At a glance
- Gloucestershire rooted to the bottom
- Lancashire blooming at the top
- Batting paradise at Northampton
Some people say there is nothing predictable in life…except the two results in these two Division Two games this week. Despite that, the final day of the County Championship Division Two matches still delivered plenty of intrigue. As the 2026 County Championship season continues, teams are already building momentum in the race for promotion in English domestic cricket.
Gloucestershire v Lancashire
Lancashire made it two wins in a row and climbed into top spot after they beat Gloucestershire by 4 wickets in Bristol. Starting the day on 75-3, Lancashire needed some steady batting to secure the victory, and that’s exactly what they did.
Keaton Jennings batted through the day for 78*. Josh Bohannon (31), Michael Jones (30) and Arav Shetty (31) all helped secure the win. Will Williams tried his hardest to change the result with 3-44, but to no avail.
You can read the full scorecard here
Gloucestershire will have to dust themselves off quickly as they take on Derbyshire. Lancashire travel to Chester-Le-Street to play Durham, starting Friday.
Northamptonshire v Middlesex
It must have been a batter’s paradise at The County Ground as the game ended in a draw, with Northamptonshire only batting once.
A draw always seemed to be on the cards, when Middlesex started day four 109-1, only 41 runs ahead. Sam Robson (162) and Max Holden (86) put on 165 for the second wicket and batted for most of the day. Skipper Leus du Plooy was 66* as bad light brought a premature end to proceedings, adn both sides shook hands on the draw.
You can read the full scorecard here
Northamptonshire moved into second, and Middlesex into third after the draw. Both sides now have bye weeks and don’t play again until Friday 1st May. When they resume, Middlesex take on Durham at Lords, and Northamptonshire are at home again against Worcestershire.
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