County Championship 2025: Division One Preview

In contrast to the perception, and in many cases the reality, the first round of the 2025 Rothesay County Championship season is set to get underway in unusual conditions. Sunshine and warm temperatures are expected to be the order of the day where previously rain, snow and bobble hats were prevalent.

Surrey will kickstart their title defence at Chelmsford, where they take on Essex, before returning to The Oval to play the 2024 runner-up Hampshire in the second week. Sussex, who were promoted from the second division alongside Yorkshire, begin their campaign against Warwickshire at Edgbaston before hosting Somerset at Hove. Yorkshire will make the trip to Southampton in round one before returning to Headingley to play Worcestershire.

The promoted teams replaced Lancashire and Kent, who dropped down to the second division following difficult 2024 seasons. Kent, in particular, struggled with one win and eight losses to accompany five draws. They were the only county in either division to fall short (99) of the 100 point mark.

Here is a snapshot of each team ahead of the 2025 season, a look at how they fared in 2024, the off-season recruitment and some key areas of focus.

Surrey

Having won the previous three Championship titles, Surrey will be looking to add a fourth to an already exhaustive list. This list includes seven in a row between 1952 and 1958. In total, they have achieved the Championship title on 23 occasions (one shared in 1950) and the second division on two occasions. They were also the Champion County on four occasions (again, one was shared) before the establishment of the County Championship in 1890.

Squad-building is an important element of a successful campaign, and it is of particular importance for Surrey due to the number of players lost to England and the IPL. They have recruited Matthew Fisher, whose only Test appearance came in Joe Root's penultimate Test in charge, from Yorkshire and will bring in Mitchell Santner as an overseas player for the T20 Blast. Connor McKerr and Ben Geddes have left for Nottinghamshire and Middlesex respectively and Amar Virdi was released.

Captain Rory Burns, who has led the three previous successful campaigns, will have a testimonial in 2025. He was Surrey's leading run scorer with 1073 runs at an average of 53.65, a tally which included three hundreds and five fifties. Ryan Patel (938 runs at 47.18) and Dom Sibley (832 runs at 43.78) were the other key contributors with the bat.

With the ball, Dan Worrall, who has sparked debate as to whether he will be available to play international cricket for England when he becomes eligible in the summer, was the leading wicket-taker with 52 at an average of 16.15 and an economy rate of 2.53.

The major concern for Surrey at the end of 2024 was the departure of Alec Stewart as Director of Cricket. Stewart has been the key driver of success over the last few years, and this will be felt significantly. However, these concerns were allayed when he agreed to return in a part-time capacity as a high-performance advisor.

Hampshire

Hampshire's final round victory over Somerset secured them second place in 2024 and pushed the West Country side down to third place. They secured 214 points from six wins and six draws and were helped by only losing one game.

However, they have suffered a couple of big losses ahead of the 2025 season. James Vince, who has not only been an excellent red-ball captain for Hampshire but also the leading run-scorer, will move to a T20-only contract, which allows him to play in the Pakistan Super League. In 2024, Vince made 986 runs at an average of 49.50 and this included two centuries and five fifties.

Mohammad Abbas, who claimed his 100th Test wicket against South Africa when he returned to the Pakistan side for the first time since 2021, has left for Nottinghamshire. Abbas took 36 wickets in 2024 as part of an impressive seam attack alongside Kyle Abbott (55 wickets at 20.36) and Keith Barker (16 wickets at 24.37).

Liam Dawson's regular absence from England sides has been a constant source of consternation for county supporters. Not least because in 2024, Dawson proved once again that he is the leading all-rounder in the Championship. He was second to Vince in the volume of runs (956) and second to Abbott in the volume of wickets (54). Hampshire's hopes of success in 2025 will rest heavily on his shoulders, and there will be hope of a repeat of his performances last season.

Recruitment has occurred at each end of the career spectrum. Sonny Baker, who has been awarded an England development contract after his Lions debut, arrives from Somerset to bolster the seam attack, and Mark Stoneman, who left Middlesex at the end of 2024, who joins on a one-year deal to play red-ball cricket only.

Somerset

Despite winning a thriller at Taunton against Surrey in September, Somerset were not able to end their 133-year wait for their first Championship title. Their campaign petered out in the last two rounds with defeats to Lancashire, which secured Surrey's title, and Hampshire, which secured their second place. A lack of away wins and a constantly changing opening partnership were key facets of Somerset's season. The emergence of Archie Vaughan may go some way to filling one of those opening spots.

Tom Lammonby was Somerset's leading run scorer with 941 runs at an average of 39.20, and Tom Banton had his best season in red-ball cricket, making 891 runs at an average of 49.50. The reliable Tom Abell recorded 658 runs at an average of 50.61, although his season was curtailed by injury.

