Andrew McGlashan reviews the county season
Andrew McGlashan26-Sep-2005.
Owais Shah led the Middlesex batting with 1728 runs © Getty Images
Middlesex
Runs were never in short supply – both Owais Shah and Ed Joyce were prolific – but the fact that they were still battling relegation in the final week of the Championship emphasises their problem with the bowling. Wicket-taking potential was not such a factor in the one-day game and, after years of poor performances, they ended a very creditable second in the National League. Injuries to the seamers, especially Chad Keegan, hampered their progress but Ben Hutton has been given a vote of confidence with an extension to his captaincy.
Player of the season Owais Shah – could not have batted much better.Northamptonshire
Their late surge in the Championship just showed what a poor start to the season they had. Jason Brown and Monty Panesar came to the fore once the pitches took more turn; they are the best pair of English spinners. Martin Love and David Sales provided the bulk of the runs, although Usman Afzaal played some attractive innings. Their one-day cricket was consistent with two quarter-final appearances, and Kepler Wessels is building a team that can challenge strongly for some silverware in the coming seasons.
Player of the season Damien Wright – Led the bowling from the front and hit useful runs in the middle order.Nottinghamshire
They became the first team to win the Championship the season after being promoted – and fully deserved their triumph. Their game plan was simple; pile on the runs and let the bowlers to their stuff. Part One was taken care of by Jason Gallian, David Hussey and Stephen Fleming with support from Chris Read, among others. The seam bowlers then did their job with Mark Ealham the leading striker, taking 56 victims. Fleming’s captaincy set the tone and Gallian was an able deputy. Their one-day game was more of a struggle, but they maintained their National League division one status during the last round of matches to end a memorable year on a high.Player of the season David Hussey – It was a team effort, but his batting and catching were outstanding.
Carl Gazzard is one of a clutch of promising youngsters at Somerset © Getty Images
Somerset
Disappointing in the four-day game, exciting in the one-day arena. Give this team a couple more years and they will be producing some high quality players. Mike Garaway has swept the board clean at Taunton, blooding the youngsters and showing faith in them. The mixed results were to be expected but the Twenty20 win showed what can be achieved with a balance of youth and experience. Matthew Wood, Arul Suppiah, Wesley Durston and Carl Gazzard have bright futures. Graeme Smith instilled a gritty, professional side to their cricket and Somerset hope he will return.
Player of the season Ian Blackwell – Maturing as a captain, batsman and bowler. Very unlucky not to feature this winterSurrey
Problems on and off the field mean Surrey won’t be able to compete for the Championship for the first time in their history. The eight points lost for the ball tampering controversy against Notts in early season proved crucial, although their last-match win was against a relaxed Middlesex team. The team’s troubles are not confined to just their performances on the field, with the professionalism of some of the players called into question. Steve Rixon made his feelings known too, before being replaced for the last week of the season by Alan Butcher. Mark, Alan’s son, missed most of the summer with injury and the attack was depleted, but the side has started to look its age. The replacements are not obvious and an immediate return to Division One won’t be easy. Their one-day form was just as inconsistent, as they failed to defend 358 in the C&G quarter-final against Hampshire.
Player of the season Mark Ramprakash – still the most technically correct batsman in England.Sussex
A consistent season on the south coast, as Sussex were always competitive in the Championship thanks to their solid top order and two high quality overseas players in Mushtaq Ahmed and Naved-ul-Hasan. Three batsmen passed 1000 runs and five bowlers took wickets at under 30 in the Championship, but their early defeat against Nottinghamshire was critical. The one-day season also provided success with the second division National League title.
Player of the season Mushtaq Ahmed – A constant threat and the perfect overseas professionalWarwickshire
The fact they won three more matches than in 2004, but finished only fourth shows how competitive the Championship race became this season. It is now the end of an era at the club, with Nick Knight and John Inverarity both leaving. Whoever takes over will inherit a team with some young, exciting players and others, such as Jim Troughton, showing a new lease of life. The bowling is still an issue but James Anyon is a useful prospect, although an overseas bowler is important. Mark Wagh’s knee injury restricted him to one Championship match and put pressure on the likes of Ian Westwood and Luke Parker to come through the ranks. They remained competitive in the one-day arena, with an appearance at Lord’s in the C&G, but came unstuck in the Twenty20 bowl-out against Surrey.
Player of the season Dougie Brown – Kept running it and provided an experienced head for Nick Knight.
Graeme Hick suffered a poor season, so did Worcestershire © Getty Images
Worcestershire
It was a disappointing first season in charge for Vikram Solanki – both as a team and as an individual. Worcestershire failed to seriously challenge for promotion, and Solanki didn’t make a single Championship century. Add to that the poor run of form suffered by Graeme Hick and it often left the team short of runs, despite the best efforts of Ben Smith and Stephen Moore. The bowling was more impressive, with Matt Mason and Kabir Ali carrying a heavy workload. Shoaib Akhtar also provided the occasional, explosive burst. The season ended on a disappointing note with relegation in the National League: there is a lot of work to be done over the winter.
Player of the season Ben Smith – Tried his best to compensate for the lack of runs from Hick and Solanki.Yorkshire
Promotion in the Championship means it was a successful season for Yorkshire, but it will be tinged with annoyance after they failed to turn up for the C&G semi-final against Hampshire – almost literally when the coach driver refused to take them to the ground. The lack of pace bowling meant they struggled to bowl teams out: they must unearth some young, quick bowlers soon if they are to be competitive in the first division. They do, though, have some useful spin bowling in the shape of Mark Lawson and Richard Dawson but will need the young seamers to come through next season.
Player of the season Anthony McGrath – 1425 runs and useful wickets
