Division One
Fergus O’Neill – Nottinghamshire
59 (82) & 36no (51)
4-24 (13) & 1-42 (10)
Season to date: 95 runs at 95, five wickets at 13.20
The Victorian picked up where he left off from last county season after rejoining Notts following the Sheffield Shield final. After starring 21 wickets in four games last year, O’Neill immediately showed his class again with a crucial half-century on day one after his side slipped to 6-103. He then ripped through Glamorgan’s top order with the wickets of both openers as he finished the day with the remarkable figures of 2-6 from six overs, four of which were maidens.
The 25-year-old added more wickets and runs on days two and three as Notts set the Welsh county 478 to win, but after dismissing No.3 Zain-ul-Hassan caught behind in the second innings, O’Neill was substituted out with a rib injury, a development permitted under a trial brought in this season like what was in place during the Shield season during the Australian summer.
The wicket gave O’Neill match figures of 5-66 as the defending division one champions cantered to a 192-run victory. The extent of O’Neill’s injury is unknown but unless it is serious he is unlikely to miss any matches. Under the regulations he cannot feature for eight days, but Notts do not play again until April 24.
Jake Weatherald – Leicestershire
96 (120)
Season to date: 210 runs at 70
The Test opener’s strong start to the county season continued after securing a late deal as Peter Handscomb’s replacement at Leicestershire, but a three-figure score eluded him again. After hitting 83 in the opening round, Weatherald slammed 16 boundaries and a six in a 156-run opening stand with Rishi Patel, who scored 164. Stephen Eskinazi and Ben Cox also hit centuries as the Foxes racked up 691 in reply to Surrey’s 520.
Unsurprisingly, the match finished in a draw at The Oval with the hosts 4-263 in their second innings. Weatherald’s 96 was his highest score since his 183 for Australia A against Sri Lanka A in July last year, which was the left-hander’s most recent first-class century.
Sean Abbott – Surrey
0-84 (26)
2 (7)
Season to date: 42 runs at 21, one wicket at 158
A rare quiet county game for the NSW allrounder as bat dominated ball in Surrey’s high-scoring draw with Leicestershire. Though wicketless, Abbott was his side’s most economical frontline bowler, conceding 3.23 runs per over for his 26 overs as their opponents amassed 691 on a lifeless Oval surface. The Three Feathers have a bye this weekend, and Abbott will be hoping for more sporting conditions at The Oval for their next match against Essex on April 24 as he seeks to replicate his 2023 season at the county when he took 37 wickets in nine matches while also scoring 456 runs at 45.60.
Ryan Hadley – Glamorgan
4-76 (13.4) & 0-48 (14)
Season to date: 10 wickets at 22.10
Another impressive showing for the rising NSW quick who backed up his six wickets in the opening round with four in the first innings against Notts. Hadley took the last three wickets of the first innings, including century-maker Jack Haynes, to dismiss the hosts for 279. However, Glamorgan’s batters were unable to back up his efforts as they crumbled for 113 and 285 to lose by 192 runs.
Daniel Hughes – Sussex
30 (52) & 83 (112)
Season to date: 204 runs at 51
Hughes continues to be a dependable force at the top for Sussex in his third stint for the county as his second innings effort laid the platform for a superb run chase to defeat Beau Webster’s Warwickshire. The veteran left-hander teamed up with No.5 Jack Leaning (120no) for a 108-run partnership as the Sharks ran down their target of 328 across the final two days of the match.
Jake Lehmann – Hampshire
76 (93) & 92 (130)
Season to date: 211 runs at 52.75
The experienced left-hander bounced back from a disappointing start to his time with Hampshire with consecutive half-centuries in their thumping win over Yorkshire at Headingley. Lehmann top scored for his side in the first innings against an attack led by West Australian Jhye Richardson on county debut and then backed up in the second innings with 12 fours and a six to allow Hampshire to declare five down and set Yorkshire 426 to win. They never got close as South African Kyle Abbott’s 6-21 saw them bowled out for 211.
Beau Webster – Warwickshire
48 (70) & 1 (11)
1-23 (3.3) & 0-23 (4)
Season to date: 102 runs at 34, one wicket at 105
The Test allrounder narrowly missed his second straight half-century of the season as Warwickshire took a first innings lead against Sussex in Hove. But the match turned in the second as Webster’s Bears lost their last five wickets for 74 runs to let the home side back into the contest, and NSW veteran Daniel Hughes (83) led the run chase as Sussex cruised to a five-wicket win. Webster bowled four overs for 23 runs without reward in the second innings and conceded more than six runs per over across his seven-and-a-half for the match.
Jhye Richardson – Yorkshire
1-51 (12)
Season to date: One wicket at 51
The West Australian pace ace took his team’s first wicket in his County Championship debut as he had Hampshire opener Joe Weatherley edging a beautiful outswinging delivery through to the keeper on day one. But it was an uneventful match for Richardson after that as he didn’t take another wicket for the innings and was then subbed out with illness on Saturday and didn’t bowl in the second innings as Yorkshire went down by 214 runs. He’s unlikely to miss any cricket despite the trial rule’s eight-day stand down period as Yorkshire have a bye this weekend and don’t play again until April 24.