No bowler took more than 50 wickets in 2024 and the leading wicket-taker was the left-arm spinner Jack Leach. The return of Matt Henry, injury permitting, at the start of the season will give the bowling attack a much-needed boost. Craig Overton's 32 wickets and Kasey Aldridge's 24 wickets both came at an average of over 30. The workload of captain Lewis Gregory will need managing due to the number of injuries that he has suffered in recent years and his importance to the team with the bat as well as the ball.

Shoaib Bashir and Ben Green have already been allowed to depart on loan to Glamorgan and Leicestershire respectively. Migael Pretorius, who impressed in his appearances last season, will be available throughout the six months. Will Smeed, who was previously a white-ball only player, will now be available for red-ball, although Tom Kohler-Cadmore will begin the season at the PSL.

Essex

A tough home fixture in the first week of the season will see Essex host Surrey at Chelmsford to kickstart their bid for their ninth top-flight title; and third in the 21st Century. The 2024 season saw Essex finish two points behind Somerset, with 194 points from six wins and five draws.

A pre-season setback saw Shardul Thakur, originally unsigned in the IPL auction, picked up as an injury replacement for Lucknow Super Giants. Following the retirement of Aaron Beard this has the potential to leave Essex short with no other incomings to the club.

Chris Silverwood returns to a coaching role at Chelmsford following stints in international cricket with England and Sri Lanka. In his previous stint at the club, he oversaw them winning the Division Two title in 2016 and then the Division One title in 2017.

Dean Elgar, who qualifies as a domestic player, was the leading run scorer for Essex in 2024. He scored 1144 runs at 57.20 with four centuries from the maximum 14 matches. Only David Bedingham scored more. Elgar received support from Jordan Cox, who was unlucky to miss out on an England debut in New Zealand due to a fractured thumb. Cox made 918 runs at an average of 65.57, from just 15 innings in 11 games.

Essex had four bowlers, Jamie Porter, Simon Harmer, Sam Cook and Shane Snater, who all took over 40 wickets. Porter was the leading wicket-taker with 56 at an average of 19.25 and Cook once again cemented his England credentials with 43 wickets at just 17.30. The pair shared six five wicket hauls between them.

For Essex to have success this season there will be a lot of pressure on Porter, Cook and Snater, alongside experienced off-spinner Simon Harmer, to not only take a large quantity of wickets but also to stay fit due to lack of depth in the ranks.

Durham

Promoted to Division One for the first time since their relegation at the end of the 2016 season, Durham certainly made their mark during the 2024 season. Durham finished fifth with four wins and five draws as Ryan Campbell's side reached 171 points.

The recruitment has been ambitious; Emilio Gay was brought in from Northamptonshire, Will Rhodes from Warwickshire and Sam Conners from Derbyshire. Neil Wagner, the New Zealand left-armer, is set to be available for the last four months of the season. Michael Jones has left to join Lancashire - he had been at Durham since 2018. Ben Stokes will not be available at the start of the season as he continues to rehab ahead of a couple of big Test series against India and Australia.

Overseas signing David Bedingham was not just the leading run-scorer for Durham last season but was the leading run scorer in the top tier. His 1331 runs at an incredible 78.29 included six centuries and three half-centuries as the South African middle-order player continued his good form from the 2023 season, when he also made over a thousand runs.

The Durham captain, Alex Lees, Ollie Robinson and Colin Ackerman all averaged between 45 and 49 throughout the season and scored between 743 and 924 runs between them. This batting strength will be critical throughout the season and, in particular, will aid the pursuit of bonus points.

In 2024, the north-east county registered 30 batting points, which by that metric put them fifth, and the same number of bowling points. On the bowling points metric, their tally of 30 put them at the bottom of the division, and this is an area that Durham will wish to improve. Matthew Potts, who will have England ambitions come the start of the Test summer, was the leading wicket-taker despite taking only 33 wickets at an average of 25.39. Callum Parkinson's 30 wickets came at 53.26 runs apiece.

Worcestershire

Before the 2024 season began, Worcestershire and Kent were firm favourites for relegation from Division One. Persistent flooding at New Road meant that the first two home games had to be moved to Kidderminster. They also suffered tragedy with the death of 20-year old spinner Josh Baker in May.

A sixth-place finish defied the odds, and a tally of seven draws (third most behind Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire) from 14 matches offset a total of only three wins and saw them amass 162 points in total.

It was very much a team effort, with no individual standout performer with either the bat or the ball. Kashif Ali and Jake Libby recorded tallies of over 700 runs and Nathan Smith, Tom Taylor and Joe Leach picked up 27 wickets apiece. The wickets of Smith and Taylor came at an average of 21.14 and 21.48 respectively.

