgotten man who has seemingly been forged except for the England setup after a solid showing within the India Test tour firstly of last 12 months.
With plenty of talk around who might be England’s go-to spinner ahead of the Ashes, Hartley displayed his capability with the bat as well in that double-century stand with Chris Green, striking a career-best of his own with 130 off just 153 balls, eclipsing the 73 not out against Essex in 2023 for a maiden First-Class century.
The 26-year-old left-arm spinner took charge with the ball, returning figures of 6-116 in the primary innings and 5-99 second time around on the ultimate day for his best ever output in a man-of-the-match display to make sure his side were only required to knock off 110 through the final session which they completed with ease to maneuver into the promotion hunt after a slow begin to the season.
11. Jack Leach (Somerset)
One other former left-arm England spinner in Leach, who Somerset might be perhaps selfishly glad was not called up to switch injured teammate Shoaib Bashir for the fourth Test and as a substitute was capable of register a second six-wicket haul in successive Championship games at Taunton to assist Somerset beat Durham in a low-scoring contest which concluded well inside two days.
On a really green surface, it was the seamers who did many of the damage on day one as 22 wickets fell but Leach (6-63), together with Archie Vaughan, bowled 45.2 of the 58.2 overs in Durham’s second innings and accounted for all ten wickets because the hosts were left a goal of just 86.
Leach’s seven scalps for the match puts him onto 39 for the season, just two behind Hampshire’s Kyle Abbott at the highest of the wicket-taking charts, with Somerset in third also making ground on the highest two ahead of a crunch clash with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge this week.
Honourable mentions
Warwickshire’s Zen Malik produced an outstanding career-best 142 to anchor the successful run chase against Worcestershire in only his sixth First-Class appearance.
Across the grounds, there have been also three figures for Hampshire duo Tilak Varma (112) and Felix Organ (122) of their draw with Nottinghamshire, whilst Leicestershire captain Peter Handscomb (101) and Lewis Hill (151) accomplished a remarkable scorecard with three centurions and eight single-figure scores of their first innings at Derby.
He may not have reached the century milestone but Somerset top order batter Tom Lammonby made an important 89 in the primary innings on a pitch where no other batter scored greater than 42.
Lancashire wicketkeeper prospect Matthew Hurst was overshadowed by events lower down the order, though his 106 was a career-best and only a second First-Class hundred of his burgeoning profession.
There have been three tons in Middlesex’s 625-8d against Northamptonshire, including one on Championship debut for Latest Zealand great Kane Williamson (114), in addition to Max Holden (151) and Leus du Plooy’s (105) first of the campaign.
Sussex’s James Coles (52 and 108) and Yorkshire’s Matt Revis (110*) each continued their high-quality red ball form with the bat – the previous in a quite frankly ridiculous run with three previous County Championship innings of 148*, 53 and 150.
Pakistan seamer Khurram Shahzad produced an excellent opening spell to say 6-42 on his red ball debut for Worcestershire, though it was perhaps not the most effective of the round as Somerset’s Craig Overton took advantage of favourable conditions to register 6-23 from 10 overs on a chaotic first morning at Taunton.
Yorkshire’s Dom Bess took 7-162 against Surrey at Scarborough in what proved to be a high-scoring drawn contest.
Elsewhere, Middlesex’s Ryan Higgins (match figures 7-105) and Kent’s Matt Parkinson (match figures 8-185) each had a productive week with the ball, whilst Durham spinner George Drissell (5-59) also claimed a maiden First-Class five-wicket haul.
By Dom Harris
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