At a glance
- Two tight finishes
- Somerset go top
- Warwickshire go second
As expected, there was plenty of drama on the final day of the two County Championship Division One matches, with late wickets and key performances shaping the results.
Day four delivered tension and quality as teams pushed for valuable points in the 2026 County Championship season. The action once again showed why the County Championship remains one of the most compelling competitions in English domestic cricket.
Hampshire v Somerset
Somerset started the final day on 139-3, needing a further 148 runs for victory with seven wickets in hand. Hampshire needed quick wickets, and Kyle Abbott obliged, removing James Rew for 59, adding only one to his overnight score. His partner overnight, Tom Abell batted through, just hoping someone would stay with him to get Somerset over the line.
Will Smeed came and went for 22, Lewis Gregory stuck around for a bit but was out for 25. Gradually the total came down, but so did the wickets. Hampshire were given hope of a surprise win, with Sonny Baker taking 5-62. However, it wasn’t enough as Tom Abell’s unbeaten 101* saw them over the line to win by two wickets.
You can read the full scorecard here
Both sides now have their bye week, with Hampshire hosting Glamorgan and Somerset are playing Yorkshire at Taunton, starting on May 1st.
Warwickshire v Essex
What a game at Edgbaston. Essex started the day 11-0, needing another 195 runs to win, and Warwickshire needed to take all ten wickets for them to claim victory. An exciting day was expected…and it didn’t fail to deliver.
Essex were slightly in the driving seat, as they only needed to score 65 runs a session – nothing too taxing. That’s until wickets started to fall.
Essex were reduced to 21-4, before a slight comeback got them to 80-6, still needing 126. Luc Benkenstein (39), Simon Harmer (32) and Zaman Akhter (35) tried to get Essex over the line, but Akhter was the last man out, with Essex only getting 164, losing by 41 runs.
Keith Barker was the pick of the bowlers, taking 4-29, but all the bowlers played their part, putting Essex under pressure, and creating a winning position. The win puts Warwickshire in second in the table, behind Somerset.
You can read the full scorecard here
There’s not rest for either side as they both start again on Friday, when Warwickshire travel to Trent Bridge to take on Nottinghamshire. Essex take the short trip to the Oval to face Surrey.
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