The retirement of Leach, a former captain, will leave a hole in all departments of the game. Libby, Adam Hose and Brett D'Oliveira will be hoping for more success with the bat than they managed in 2024. They finished the season with the third lowest batting points (21) and the joint-lowest number of centuries (8).

Recruitment has seen them bring in Ben Allison from Essex and Fateh Singh from Nottinghamshire. The New Zealand seamer Jacob Duffy is set to be available between April and June and will fill in the early-season role with the ball that was done in 2024 by Jason Holder.

Warwickshire

Warwickshire's 2024 season in the County Championship was a disappointment. They attained just one win, and this came against Kent on September 1. The one saving grace for Warwickshire was their ability to amass batting and bowling bonus points through individual performances and the fact that they were the only county in the top division to have two players score over 1000 runs. The 71 bonus points, from a possible 112, was the same as Surrey's and significantly more than those who finished either side of them in the table.

Alex Davies's 1115 runs came at an average of 50.68 and included four centuries as the Warwickshire captain led from the front. He was joined in the 1000 run club by Will Rhodes, who amassed 1020 runs at an average of 48.57. Rhodes has not remained at Edgbaston and will play for Durham in the 2025 season. The Bears have also lost wicketkeeper-batter Chris Benjamin to Kent. Ed Barnard (840), Michael Burgess (745) and Rob Yates (738) also contributed significantly in 2024 and will be expected to do the same in 2025.

Ollie Hannon-Dalby, now chair of the Professional Cricketer's Association, was the outstanding performer with the ball. His 50 wickets were double those of second-placed Ed Barnard. Hannon-Dalby's 50 wickets came at 22.28 apiece, in sharp contrast to Barnard's 25 at 36.40. Ethan Bamber has been recruited from Middlesex to help bolster the bowling stocks, which in turn will increase the chances of adding to the win tally.

Mark Robinson is no longer the Head Coach and that role will be filled by Ian Westwood on an interim basis. Further changes to the backroom staff have also been made as a result of a post-season review.

Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire's 2024 campaign featured the second-highest number of drawn matches in Division One. This meant that they finished outside of the bottom two despite winning one fewer game than the relegated Lancashire.

Captain Haseeb Hameed led from the front with 1091 runs at 51.95 and Joe Clarke made 917 at an average of 50.94. Ben Slater also fell just short of the 1000 run mark with 949 runs. Dillon Pennington topped the wicket-taking chart with 31.

Kyle Verreynne returns following a very successful three-game stint last season. His 248 runs came at an average of 248, as he was dismissed only once in four innings. He also recorded one century and one half-century and had a strike rate of 84.93. Mohammad Abbas also joins on a six-match deal following several successful seasons at Hampshire. The bowling is further strengthened by the arrival of Connor McKerr from the champions Surrey.

Nottinghamshire get underway against Durham on Friday before hosting Essex in what will be back-to-back home matches at Trent Bridge.

Sussex

The second division winners recorded 237 points in 2024, securing promotion to the top tier for the first time since 2015. The signing of the experienced John Simpson from Middlesex proved crucial in supplementing an inexperienced squad. Simpson registered five hundreds and an average of 74.81 as he amassed 1197 runs across the Championship season.

Cheteshwar Pujara returned once again and his six matches produced 501 runs at an average of 62.62. The left-handed Australian Dan Hughes also averaged more than 50 during his four match stay. Tom Haines (819), Tom Alsop (799) and James Coles (707) were mainstays of the side, playing all 14 matches.

Jack Carson, the off-spinner who will be of interest to England, claimed 50 wickets across the season, with support from Ollie Robinson, who claimed 39 wickets in 12 matches. Overseas seamers Jayden Seales and Jaydev Unadkat claimed 46 wickets between them in their combined 11 appearances.

Seales and Unadkat, alongside Hughes, are expected to return to play some part in the 2025 season. Their first match is against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Yorkshire

Jonny Bairstow, in his final year of a two-year central contract, is set to captain Yorkshire's Championship campaign in their first year back in Division One following relegation at the end of the 2022 season. He takes over from Shan Masood who will play for Leicestershire in Division Two.

It is hoped that Joe Root and Harry Brook will be available for a number of these early season rounds, although both will be absent from their opening day trip to Southampton.

Matt Fisher has departed for Surrey, but the attack leader Ben Coad, whose 56 wickets came at an outstanding average of 15.80, remains. Will Sutherland has been signed as an overseas player and he will be hoping that it is third time lucky after two previous aborted attempts to play for Essex and Somerset were prevented by injury.