Key events
Hurst hundred the highlight at Cheltenham
Tanya Aldred
The sandy-stoned gorgeousness of Cheltenham college, the white hospitality tents full of bonhomie and beer – it wasn’t long ago that the world’s longest-running cricket festival was a healthy homage to the county game.
But times have changed, and Gloucestershire lost £80,000 at last year’s festival, and a similar amount the year before. The future looks uncertain, but the 2,400 who came through the gate saw an intriguing day on a butterscotch outfield, that largely dodged the menacing dishwasher clouds that swung in from the north west.
Lancashire’s Matty Hurst reached his hundred to a enthusiastic round of applause, after holding the innings together against the off-spin of Todd Murphy, the zippy Zaman Akhter (four for 64) and Ajeet Singh Dale, who, festival rumour has it, is off to Old Trafford at the end of the season.
Kane Williamson enjoyed his red-ball debut for Middlesex, with an unbeaten 88 against Northamptonshire, a cameo companion to Max Holden’s 137 – his third hundred of the summer.
An eyebrow raising 22 wickets fell at Taunton, and in a Kookaburra round as well. Craig Overton hustled Durham out for 145, with six for 23; before George Drissell returned the favour for Durham, with five for 59. Tom Lammonby helped Somerset to 250, giving Durham just time to lose two wickets in the three overs before stumps.
Spectators at Sophia Gardens watched an epic Kent collapse – six wickets for seven runs against Glamorgan, while at Scarborough, Yorkshire’s top four kept top of the table Surrey at bay, despite the unavailability of their new signing Imam-Ul-Haq, with visa issues. There were three wickets for Dan Worrall.
Rehan Ahmed danced to his third consecutive century, from 118 balls, as Leicestershire bloomed from a sub-optimal nought for two after eight balls against Derbyshire. Lewis Hill was unbeaten on 132 at stumps, while Peter Handscomb perched on 99.
Essex had one of their better days of 2025, ushering Sussex out for 204, the clockwork Jamie Porter (four for 40) and Sam Cook reunited. Ethan Brookes’ 80 against his old club kept Worcestershire in the hunt against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Freddie McCann and Jack Haynes pocketed half centuries for Nottinghamshire on an emerald pitch against Hampshire at Southampton.
The seagulls call and circle the mowers, the Cheltenham team draw out the groundsheets. Thanks for your company today, we’ll be back tomorrow – have a lovely evening.
Close of play scores
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Nottinghamshire 241-5
Taunton: Somerset 250 v Durham 145 and 5-2
Hove: Sussex 204 v Essex 152-4
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire 262-8
Scarborough: Yorkshire 282-4 v Surrey
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire 357-3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 125-4 v Kent 155
Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Lancashire 290-6
Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 319-1 v Northamptonshire
I’d better write up for the paper. Apologies for missing Lewis Hill’s century in Leicestershire’s 320-3, and Max Holden’s 133 in Middlesex’s 303-1, a true Kookaburra day one. Do hang around and chat on BTL.
Fifty for Matty Hurst…
while at the other end George Balderson is undone by some chin-music from Zaman Akhter (4-46). Lancashire 209-6.
Ali on Liam Dawson’s big chance.
The shot you might play after a long night of the soul.
Yorkshire battling against Surrey at Scarborough – fifties (well, 47 for Lyth) for each of the top four. Worrall three for 49. YJB now 18 not out. Yorkshire 280 for four.
Make that four for 17 ,as Drissell sends Banton on his way. A classic Somerset wobble. Soon Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton will appear to angrily whack 65 and save the batter blushes.
Somerset have slipped on that rogue bar of Chester-le-Street soap. After an easy start, they’ve suddenly lost three for five in eight balls. That man Wagner with the original breakthrough, TKC caught and bowled for 40, before Potts grabbed Davey and Rew in the same over, and Drissell did for Abell. Somerset 115-4, 30 behind Durham.
James Bracey is lying on the ground, after taking a blow somewhere painful. His teammates chew their nails, utterly unconcerned.
Lovely to wander around at tea: children having fun bowling at each other in the nets, a book signing, good-humoured chatter. A cloud burst, though, seems imminent.
Time for a cup of tea and a leg stretch, back shortly.
Am enjoying watching Todd Murphy bowl, especially his little high leg dog-lift at start of his run-up walk in. Cricinfo says he is thought of as the heir to Nathan Lyon when he eventually hangs up his boots. That’ll be a way away – but he’s easy on the eye.
