County wrap: How the Aussies fared in the seventh round

Division One

Jake Weatherald – Leicestershire

61 (77) & DNB

 

Season to date: 483 runs at 60.37

The Aussie left-hander continued his fine county form in the first innings for Leicestershire before making an early exit from the match due to an elbow injury. After reaching 61 with seven fours and a six on day one, Weatherald was struck on the left elbow by a ball from South African Wiaan Mulder, whose first delivery of the match the opener had earlier smashed for six over midwicket.

The ball rebounded off Weatherald’s elbow, onto his leg and then back onto his stumps to end his first-innings stay. The 31-year-old dropped his bat immediately in agony and was sent for a scan following his dismissal. He was later subbed out of the match with a badly bruised elbow and didn’t bat in the second innings as his side crashed to 60 all out and lost by seven wickets inside three days.

The match was also Weatherald’s last for Leicester this season as he turns his attention to August’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, finishing his six-game stint in ninth spot on the division one runs tally with a century (104no against Glamorgan) and three fifties.

Fergus O’Neill – Nottinghamshire

5-51 (22) & 3-35 (20)

 

13 (55)

 

Season to date: 13 wickets at 16.38, 149 runs at 49.66

The prolific Victorian’s eight wickets for the match weren’t enough to eke out a result against Hampshire as wet weather and Jake Lehmann’s unbeaten fourth innings century denied Nottinghamshire the full points. After going wicketless in his return from a rib injury in Notts’ previous match, O’Neill was on song at Southampton as he ripped through the hosts’ top order on day one, trapping Lehmann leg before amid a new ball spell that yielded 3-14 from eight overs, which included four straight maidens.

The right-armer added another later in the day and then had Delano Potgieter caught at first slip the following morning to complete his first innings five-for. When Hampshire batted again on day three after O’Neill’s patient, hour-long 13 helped them a narrow 15-run lead, the Aussie quick had them in early trouble once more as he struck twice before stumps to leave them 4-82 heading into the final day. Despite O’Neill claiming opposition skipper Ben Brown early on day four, Lehmann stood firm to stifle Notts’ push for victory.

O’Neill, who has now taken 34 wickets at 17.32 in seven County Championship appearances for Notts since last year, will remain in the UK as the T20 Blast competition gets underway this week to play in their next two red-ball fixtures in June.

Daniel Hughes – Sussex

107 (140) & 21 (60)

 

Season to date: 539 runs at 44.91

Hughes second century in as many matches underpinned Sussex’s hard-fought draw against Somerset at Taunton, helping the visitors’ hold on despite conceding a daunting first innings deficit.

The veteran left-hander’s 107 from 140 balls, featuring 17 boundaries, was the standout contribution in his side’s first innings total of 253, accounting for nearly half the runs scored.

He had a scare on 99 when Tom Lammonby had a big shout for lbw, but he then scampered the single to get to three figures again off 133 balls, receiving the bonus of four overthrows.

With Somerset having posted a commanding 8(dec)-526, Hughes shepherded Sussex into a position of relative stability at 3-204 before his dismissal – caught at slip off Lammonby – triggered a collapse that saw the innings unravel.

Asked to follow on, Hughes was more reserved for his 21 from 60 balls before holing out to point from the off-spin of Archie Vaughan. His second innings dismissal also triggered another flurry of wickets as Sussex lost 6-56 and they were left clinging on seven wickets down before rain ultimately intervened to secure a draw. Having posted 136 in the southern county’s previous match against Leicestershire, Hughes’ second century of the season helped him climb into the top six run scorers in division one after the first seven rounds.

Jake Lehmann – Hampshire

4 (6) & 102no (205)

 

Season to date: 559 runs at 62.11

The red-hot South Australian converted a fifty into three figures at the sixth attempt as Hampshire avoided defeat at home in the County Championship for the first time in 10 months.

Champions and table-toppers Nottinghamshire had hoped to rip through the hosts on the final day to secure victory, but despite Fergus O’Neill taking match figures of 8-86, they found his fellow Australian blocking their path as they finished on 6-207 with a lead of 192.

