Rory Burns, Surrey’s captain, has received the honor of hoisting the Championship one-day cricket trophy. With the covers now securely in place, it’s time to delve into the canvas bag in search of this year’s County Championship trophies.
The Manchester City squad rotation accolade
Surrey won the Championship on the season’s penultimate day despite some nervous moments from their opponents. It wasn’t a victory defined solely by individual brilliance – although there was plenty of that – but rather a triumph of a well-coordinated unit that comprehended their roles and seamlessly adjusted, knowing they could, as Coach Gareth Batty likes to put it, “be substituted into the game” at any given moment.
The Bazball award for extraordinary overachievement
Goes to Durham, who lived up to their preseason boasts in every conceivable way. Ben Stokes’s county fully embraced Bazball’s grandeur, clinching Division Two. They stormed to a remarkable score of 352 for seven on the season’s opening day and maintained that momentum throughout, concluding with seven victories and an astounding 54 batting points, 23 more than any other team. Now, they’ve thrown down the gauntlet to Division One, seven years after their demotion by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
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The Diana Ross Award for the Best Entrance of the Year
Goes to Middlesex’s batsmen, who found themselves at four for four after just three and a half overs in their first innings of the season, with numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 all failing to score. The club managed to accumulate only five batting points throughout the entire summer, indicating that their fortunes didn’t improve. Middlesex, promoted to Division One for the first time since 2017 but ultimately relegated despite a valiant last-ditch effort, faced consequences from the ECB for financial negligence. It’s now time to quietly close this chapter and try again next year.
The Mike Procter Award for Outstanding Performance
Goes to Tom Price, who illuminated the third week of the season when he walked out for Gloucestershire at 45 for seven and hammered 12 fours and three sixes in his maiden first-class century. He then proceeded to dismantle Worcestershire’s top order, completing the day with a hat-trick. Tom, at the age of 23, and his 22-year-old brother Ollie, provided a ray of hope in an otherwise dismal Championship season for Gloucestershire, which ended without a single victory, offering optimism for the future.
The “Who Are You” Award for Contributions to Cricket
Hampshire reportedly denied Pep Guardiola the top apartment during Manchester City’s stay at the Hilton Rose Bowl. The reason? Those accommodations belonged to Mohammad Abbas.
The Michael Gove Award for Twisting the Knife
In the Surrey dressing room’s “Dancing on the Ceiling” mood, Alec Stewart gently handed the ECB both firearms. “I always want England to be the best, but I’m also striving to find a way to show more respect to the county game. As it’s where your players are nurtured to represent England,” he said. This presents a challenge.
The Simon Harmer Award for the Best Overseas Player of the Year
As usual, Simon Harmer (61 wickets at 28) was outstanding, but Kemar Roach won this year. Not solely based on statistics, but rather for what he symbolizes at Surrey – an overseas player who bookended the season with the champions and genuinely loves and is adored by the county game.
The Parent Trap Award for Occupational Ambiguity
Goes to the Parkinson twins, Matt and Callum. Matt’s career with Lancashire dwindled and he was loaned to Durham, while Callum spent his final season with Leicestershire before also heading to Durham. Thanks to Kent’s last-minute efforts to avoid relegation, the brothers will once again face each other in the following season.
The Joe Biden’s Retirement Plan Award
Mid-September newspaper reports predicted Alastair Cook’s retirement and quiet goodbye in Chelmsford. Essex said no decision had been made, but the press rushed to his “final” game at the County Ground. Cook managed to score only two single-digit runs; surpassing the Oval 2018 was never in the cards. However, if he does retire, it will be on a high note: only Sam Robson scored more runs as a top-division opener.
The Excellence Award After Being Written Off
Shared by Hampshire’s Liam Dawson (49 wickets, 840 runs) and Essex’s Jamie Porter. After a difficult, injury-plagued 2022 season, Porter had his best season since 2017, finishing third in Division One wicket-taking (57). If Porter’s chances of playing for England have passed, Dawson, who was overlooked as a replacement for Jack Leach in the Ashes, might have a shot at a spot on the Test tour of India.
The Graeme Hick Award for Remarkable Youth Accomplishment
Goes to James Rew of Somerset, who, at the age of 19, had five centuries and over a thousand runs to his name, and also proved to be a valuable asset behind the stumps.
The Ready for Rishi Award
Goes to Rishi Patel of Leicestershire, who scored 1,000 runs and exemplified his county’s Championship resurgence, transforming from perennial wooden spooners into promotion contenders.
The Climate Change Award for Resilience in the Face of Adversity
The nation’s ground staff experienced a damp March, the UK’s warmest June, and the wettest summer in a century.