Tea-time ish scores
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire 62-1 v Nottinghamshire 94-2
Taunton: Somerset 62-1 v Durham 145
Hove: Sussex 204 v Essex
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire 159-4
Scarborough: Yorkshire 214-2 v Surrey
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire 241-3
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan 2-0 v Kent 155
Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Lancashire 169-5
Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 247-1 v Northamptonshire
Rehan Ahmed has been dismissed for 115, but Lewis Hill, who joined him at the crease at 0-2, is unbeaten on 85. Leics 241-3.
Still slight as a candle, James Bracey takes a quick-witted diving catch to his right to dismiss Phil Salt, before jogging a semi-circle of celebration. Lancs 160-5, a fellow traveller in today’s low-scores club.
Yorkshire to vote in favour of keeping 14 Championship matches
Yorkshire will join Surrey, Somerset and Middlesex and vote to retain 14 Championship matches, following a member survey. They will vote in favour of a marginal reduction in Blast games.
The club vowed to “reflect the views of its members when it places its vote.”
At Cheltenham, in what is now pleasant shirt-sleeves warmth, Cameron Bancroft has just dropped Phil Salt at first slip off Akhter.
Kent lose five for five
Truly, an epic performance at Sophia Gardens. From 150-5 to 155 all out. Three ducks (Parky C, Agar, Quinn) to finish things off. Three wickets for Harris and van der Gugten.
Apologies for the delay. Vic Marks, who is signing copies of his new book, England Cricket Captains, the sequel to Alan Gibson’s great book, pops up to the balcony. He says it is obviously flattening out at Taunton. Somerset 32-0.
As Hurst smack six to the right of a jolly band of drinkers in front of hospitality tent, let’s wander around the grounds.
I can’t work out whether the tannoy announcer has just named the Chapel End as sponsored by a local funeral directors, or Ajeet Singh Dale himself. Anyway, he accelerates in, black hair flowing behind.
At Taunton, Durham, who’d done well to haul themselves up from 43-6, are finally all out for 145. Thanks largely to 42 from Ben Raine and twenties from Matthew Potts and Neil Wagner – who played half a game for Durham last year before his shoulder went. Craig Overton 6-23.
And four balls into the resumption, Josh Bohannon has a huge brain fade, quicksteps down the wicket to van Buuren, and is stumped. Lancs 106-3.
The covers are coming off here at Cheltenham, thanks to the busy groundsmen and, weather permitting, play will start at 2.55 with tea at 4.10. Five overs have been lost.
A little nugget from the rainbreak – Lancashire sold 2000 tickets on the back of Sir Jimmy’s wildcard selection for the Manchester Originals squad. At the same time, Rocky Flintoff was announced as a wildcard for Northern Superchargers.
For balance: Overton J.
Both openers gone, caught off Worrall – Lyth for 47, Bean for 57.
The future of the Cheltenham Festival
As the rain falls again on unfortunate Gloucestershire, this is worth a few minutes of your time – a call to arms by Gloucestershire’s chief exec Neil Priscott.
For those of you without a Cricketer subscription, Gloucestershire lost £80,000 on last year’s festival, even with the amazing Championship game against Glamorgan. They lost a similar amount the year before.
“We would like to continue it,” Priscott tells The Cricketer. “But if we can’t make it work this year, with the schedule we’ve got and the weather we have, then it will be really hard. We just can’t keep losing money.”
“We need support. We need people to support the festival. If we continue to lose, regardless of what the domestic schedule might throw up, we can’t keep doing it. But we want to keep doing it.
“If you go back pre-Hundred, pre-Covid, the festival made money. Good surpluses. It was a regular positive for the club. But since those, the schedule has changed a little bit, and it is completely different, and society is different. What used to be one of the hottest hospitality tickets in town, companies are different now.
“There is a different way that people work, and it is not necessarily spending a whole day at the cricket with 10 corporate colleagues. The hospitality market has changed markedly, and that was always one of Cheltenham’s big wins. We do recognise that it’s not like it was, and we shouldn’t expect it to be. So, what are our expectations? We do want to make a surplus, but it is a heck of an effort.”
So if you’re thinking about coming down, please do!
The umpires walk out for a cursory inspection of the covers, and scurry back.
A hundred for Rehan Ahmed!
What a cracking season he’s having. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, he’s looked a million dollars in the two centuries I’ve watched. Today, 104 not out, 121 balls, 14 fours, one six, rescuing Leicestershire from 0-2 to 146-2.
