The County Championship Division One Round One

All eyes in Division One is going to be on Surrey. However, Somerset ruled the roost this week. My gut feeling is that Somerset will be significantly dominant this season. However, that is not enough. I will be satisfied only when I see actual numbers. In Division Two is going to be a fight for promotion then Division One will be a cutthroat battle to be number one. Last year I was sceptical about Somerset. This could have been because of my bias against Dominic Bess. I do not apologise for my sentiments about Bess but I care about English cricket. Finding an alternative for Dominic Bess and later for Adil Rashid was part of the reason why I felt the need to get involved in following County Cricket from this season. The other was the openers. I expect great things from Division One. I do not think I will be disappointed.

Somerset vs. Kent

This was the second game of the week I was looking forward to. The first was the one between Derbyshire and Durham. The first day was rained out and the second day started late. Somerset won the game within three days. All the players in the top five contributed with the ball. Mitchell Claydon was the best player of the match based on my ranking. The bowlers of Somerset were significantly better than Kent and that at the end of the day was what made the difference.

Points Earned

Somerset: 1,375

Kent: 942

Hampshire vs. Essex

Hampshire completely outplayed Essex in the game. Sam Northeast played exceptionally well and got his 169 at a good strike rate Markram, Rossouw and Dawson joined in. Fidel Edwards and Kyle Abbot complemented them and the result was that Hampshire won significantly by an innings and 87 runs. It could have been worse if not for Bopara. This game was dominated by the bat. This is what makes the performance of Fidel Edwards even better.

Points Earned

Hampshire: 1,702

Essex: 772

Nottinghamshire vs. Yorkshire

A run feast with contributions with the ball by Olivier, Patterson and Ball would be the best way to describe this match. The one positive from the game was the form of Joe Root. Root is vital for England both for the World Cup and The Ashes. This match personifies the selection dilemma for England. Root will continue to bat at four. Joe Clarke scored at number four but if he does well then he will have to be able to adapt his game to come at number three. Ballance scored a century in the second innings but got out for 7 in the first. Would he be able to stake a claim to the Test side again? Can Lyth or Duckett prove to be a viable opener instead of Jennings or Rory Burns? These are questions I hope to answer.