By Dom Harris
The County Championship returned for the 2025 season under clear blue skies across England and Wales.
Over the course of four days, there were 18 centuries – including an innings for the history books – England hopefuls and county stalwarts on form, winter additions hitting the ground running and quite frankly more drama than has currently been on display in the Indian Premier League.
From England opener Zak Crawley having his stumps rearranged inside 10 minutes of the new season on Friday morning to number 11 Tom Hinley blocking out Jack Leach with the entire Somerset field for close company on Monday evening, the much-anticipated return of county cricket was not short of action.
In Division One, there were wins for Hampshire and Nottinghamshire, with runs aplenty in draws at Chelmsford, Edgbaston and Taunton.
Meanwhile in Division Two, Derbyshire, Kent and Leicestershire all wrapped up victories within three days, whilst the heavyweight clash at Lord’s between Middlesex and Lancashire ended in a thrilling draw.
Here, we highlight just some of the star performers from the opening round of the premier red ball competition in the world.
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1. Rob Yates (WARWICKSHIRE v Sussex)
Touted as a potential future England opener, 25-year-old Yates started the season in style with scores of 115 and 65 not out as Warwickshire played out a high-scoring draw with Sussex at Edgbaston, as well as removing both of the visitors’ openers in the second innings as he also claimed three wickets with his off-spin.
2. Marcus Harris (LANCASHIRE v Middlesex)
Out-of-favour Australian batter Harris sent a reminder to the national selectors ahead of the upcoming World Test Championship final as he began life at Lancashire with a century at Lord’s.
His 138 in the first innings anchored the Red Rose into a first innings lead and he also top scored for his side in the second with 52, before Lancashire were forced to settle for a draw at eight wickets down and still over 50 runs short of their target.
3. Max Holden (MIDDLESEX v Lancashire)
Staying at the Home of Cricket where Holden led a remarkable Middlesex fightback to give the hosts an unlikely shot at victory.
After crafting 69 first time round as part of the only two partnerships with any real substance, the left-hander found himself in the middle at 7-3 in the second innings and his side staring down the barrel of a defeat on the third day, before hitting a majestic 184 – his second highest first-class score – to set Lancashire a chase of 309 on a gripping final day.
4. Colin Ackermann (DURHAM v Nottinghamshire)
The only player to have made this team who was on the losing side, but there is no doubt Ackermann did not deserve to be as he scored consecutive centuries at Trent Bridge.
The 34-year-old Netherlands international registered the first century of the 2025 season with his 116 on the first day and then followed it up with 124, though it was ultimately in vain as Durham succumbed to Nottinghamshire by eight wickets in the final session on day four.
5. Tom Banton (SOMERSET v Worcestershire)
The standout performer and headline from the opening round, Banton’s staggering 371 off 403 deliveries saw him surpass Justin Langer to hold the highest all-time score by a Somerset player and the fifth highest individual score in County Championship history.
A testament to his upsurge in red ball form since last year, Banton occupied the crease for over eight hours – including the entirety of day two – hitting a remarkable 56 fours and two sixes as Somerset declared their first innings with a mammoth lead over Worcestershire.
6. Luis Reece (DERBYSHIRE v Gloucestershire)
Primarily a batting all-rounder, left-arm medium pacer Reece rediscovered a role with new ball in hand and for the first time in his career took 10 wickets in a match (10-97), including 6-52 in the first innings, as Derbyshire eased to a nine-wicket win over Gloucestershire to record their first win in the opening game since 2019 and already match their tally from 2024.
7. John Simpson (SUSSEX v Warwickshire)
Widely regarded as one of the best county signings in recent time, wicketkeeper Simpson joined Sussex from Middlesex ahead of the 2024 season and led them to the Division Two title, scoring 1,197 runs at a touch under 75 in the process.
He is now carrying that form into Division One as he struck an unbeaten 181 at Edgbaston, including a 200-run stand with fellow centurion Tom Clark, as Sussex recovered from the loss of early wickets on the first morning to make 528 in their draw with Warwickshire.
8. Matthew Waite (WORCESTERSHIRE v Somerset)
It would be very harsh not to include a Worcestershire representative after their colossal effort in the second innings to hang on nine down for nearly 15 overs and earn a highly respectable draw away at Somerset.
Facing a first innings deficit of over 500, the Pears batted for 200 overs across the final two days at Taunton with captain Brett D’Oliveira scoring a defiant century but it was all-rounder Waite who remained unbeaten on 87 off 319 balls when the players shook hands, after having also scored a quickfire unbeaten 32 in the first innings when wickets tumbled around him.
9. Keith Dudgeon (KENT v Northamptonshire)
An unknown quantity to most, Dudgeon was announced by Kent as an overseas signing just two weeks prior to the season to cover the delayed arrival of Australian Wes Agar.
The South African paceman made an immediate impact in his first taste of English cricket as he rattled through the Northamptonshire batting lineup in the second innings to register career-best figures of 7-36 to earn his new side a comfortable victory in a low-scoring contest at Wantage Road.
10. Fergus O’Neill (NOTTINGHAMSHIRE v Durham)
Sticking with the overseas theme, Australian fast bowler O’Neill also made an instant impression in county cricket as he began his one-month stint at Trent Bridge in fine fashion.
The 24-year-old, who was Victoria’s player of the season in the recent Sheffield Shield campaign and also named Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year, made early inroads into Durham’s batting to claim 5-81 in the first innings and 3-35 in the second as Nottinghamshire secured the spoils.
11. Josh Tongue (NOTTINGHAMSHIRE v Durham)
Another Nottinghamshire quick but one that will grab the attention of England selectors and fans alike, Tongue showcased a reminder of his class as he looks to put his lengthy injury struggles behind him.
Remarkably only making his Notts debut after missing the entirety of the 2024 season following a move from Worcestershire, Tongue – who played two Tests for England in 2023 – produced a match-turning spell of four wickets in 12 deliveries on day four to set up victory for the hosts.
His figures of 5-66 followed two wickets in the first innings, as well as a maiden half-century with the bat as his 55 added valuable lower order runs for Notts to build a commanding first innings lead.
12th Man: Matt Critchley (ESSEX v Surrey)
Perhaps would consider himself unlucky not to be included in the XI, Critchley was one of three Essex players to score a ton against Surrey as he finished 145 not out in their total of 582-6 declared.
The all-rounder also claimed three wickets, but Essex were unable to force a result on a rather benign pitch as Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes showed resilience to salvage a draw for the defending champions.
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