Only one player has scored more County Championship hundreds than Rehan Ahmed in 2025.
The 20-year-old also averaged more than 40 with the bat in the Blast…
— Yas Rana (@Yas_Wisden) July 22, 2025
And here comes the rain, filing in from the north west. The players stroll in with Lancashire 105-2. Hopefully it will blow over quickly.
Six for big Craig
Durham not having their best day: 76-7.
An enormous black aerial blanket is approaching Cheltenham college with intent.
A lunchtime email: hello there, Anthony Aldred.
“Today an inspiring group of young elderly men and women took part in a walking cricket festival at The Oval. All had a great time with laughter as well as a good competitive spirit. A long time ago some of my children played Kwik cricket for Send Cricket Club colts on The Oval outfield during the lunchtime of a West Indies Test Match. Not quite the same but now I have done it too. Walking cricket is brilliant. I stopped playing in my early 50s and never thought I would play again yet here I am at 78 performing on a Test ground. Opened the batting too!”
Well done Dad! I hope there is video footage.
Going to hunt down some lunch, back shortly.
Lunchtime scores
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Nottinghamshire 20-1 rain
Taunton: Somerset v Durham 33-3 rain
Hove: Sussex 69-4 v Essex rain
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire 67-3
Scarborough: Yorkshire 82-0 v Surrey
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire 118-2
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Kent 111-2
Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Lancashire 82-2
Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex 90-0 v Northamptonshire
Hit for Six: The Danger Zone
Some lunchtime reading, in the form of the new Hit for Six report The Danger Zone, six years after the first shocked Shane Warne into speaking out.
Hit for Six: The Danger Zone focuses particular on India – and the extreme heat that some IPL games are played in. It reveals that 36 per cent of 2025 IPL matches were played in “Extreme Caution” conditions, with an additional 12 per cent in the “Danger” zone.
It also reports that there has been a 125 per cent increase in hazardous heat days in Mumbai since 1970, with Thiruvananthapuram recording over 100 in 2024 alone. The report features voices from the Indian grassroots game, where there are none of the safeguards of franchise or international cricket. .
“All of us talk about it. My teammates and I are noticing that cricket doesn’t feel the same. It’s a bit scary because we don’t know how bad it’ll get. Mohammad Kaif, Wonders Club, Noida.
You can access the report in more detail at the bottom of the page here.
Rain forces an early lunch at Hove, Southampton and Taunton.
Sussex dine four down, with two wickets to Khaleel Ahmed.
And a wicket here at Cheltenham, as Jennings departs, disgruntled. Lancs 75-2.
Kookaburra – merry, merry king?
I spoke to Rob Key (for the Cricket Paper) about the Kookaburra ball at the end of the last round. He was thoughtful about it
“The misconception is that we are using the ball because of the Ashes, but it is because we want the county game to replicate as much as possible the international game, where people bowl more quickly and with more skill on flatter, truer surfaces. It is a long-term vision.”
“It is a small change that has a big effect on the style of cricket played. What we are looking for is players who take on pressure and soak up pressure. We are obsessed with one to one coaching in this country but this is a game learned out in the middle, carving out runs.”
On the tensions between cricketers/spectators/selectors “If you want to get a result you probably do have to play a different kind of cricket. We are looking at the process rather than the results, which is different to the way the county DOCs look at things.”
That it produces boring cricket: “I often think that the way a game is played shows the intent of the team. If the ball is not doing much and you’re scoring at two and a half an over, that’s a mentality thing, and it depends on your attitude towards risk as a team. The games are not meant to be over in two and a half days.”
On spinners.“We have a whole generation of spinners in the last 15 years who found themselves surplus to requirements, but if you look at the game between Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire [in the first of the Kookaburra rounds], Farhan Ahmed and Liam Patterson White bowled 110 overs between them.”
Key’s data deep dive showed that there was 25 percent more spin bowling in the first kookaburra round than there was in the round before.
Interestingly, the decision on when and whether or not to continue with the Kookaburra lies with the county DOCs, who meet with the ECB at the end of the season.
Inspection at 12.30 at Southampton
Delays also at Taunton and Edgbaston.
Here, off-spinner Todd Murphy wheels in, tea towel tucked into the waistband of his trousers. An excellent addition to the spinners in glasses club.
