The Women’s Cricket World Cup is taking place at the moment, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The final is set to take place on the 2nd of November. However, most English cricket fans will already be gearing up for the men’s Ashes series, which begins Down Under later that month, with the first Test scheduled to run from the 21st to the 25th of November.
The weather in England will also have many dreaming of warm Australian days, and the English summer is certainly well behind us. So too is the domestic cricket season. If that passed you by and you want to know who won what, read on, as we round up all of the winners and losers in men’s English cricket from the 2025 season.
Big Upset in County Championship Good for the Game
The County Championship ran from the 4th of April to the 27th of September. Surrey were the big favourites to win Division One, having been the dominant force in domestic cricket for some time. Their finances allow them to invest in ways other clubs cannot match, giving them the best academy, training facilities, coaches and more. Surrey had won the County Championship in each of the last three seasons and were big favourites to make it four in a row.
However, in an upset that was probably good for the game, Nottinghamshire claimed their seventh County Championship in the final round of fixtures. They last took glory in 2010 and 2005 before that and prevented Surrey from extending their dominance and claiming a 24th title (Yorkshire lead the way with 33 in total).
| Pos. | County | Played | W-D-L | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottinghamshire | 14 | 7-6-1 | 224 |
| 2 | Surrey | 14 | 5-8-1 | 208 |
| 3 | Somerset | 14 | 4-7-3 | 181 |
| 4 | Sussex | 14 | 4-6-4 | 172 |
| 5 | Warwickshire | 14 | 3-9-2 | 172 |
| 6 | Essex | 14 | 3-8-2 | 172 |
| 7 | Yorkshire | 14 | 4-6-4 | 168 |
| 8 | Hampshire | 14 | 2-9-3 | 145 |
| 9 | Durham | 14 | 2-6-6 | 144 |
| 10 | Worcestershire | 14 | 1-5-8 | 103 |
Notts, helped by the resurrected Haseeb Hameed, who averaged over 66 and was the second-highest runscorer in Division One, won half of their 14 games. That was two more than any other side, while they lost just once (the same as Surrey). They were probably the best batting unit in the country and deserved the title.
For a long time it looked like Surrey would make it four in a row but the key game came in the penultimate round of fixtures. Notts travelled to the Oval to face Surrey and edged a low-scoring affair by 20 runs. The hosts’ Matthew Fisher took 10 wickets but his side only scored 173 in their first innings and they were unable to overcome the first-innings deficit they conceded. They only recorded three points in that clash, Nottinghamshire claiming 18.
In the final analysis, Notts, coached by former England boss Peter Moores, amassed 224 points, with Surrey on 208. Nots closed out the title in the final round of games, beating Warwickshire by 10 wickets. Elsewhere on the final day, Durham were consigned to relegation, falling one point shy of Hampshire after an abysmal collapse in their final game against Yorkshire saw them snatch defeat from the jaws of what would have been a vital draw. Worcestershire were a further 41 points behind and will also be in Division Two next term.
Leicestershire End Exile
Leicestershire won Division Two with real ease, matching Notts’ 7-6-1 record, though amassing far more batting and bowling points. They were 48 points clear of Glamorgan who will also be promoted after they pipped third-placed Derbyshire by five points. Leicestershire were superb all year and will finally return to the top tier after 22 years away. Theirs was a real team effort, though Rehan Ahmed was particularly impressive, scoring five centuries and taking 23 wickets.
| Pos. | County | Played | W-D-L | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicestershire | 14 | 7-6-1 | 241 |
| 2 | Glamorgan | 14 | 5-6-3 | 193 |
| 3 | Derbyshire | 14 | 3-9-2 | 188 |
| 4 | Middlesex | 14 | 5-5-4 | 182 |
| 5 | Lancashire | 14 | 3-8-3 | 175 |
| 6 | Gloucestershire | 14 | 2-8-4 | 166 |
| 7 | Northamptonshire | 14 | 2-6-6 | 143 |
| 8 | Kent | 14 | 2-6-6 | 114 |
At the other end of the table, Kent struggled. They finished bottom of the pile, 29 points adrift of Northants, winning just two games but losing six. Northants actually matched that record but scored far more bonus points.
The Hundred
There were no County Championship games at all during August as that month was turned over to The Hundred. Following major changes in ownership for next season, we may well see big changes to the competition in the future, but 2025 saw more of the same.
Surrey-in-disguise, the Oval Invincibles, won the tournament for the third season in a row. They topped the table and then went on to beat Trent Rockets by 26 runs in the final at Lord’s. Northern Superchargers won the women’s final, the first victory for them, men or women.
Somerset Have Blast Off
Somerset claimed the T20 Blast with a record chase in the final against Hampshire. Set 195 to win, they got their with an over to spare.
Will Smeed’s incredible 94 from just 58 balls was key, though Sean Dickson (33 not out from 22 balls) and skipper Lewis Gregory (also not out, scoring 18 from just five balls) made sure of the job. This gave Somerset their third success in the competition in what was their third final in a row (they also won in 2023).
Worcestershire Rain on Hampshire’s Parade in One-Day Cup
Unfortunately, after an incredibly dry early summer, late August and September saw lots of key games affected by rain. The One-Day Cup final was one of those, as Worcestershire, who had topped Group A, beat Hampshire, who had finished second, just two points behind them.
Both teams won rain-affected semis, Hampshire beating Group B table-toppers Yorkshire. In the final, Worcestershire won the toss and elected to field. Rain reduced the game to 45 overs before more rain meant the chasing side had just 27 overs. They reached their revised target with two balls and three wickets in hand to win the One-Day Cup for the first time.