County Championship Division-One Match Previews: September 26-29
Surrey have already clinched the Division One title (PC: Twitter)
The caravan of English cricket summer is coming to an end as the final set of County Championship Division-One games starting from September 26th which will see ten teams locking horns against each other for the final time this year.
Lancashire vs Surrey
Surrey are the champions of the Division-One and will now travel to Manchester and face Lancashire in their last game of the season.
The hosts registered their sixth win of the season in their previous game against Essex and are currently placed third in the points table with 201 points. Surrey, who are yet to lose a game this season, will be hoping for one final push and end the season on a high. Can Lancashire break Surrey’s unbeaten streak in the last game of the summer?
Kent vs Somerset
In another Division-One fixture, eighth placed Kent will take on sixth positioned Somerset at the St. Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. Kent, who had a poor 2022 season in the championship, however managed to defeat second placed Hampshire in their previous game. Overall, they have managed three wins, five wins and as many draws in 13 games in the season so far.
Somerset on the other hand, could finally register a win against Northants in their last game after five consecutive draws. They are placed 6th in the points table with three wins, five losses and five draws as well. Somerset was proven to be too good for Kent in their last trip to Canterbury back in 2019. Can Tom Abell and his men repeat their 2019 performance?
Yorkshire vs Gloucestershire
Seventh placed Yorkshire will host 10th placed Gloucestershire in their last Championship fixture at Leeds, Headingley.
The former has managed to win only one game this season and their remaining fixtures have resulted in five losses and seven draws.
On the other hand, Gloucestershire finally managed to open their account in their previous match against Warwickshire, thanks to a 97-run match winning partnership between Chris Dent and skipper Graeme van Buuren while chasing in the fourth innings. Can Gloucestershire carry on the momentum to finish the season on a high?
Warwickshire vs Hampshire
Going head-to-head at Edgbaston in Birmingham, Warwickshire will host Hampshire in their last championship fixture of the summer. Warwickshire have managed only one win, six losses and as many draws in their campaign so far.
As a result, they are currently the second last team in the points table. On the other hand, Hampshire is having an incredible summer with most wins in the championship so far.
However, they should be disappointed with their last game performance which led Surrey to clinch the title. Hampshire now will be hoping to make it ten victories in the season and end the season on a high.
Northamptonshire vs Essex
These are the two final two teams to go up against each other in the Division-One championship. Fourth placed Essex will be traveling to Wantage road and will face Northamptonshire in their final Championship fixture of the season.
Both the teams are coming into this fixture with a defeat in their previous games. The hosts have managed only two wins, four losses and seven defeats in their campaign so far. As a result they are sitting at fifth position in the points table, thirty points behind Essex.
On the other hand, Essex, who was in great form recently, failed to carry their winning form against Lancashire last week. It was a draw when these two sides met each other, earlier this season. Who will emerge victorious this time?
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 "Kaushik Kashyap")