In Division One:
Adam Lyth and Finlay Bean have taken Yorkshire to 56-0 against Division One leaders Surrey at Scarborough.
Ethan Bamber and Ed Barnard chopped off Worcestershire’s openers in the Midlands Derby at Edgbaston: Worcs 40-2.
Durham have been briefly saved by the rain at CLS, Somerset’s Craig Overton took two in two, Durham 33-3.
It is also raining at Southampton, where Notts lost HH early, to Eddie Jack. Notts 20-1.
Sussex, who will be joined by Gloucestershire’s Tom Price next year, on a three year contract, have lost three wickets this morning to Essex. Simon Harmer is already two overs into his work. Sussex 50-3.
With a reminder (thank you) from BTL that this is a Kookaburra round, a potter round the other Division Two games.
Sam Robson and Max Holden have serenely taken Middlesex to 36-0 against Northants at Merchant Taylors’; Rehan Ahmed and Lewis Hill are making merry after Leicestershire’s disastrous start, Leics 44-2; and Kent are fizzing along at five an over against Glamorgan, though they’ve lost Compton for 17. Kent 61-1.
Currently battling with a parasol to protect laptops from the mizzle.
Pleasingly enthusiastic applause as Wells edges behind off Akhter. Lancs 28-1.
Mark Ramprakash is a very thoughtful columnist.
There is, I’m afraid to report, some rain in the air here in Cheltenham. De Lange went off after a couple of overs and is, I think, still nursing something or other. Seagulls drifting about, a few pints making their way around the boundary edge. Lancashire 23-0.
Leicestershire’s romp to Division One has hit further tacks in the road – currently one for two, with Budinger and Patel both gone for ducks.
And from the College Hall end, Ajeet Singh Dale, who was so impressive at Old Trafford earlier this season. Rumours are that he is soon headed to south London, though Lancashire were also interested.
A very enthusiastic tannoy announcer jollies up the crowd before play – and if you’re thinking of coming along, bring your bank card as it is a cash-free ground.
And here come Gloucestershire, lead by Cameron Bancroft. Marchant de Lange takes the first over from the Chapel End – we were watching him in warm-up, he’s built like a rugby player, all tree-trunk legs and oak-table chest. Rapid too, as Jennings edges him through the slips for four.
Looking out from the balcony at a barley sugar outfield, the clouds towering over Cleeve hill. Jimmy Anderson, still captain despite Marcus Harris’ return, has won the toss and decided to bat.
Overheard in the queue, Jimmy is the first knight of the realm ever to play at Cheltenham.
DIVISION TWO TABLE
1 Leicestershire 157
2 Derbyshire 126
3 Glamorgan 124
4 Gloucestershire 111
5 Northamptonshire 108
6 Lancashire 102
7. Middlesex 99
8 Kent 89
DIVISION ONE TABLE
1 Surrey 140
2 Nottinghamshire 139
3 Sussex 123
4 Somerset 117
5 Warwickshire 117
6 Durham 108
7 Hampshire 105
8 Yorkshire 91
9 Essex 88
10 Worcestershire 73
The future of the County Championship
Part XXXXV…the votes are (starting to come) in: Surrey and Somerset have announced that they want 14 Championship games, with a return to eight teams in Division One and 10 in Division Two; Middlesex also want 14, but with ten teams in the top tier, while Durham and Lancashire support the 12/6 conference idea.
The PCA, meanwhile, have put their weight behind the conference plan and a reduction in the number of games to 12, alongside a reduced Blast schedule.
“A change in format of the County Championship to 12 league games is the only reasonable option” said Olly Hannon-Dalby, PCA chair, breathing “new life” into the competition.
Gary Naylor’s excellent round-up of the Blast, as it goes into hibernation.
Fixtures
DIVISION ONE
Southampton: Hampshire v Nottinghamshire
Taunton: Somerset v Durham
Hove: Sussex v Essex
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Worcestershire
Scarborough: Yorkshire v Surrey
DIVISION TWO
Derby: Derbyshire v Leicestershire
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Kent
Cheltenham: Gloucestershire v Lancashire
Merchant Taylors’ School: Middlesex v Northamptonshire
Good morning! Torrential rain in Manchester (good luck for the Test …) has turned into thoughtful clouds above Cheltenham, at the start of this two-week late-July dip in the Championship waters. Fortified with porridge from the cafe opposite the station, I will follow the rucksacks to Cheltenham college. Play starts at 11am – do join us to rummage around cricket, the universe and everything.
