County wrap: How the Aussies fared in the third round

Beau Webster’s all-round effort led Warwickshire to their first win as the great Jimmy Anderson starred again for Lancashire

Division One

Beau Webster – Warwickshire

14 (17) & 91 (123)

 

DNB & 2-4 (4.2)

 

Season to date: 207 runs at 41.40, three wickets at 36.33

The Test allrounder provided a matchwinning intervention for Warwickshire with the final two wickets on day four, but it was his crucial second-innings hand with the bat on Sunday that set up his side’s first win of the season.

After being dismissed for 14 in the first innings, Webster arrived at the crease on day three with his team 3-14 and still trailing by one run. When he departed almost three hours later for 91, the Bears were 162 runs in front and well and truly back in the game.

Having not been required with the ball in the first innings, Webster took the final two wickets of the match on Monday to seal a 41-run win. With Simon Harmer (32) and Zaman Akhter’s (35) partnership up to 51, the Tasmanian found the former’s edge to second slip with the seventh ball of his second spell before dismissing the latter caught on the boundary attempting a ramp in his next over.

Warwickshire moved into second in division one with their first win of the season after a draw and a loss, with Webster’s second innings efforts (91 and 2-4) his best returns of the campaign so far.

Jake Lehmann – Hampshire

76 (110) & 50 (95)

 

Season to date: 337 at 56.16

The South Australian veteran scored his fourth half-century on the bounce for Hampshire, but his efforts proved in vain as they went down to Somerset in a two-wicket thriller at the Rose Bowl. Lehmann is up to third in the division one runs tally after the first three rounds, behind only England Test wicketkeeper Jamie Smith (396) for Surrey and Somerset young gun James Rew (379).

The left-hander found the rope 10 times in the first innings as he top scored for Hampshire and added another eight boundaries in the second in a 70-run partnership with opener Nick Gubbins (83). “I’d like to convert one of them,” Lehmann said after his 76 on day one. “You’ve just got to play the scenario in front of you and at the moment that scenario is probably not presenting for me. I’ve been in a good headspace for the past two years in this format and hopefully I can continue that.”

Division Two

Nathan McSweeney – Northamptonshire

107 (191)

 

Season to date: 246 runs at 63.23

The former Test opener made it back-to-back county centuries as he continues to flourish in his role No.4 for the Darren Lehmann-coached Northamptonshire. After scoring his first half-century since the BBL in January in South Australia’s Sheffield Shield final triumph last month, McSweeney now has 318 runs at 63 in his past six first-class innings.

The right-hander hit 16 boundaries in his first innings century against Middlesex, lifting his team out of trouble from 3-42 to 5-262 when he was dismissed on day three, with his 164-run partnership with James Sales (164) helping them take a lead of 68 into the second innings. But former England opener Sam Robson (162) dug in on day four as Northants played out their third straight draw to start the season.

Marcus Harris – Lancashire

11 (28) & 0 (3)

 

Season to date: 202 runs at 50.50

A rare quiet county game for the Victorian left-hander after he opened his second Lancashire stint with a century and 66 in the previous round. But it mattered little as England great James Anderson again proved a class above with seven wickets for the match to lead the Red Rose county to a tense four-wicket win over Gloucestershire.

After Anderson took four second innings wickets to leave Lancs chasing 202 for their second straight win, former England batter Keaton Jennings held the innings together with an unbeaten 78 after Harris’ lbw dismissal for a duck left them 3-46. Harris will now look to bounce back on Friday when Lancashire head north to face Durham.

Harry Conway – Northamptonshire

3-74 (20.5) & 0-17 (15)

 

Season to date: 16 wickets at 19.87

The NSW paceman continued his county hot streak with another three wickets in the first innings to remain second in the division two wickets tally for the season behind the ageless Jimmy Anderson (21).

Conway took two wickets, opener Sam Robson and No.3 Max Holden, on the opening morning of the match to reduce Middlesex to 3-20, before adding his third via a caught and bowled running back with the flight to remove top scorer Zafar Gohar (83) and end the innings the following day. Though wicketless in the second innings, Conway sent down 15 exceptional overs to concede just 17 runs, but he couldn’t shift Robson (162) or Holden (86) again as the pair helped the visitors bat out an uninspiring draw.

Cameron Bancroft – Gloucestershire

6 (30) & 4 (8)

 

Season to date: 74 runs at 12.33

Another tough game for the Gloucestershire skipper as his side lost their third straight match to begin the season. They got closer this time after two innings defeats in the opening two rounds, but the experience of Jimmy Anderson (seven wickets for the match) and Keaton Jennings (70 and 78 not out) helped Lancashire get over the line by four wickets on day four in Bristol.

Bancroft was run out in the first innings when he was sent back attempting a quick single and Josh Bohannon’s underarm throw was on target at the striker’s end. In the second innings, the West Australian opener appeared aggrieved to be given out caught behind as keeper Matty Hurst gloved a sharp take up to the stumps off right-arm quick George Balderson.

“For a lot of that last innings, we thought we were a real chance to win the game,” Bancroft said post-match. “There’s lots of positives but there were some key moments that hurt us badly and if those had changed, we would have just had a few more runs to play with at the end.”

Gabe Bell – Gloucestershire

2-56 (16) & 1-26 (18)

 

Season to date: Four wickets at 67.50

It was the Tasmanian seamer’s best game of the season so far after taking just one wicket in the first two rounds. Bell trapped Victorian Marcus Harris lbw in the first innings and bowled Matty Hurst, with his second innings wicket again coming via a stunning delivery that decked in off the seam and clattered into Josh Bohannon’s middle stump.

But he couldn’t find another breakthrough in the second dig despite sending down 18 economical overs where he conceded less than one-and-a-half runs per over, as former England opener Keaton Jennings guided Lancashire to victory with an unbeaten 78 at Bristol.

Did not play:

Fergus O’Neill (Nottinghamshire), Jake Weatherald (Leicestershire), Sean Abbott (Surrey), Ryan Hadley (Glamorgan), Daniel Hughes (Sussex), Jhye Richardson (Yorkshire), Sam Whiteman (Yorkshire) and Caleb Jewell (Derbyshire) all had byes in round three.

2026 County Championship division two standings

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