It had to be Ethan Bamber with the Championship winning nugget. As Warwickshire’s beating heart dispatched two of Tom Scriven’s stumps, the players rushed into a victory huddle, non-playing members of the squad racing to join them, or, in the case of the injured Keith Barker, hobbling.
Warwickshire’s ninth title, coming from behind to nip Somerset and Nottinghamshire on the nose, was a team performance built on the back of an astonishing season for Bamber. His 69 wickets make him the leading wicket-taker in Division One, backed up by Ed Barnard (30) and Olly Hannon-Dalby (28), while Sam Hain’s 1,048 runs were the spine and Rob Yates’s astonishing catches at slip the beauty spots.
Leicestershire had started the day needing 247 to avoid defeat by an innings, but it was always going to be a tall ask for a team already relegated (barring an extraordinary decision in their appeal over the points deduction for a dodgy Grace Road pitch).
Chris Woakes, who returned to Birmingham after retiring from England duties, fired the first blows, in front of 2,500 devoted fans, nipping in a beauty to take the top of Sol Budinger’s off-stump and shortly afterwards persuading Jonny Tattersall to edge into the Copydex hands of Yates at slip.
Bamber did most of the rest, finishing with five for 52, including the spectacular dismissal of Ben Green, plucked by Will Young at third slip with an outstretched left hand, like a tumbling leaf from an autumnal tree.
Ian Holland(23) and Tom Scriven (49) ensured the players would have lunch, but Bamber wrapped things up seven balls afterwards to rapturous shouts of “You Bears”. Warwickshire were presented with their fourth Championship Trophy since 2004 shortly afterwards, which puts them behind only Surrey (six wins) this century.
Kent will join Durham in going up to Division One after their promotion was sealed when rivals Northamptonshire lost to Middlesex at Lord’s. Play stopped at Canterbury when the news reached longsuffering spectators, who spontaneously burst into applause. Gloucestershire were eight wickets down at that point, which quickly became all out, leaving Kent 117 to win.
Zak Crawley fired off a sharp-suited 44 and Sam Northeast sealed the deal with a six and two fours off Ollie Price. For Kent, after finishing bottom of the table last year, rich reward; for Gloucestershire, the wooden spoon once more.