Lehmann had scored five half-centuries – all in succession – earlier in the season before batting out the final day for a 205-ball 102 not out. The left-hander, who’d been dismissed between 76 and 92 four times already this season, nervously plotted his way through the late 80s and early 90s before reaching his century – the 17th of his first-class career – with a flick off his hips for four. He ended the round in fourth spot on the first division runs tally, ahead of fellow Australians Daniel Hughes (sixth) and Jake Weatherald (ninth).

Jhye Richardson – Yorkshire

1-42 (12) & 1-47 (14)

 

Season to date: Six wickets at 66.33

Richardson’s first foray into county cricket has been a tough grind with wickets proving difficult to find, but his early season stint ended on a high as his Yorkshire thumped powerhouses Surrey by an innings and 127 runs.

The right-armer, who his still working his way back to top speed after shoulder surgery last year, took a wicket in each innings to finish with six in four games, with a best return of 2-59 against Sussex.

Richardson had former England Test opener Rory Burns caught off the glove at point from a sharp, rising delivery in the first innings, then added another ex-international scalp in the second as Dom Sibley edged to second slip where Harry Brook took a nice catch going to his left.

Beau Webster – Warwickshire

21 (46)

 

0-21 (12) & 0-47 (10)

 

Season to date: 289 runs at 32.11, six wickets at 53.50

A quiet outing for the Aussie Test allrounder as he wasn’t required in the second innings with Warwickshire batting out a final day draw against Glamorgan at Edgbaston.

Webster was unable to find a breakthrough with the ball for the second straight match and again got set with the bat, hitting two boundaries through the off side before nicking 18-year-old seamer Tom Norton low to first slip attempting a straight drive.

Sean Abbott – Surrey

0-95 (26)

 

56 (61) & 33no (67)

 

Season to date: 222 runs at 37, 10 wickets at 65.50

Abbott was Surrey’s best with bat in a dismal trip north to Headingley where they went down to Yorkshire by an innings and 127 runs. The NSW allrounder top scored from No.9 in the first innings, hitting six fours and clearing the rope twice in his counter-attacking knock as his side were rolled for 204 in response to the hosts’ 486.

Asked to follow on, Surrey’s stacked top order fared even worse second time around, England Test star Harry Brook proving the unlikely destroyer with 3-11 from 7.1 overs. Abbott finished one run shy of being the top scorer in both innings, left stranded on 33 not out when the last wicket of Dan Worrall fell, with opener Dom Sibley having earlier scored 34 before edging to second slip off Jhye Richardson.

Ryan Hadley – Glamorgan

1-49 (10) & 1-10 (4)

 

Season to date: 21 wickets at 26.38

A breakthrough in each innings saw the NSW quick finish an impressive six-game stint with the Welsh county in the top eight division one wicket-takers so far this season.

Hadley removed Zen Malik caught at second slip in the first innings before having former England white-ball batter Dan Mousley inside edging a ball to the wicketkeeper in the second, but the rain intervened on the final day as Warwickshire batted out a draw at Edgbaston.

Division Two

Harry Conway – Northamptonshire

2-54 (17.5) & 3-42 (19)

 

Season to date: 26 wickets at 22.92

The ultra-consistent Conway continued his wicket-taking ways against Gloucestershire as he removed their captain Cameron Bancroft for a duck in just the second over of the match with a ball that nipped in off the pitch. The right-armer later added another compatriot, Gabe Bell, for a duck to wrap up his opponent’s first innings for 154.

Conway was then on a hat-trick early in Gloucester’s second innings when he bagged the wickets of nightwatcher Will Williams and regular opener Ben Charlesworth, both caught at second slip by Calvin Harrison. Bancroft survived the hat-trick ball and went on to score 82 to leave Northants chasing 249 to win, and they snuck home by two wickets thanks to Nathan McSweeney’s determined 46 in the fourth innings.

Nathan McSweeney – Northamptonshire

6 (17) & 46 (127)

 

Season to date: 392 runs at 49

McSweeney battled hard for his valuable second innings 46 as the Darren Lehmann-coached Northamptonshire chased down a victory target of 249 to secure their second win of the season. The South Australian skipper arrived at the crease with Northants 2-34 and dug in as wickets regularly fell around him, hitting just the six boundaries in his more than three-hour knock.

He was trapped lbw for the second time in the match with 70 runs still required, but Louis Kimber (66) and Lewis McManus (22no) carried on his momentum to see the team home with two wickets to spare.

