County Championship Division-One Match Previews | September 20-23


image-l87s0hxnCan Rory Burns and his men win the 20th championship in Surrey's history? PC: Twitter

The caravan of English cricket summer is inches away from its business end as the penultimate set of County Championship Division-One games starting from September 20th which will see ten teams locking horns against each other.

Hampshire vs Kent

Hampshire will host Kent in their next home game at the Rose Bowl in Southampton as both the sides gear up to play their 13th match of the season. The hosts will be coming into this fixture with four consecutive wins and are placed second in the points table, with eight points behind Surrey. 

On the other hand, Kent are lying in eighth position and have managed to win only two out of their twelve matches this season. Hampshire won by an innings and 51 runs in the last meeting between these two clubs, earlier this summer. Can they do it again?

Surrey vs Yorkshire

In another Division-One fixture, table toppers Surrey will take on sixth positioned Yorkshire at the Kennington Oval, London. Surrey, who has been unbeaten in the season so far, will be hoping to continue their momentum as they are margins away from their 20th championship. 

The white roses, on the other hand, will be looking to make things equal after their defeat against Surrey, earlier this summer. Can Rory Burns and his men hold their nerves to clinch the championship?

Gloucestershire vs Warwickshire

It is the battle between two teams from the bottom of the table. Tenth placed Gloucestershire will host 9th placed Warwickshire in their next Championship fixture at the County Ground in Bristol. 

The former has not won a single game this season and their remaining fixtures have resulted in eight losses and four draws. On the other hand, the reigning champions Warwickshire are on the verge of relegation with only one win out of their 12 games this season.

Somerset vs Northamptonshire

Going head-to-head at County Ground in Taunton, Somerset will host Northamptonshire in their 13th championship fixture of the summer. Somerset are placed seventh on the points table with two wins, five losses and as many draws. They defeated Northamptonshire in their last trip to Wantage road back in 2020. Can Somerset repeat the same this time at home?

Essex vs Lancashire

This is the final fixture of Division-One this week. Fourth placed Essex will lock horns against third placed Lancashire at Chelmsford in their 13th championship fixture of the summer. Lancashire, who managed to reach the finals of both the white ball tournaments, will be looking to end the season on a high in red-ball cricket. 

Meanwhile, Essex have won their last two fixtures and will be hoping to carry on the momentum. The Tom Westley-led team defeated Red Rose by an inning in their trip to Old Trafford, earlier this summer. Can Essex do it again?


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