Sam Whiteman – Yorkshire
14 (19) & 4 (7)
Season to date: 90 runs at 22.50
A quiet game for Yorkshire’s new signing as the left-hander failed to fire at No.3 in a heavy defeat against Hampshire. Whiteman was one of Kyle Abbott’s six victims in the second innings as the White Rose county fell well short of their 426-run target at Headingley. After signing a three-year deal as a local player in January, the 34-year-old will no doubt be hungry to make an impression when Yorkshire next host Sussex on April 24 after their bye.
Division Two
Marcus Harris – Lancashire
125 (182) & 66 (136)
Season to date: 191 runs at 95.50
The prolific left-hander began another English campaign in superb touch with a sparkling century for Lancashire on day one of their clash with Derbyshire at Old Trafford. In the second season of a three-year deal with the Jimmy Anderson-led county, Harris anchored their first innings 351 with 14 fours and two sixes.
However, it was the 43-year-old Anderson who ultimately delivered the defining performance with a devastating spell to ensure Harris’ batting efforts didn’t go to waste. Lancashire lost 4-13 in the morning of day four, including Harris for 66, to be dismissed for 160 and seemed bound for defeat with Derbyshire needing 137.
Derbys suffered a blow when Harris caught Tasmanian Caleb Jewell for five but had progressed to 3-73 when wickets tumbled with Anderson taking 4-7 in his 29-ball second spell. Derbyshire were dismissed for 108 with Anderson effecting the run-out for the final wicket. Harris top scored in both innings in a strong start to the season following Victoria’s Sheffield Shield final heartbreak.
Nathan McSweeney – Northamptonshire
101no (85)
Season to date: 139 runs at 69.50
South Australia’s dual Sheffield Shield-winning skipper smashed a rapid 85-ball century – his first in the County Championship – but his side were frustrated by rain as they pushed for a win against Kent on the final day.
Each of Northants top four scored centuries as they posted 2(dec)-684 after opting to bat first in Canterbury. McSweeney hit 10 fours and two sixes, bringing up his hundred with a pull shot for six over deep midwicket. Northants declared immediately, rolling their opponents for 178 and they had them 5-253 in the second when the draw was called.
Harry Conway – Northamptonshire
5-36 (15) & 2-59 (18)
Season to date: 13 wickets at 17.46
The boisterous NSW quick dismissed England Test opener Zak Crawley twice in another strong showing to kick off his seven-game stint with Northamptonshire this season.
The right-armer ripped one back through the gate to skittle Crawley in the first innings after Conway’s side amassed a mammoth 2(dec)-684, while he found the opener’s leading edge in the second innings with a simple catch ballooning into the off-side. But Conway could only find one further breakthrough on a gloomy final day as Kent held on for a draw five wickets down. Only Test great Jimmy Anderson (14) has more wickets in division two than Conway’s 13 to start the season.
Cameron Bancroft – Gloucestershire
2 (3) & 56 (106)
Season to date: 64 runs at 16
The West Australian opener was his side’s only batter to reach 50 as they were smashed by Durham by an innings and 225 runs in three days at home – their second innings defeat in two games this season after losing to Middlesex in round one. Gloucestershire skipper Bancroft hit eight fours in his 101-run opening stand with Ben Charlesworth in the second innings, one of the few positives for the side this season as they turn their attention to combating Jimmy Anderson and his undefeated Lancashire this Friday.
Gabe Bell – Gloucestershire
0-120 (25)
Season to date: One wicket at 188
The Tasmanian has had tough start to life as a county cricketer, hammered for 120 runs by Durham’s batters across 25 wicketless overs. Bell has just one wicket so far in his first two games for Gloucestershire and they’ve started their season with two straight innings defeats.
Caleb Jewell – Derbyshire
0 (3) & 5 (5)
Season to date: 61 runs at 20.33
The Tasmanian left-hander failed to get off the start line in Derbyshire’s close loss to Lancashire, out cheaply in both innings. Jewell was bowled by seamer Mitchell Stanley for a duck in the first innings before chipping Tom Bailey to fellow Aussie Marcus Harris at midwicket in the second.
Australians in the 2026 County Championship
Derbyshire: Caleb Jewell
Glamorgan: Nathan McAndrew (June)
Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancroft, Gabe Bell (first six matches), Liam Scott (June)
Hampshire: Jake Lehmann
Lancashire: Marcus Harris
Leicestershire: Jake Weatherald
Northamptonshire: Nathan McSweeney, Harry Conway (first two months only)
Nottinghamshire: Fergus O’Neill (April-June only)
Surrey: Sean Abbott (first half of season)
Sussex: Daniel Hughes
Warwickshire: Beau Webster (first half of season)
Yorkshire: Jhye Richardson (until mid-May)