McSweeney has signed for Northants for the entire season across all formats and will now turn his attention to the T20 Blast, with the Steelbacks to kick of their campaign at home on Friday night against Glamorgan.

Cameron Bancroft – Gloucestershire

0 (2) & 82 (140)

 

Season to date: 310 runs at 28.18

It’s mostly been feast or famine for Bancroft so far this county season and that continued against Northamptonshire as he fell to Harry Conway for a second ball duck on day one, trapped lbw by a ball that shaped away before decking in off the pitch.

The West Australian then survived Conway’s hat-trick ball in the second innings and went on to post his third half-century of the season. Bancroft’s Gloucestershire were in dire straits at stumps on day two after losing two nightwatchmen and regular opener Ben Charlesworth, who they’d been sent out to protect, to sink to 3-21.

Skipper Bancroft rallied the following day to lead the fight back, hitting eight boundaries in his four-hour rearguard that helped set Northants 249 to win. But just as the right-hander eyed three figures for the first time since October, he was again pinned in front by a delivery fired in at leg stump by seamer James Sales. South Australian rival Nathan McSweeney then led the visitors’ chase with 46 as Bancroft’s side sunk to their fifth loss in six games.

Gabe Bell – Gloucestershire

2-37 (17) & 2-42 (12)

 

Season to date: 21 wickets at 30.47

The Tasmanian seamer was on a hat-trick in the first innings of Gloucestershire’s narrow defeat to Northamptonshire, bowling nightwatchman Harry Conway and trapping Calvin Harrison leg before in successive deliveries. Bell also claimed two wickets in the second innings, including opener Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw in his second over. It kept his side in the hunt for most of the final day, but Nathan McSweeney (46) and Louis Kimber (66) edged the visitors home by two wickets chasing 249.

After a slow start to his maiden county stint, Bell finishes his six games for Gloucestershire equal ninth on the division two wickets tally having taken multiple wickets in each of his past seven bowling innings.

Caleb Jewell – Derbyshire

24 (41) & 4 (3)

 

Season to date: 236 runs at 23.60

The Tasmanian left-hander’s tough run continued but Derbyshire recovered from early trouble to record a seven-wicket win over Middlesex at the Home of Cricket. Jewell did the hard work in the first innings, hitting three boundaries before he was bowled by a ball around his legs. Derby were 4-90 when Jewell was dismissed but Ben Aitchison (112) and veteran Wayne Madsen (119) rallied to hit centuries in a 208-run sixth-wicket stand that gave the visitors a first innings lead of 199 when they were bowled out for 376.

Chasing 122 to win in the second innings after Aitchison also claimed eight wickets for the match (5-47 and 3-67), Jewell slapped a cut shot in front of point to the boundary from his first ball faced. But the 29-year-old was squared up defending two deliveries later and adjudged caught behind, appearing none too pleased with the decision as he threw his head back before trudging off towards the pavilion.

Chris Green – Lancashire

0-45 (17) & 0-12 (4)

 

15 (33)

 

Season to date: 55 runs at 18.33

Unused in his first game of the season the previous weekend, Green was finally thrown the ball as Lancashire hosted Worcestershire at their seaside out-ground in Southport. He toiled hard for 17 overs in the first innings but was unable to find a breakthrough, and finished wicketless for the match as it ended in a rain-reduced draw.

Green’s efforts with the bat though helped Lancashire take a narrow first innings lead, hitting three boundaries before being caught behind off South African seamer Beyers Swanepoel.

Did not play:

Sam Whiteman sat out another game for Yorkshire, who had Test stars Joe Root and Harry Brook both available for their heavyweight clash with Surrey. Whiteman hasn’t played since suffering a testicular injury during his century against Sussex last month.

Despite being named in their squad on Thursday, Marcus Harris was a late out for Lancashire due to illness, and he didn’t miss much as they played out an uneventful draw with Worcestershire.

2026 County Championship division two standings

Australians in the 2026 County Championship

Derbyshire: Caleb Jewell

Glamorgan: Ryan Hadley (first six matches), Nathan McAndrew (June-July)

Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancroft, Gabe Bell (first six matches), Liam Scott (June)

Hampshire: Jake Lehmann

Lancashire: Marcus Harris, Chris Green

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: Sam Whiteman, Jhye Richardson (until mid-May)