As we suggested last week the County Championship - unlike football’s Premier League - is awash with excitement, unpredictability and participants that are not the wrong side of ghastly. So it is entirely befitting that with the final round of matches beginning today (weather permitting) the destination of the title is yet to be decided.
Warwickshire’s crushing victory over reigning champions Nottinghamshire took them to the top of the table for the first time this season are slight favourites, but they face a tough assignment at the Rose Bowl where the home side still have everything to play for in their final attempt to escape the trap door to Division 2. A spin-friendly wicket is likely to await and it is the absence of just such a bowler to match Hampshire’s Danny Briggs that could yet prove Warwickshire’s undoing.
Lying in wait just three points behind are Lancashire, whose title famine stretches back 77 long years. They can testify how difficult Hampshire will be to beat following their last gasp win over the south coast side on Saturday where Simon Kerrigan’s ninth second innings wicket came with just one over in the game left. Their assignment at Taunton appears the easier with Somerset having nothing to play for - indeed they may be forgiven for having next weekend’s final of the Clydesdale Bank trophy and the qualifying rounds of the Champions League that follow immediately after on their minds. This could play into Lancashire’s hands.
Third placed Durham have already probably blown their chances, but if the weather and/or both the times above them suffer a dose of the South African chokes then a home victory over Worcestershire could hand them their third title in four years.
The excitement is almost too much to take, so perhaps it is lucky that once again Sky Sports has chosen to ignore the conclusion of another tumultuously thrilling season.
Our County Championship casserole is certainly coming to the boil at just the right time...
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