County Championship Preview 2012 – Part 1: Division Two

By Jack Sheldon

It seems only yesterday that Glen Chapple’s Lancashire completed a dramatic run chase to beat Somerset by eight wickets, win the 2011 County Championship and end a 77 year title drought. After a cold, dark but thankfully short winter watching England’s travails in Asia, county cricket returns this Thursday with a tough task on its hands to live up to the excitement of last season. In the first part of this preview I will look at the prospects of the nine teams who will play their Championship cricket in Division Two.

DERBYSHIRE

2011: Championship Division Two - 5th, CB40 Group A - 3rd, FL t20 North Group - 8th
Captain: Wayne Madsen
Overseas Players: Martin Guptill, Usman Khawaja, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (T20)
Players In: David Wainwright (Yorkshire)
Players Out: Greg Smith (Essex), Steffan Jones, Luke Sutton (both retired)

Derbyshire have climbed off the foot of the Division Two table in recent years. However, a small squad lacking the experience of some of their rivals should again prevent a sustained promotion push. As such the club’s overseas recruits - Martin Guptill until June and Usman Khawaja thereafter - will be crucial. In new captain Wayne Madsen, the Anguillan born 21 year-old Chesney Hughes and the aggressive Wes Durston, Derbyshire have an often under-rated top order which are more effective than many in this division. But the bowling looks thin and over-reliant on injury hit players such as Jonathan Clare and Mark Footitt. They have a capable one-day side but it is hard to see them reaching the knockout stages of either the Clydesdale Bank 40 or Friends Life t20.

Key Man: Guptill. New Zealand’s star man against Zimbabwe this winter before his performances tailed off against the South African pace attack. He’s now an established international cricketer and so will be expected to dominate against Division Two bowling attacks until he leaves for the Caribbean in June.

Championship Prediction: 6th

ESSEX

2011: Championship Division Two - 7th, CB40 Group C - 3rd, FL t20 South Group - 6th
Captain: James Foster
Overseas Players: Alviro Petersen, Peter Siddle (T20)
Players In: Greg Smith (Derbyshire), Charl Willoughby (Somerset)
Players Out: Chris Wright (Warwickshire), Max Osborne (released)

After a winter dogged by the controversy surrounding the conviction of seamer Mervyn Westfield and subsequent suggestions that people at the club might have known more than they were letting on, Essex will be glad to get back on the cricket field. Their task will be to avenge a disastrous 2011 in which they drastically under-achieved in the Championship and couldn’t even provide the Chelmsford faithful with their usual place in the knock-out stages of the Twenty20. Though their squad continues to be better suited to the shorter forms of the game, the presence of Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah, James Foster, Ryan ten Doeschate and David Masters in their Championship side means that they ought to be more than competitive in Division Two. Alviro Petersen (until June) and Charl Willoughby look like good additions, and should ensure that Essex are in the mix come September. Masters lived up to his name last year and will hope to continue his deadly new-ball form in the coming months.

Key Man: Shah. His first season at Chelmsford was not his finest but he is a class player and is unlikely to have his season interrupted by international call-ups, although he will again arrive late after IPL commitments. Provides stability to a batting line-up dominated by dashers, though he is no slouch himself when quick runs need to be scored.

Championship Prediction: 4th

GLAMORGAN

2011: Championship Division Two - 6th, CB40 Group C - 7th, FL t20 South Group - 7th
Captain: Mark Wallace
Overseas Players: Moises Henriques, Marcus North
Players In: Simon Jones (Hampshire), Michael Hogan (UK Passport)
Players Out: Michael Powell (Kent), Adam Shanty, David Brown (both retired)

Against the backdrop of a glorious winter for the Welsh rugby team, it has been another winter of discontent for Glamorgan County Cricket Club. The departure of captain Alviro Petersen, who had reportedly agreed to return as a kolpak player before being recalled by South Africa and signing for Essex, proved controversial whilst the club announced £1.7 million losses for 2011. Robert Croft remains a pivotal part of team at almost 42, though Michael Hogan and Marcus North could prove useful signings. The return of Simon Jones will be welcomed but it is unlikely that he will feature much in the longer form of the game due to his continuing fitness issues. The batting looks weak and un-dynamic but in young James Harris, Glamorgan potentially have a future international in the bowling ranks. Any success will probably come in the Championship; they have been woeful in one-day cricket for a number of years and a glance at the squad offers little hope that that will change this year.

Key Man: Harris. Talented youngster who missed out on a trip with England Lions this winter due to injury. Will probably need to lead the Glamorgan attack at just 21. Pitches in Division Two should again favour the seamers and so, given Glamorgan’s weak batting line-up, he will have a massive role to play.

Championship Prediction: 9th

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

2011: Championship Division Two - 4th, CB40 Group C - 6th, FLt20 South Group - 6th
Captain: Alex Gidman
Overseas Player: Muttiah Muralitharan (T20)
Players In: Dan Housego (Middlesex)
Players Out: Jon Lewis (Surrey), Vikram Banerjee, Chris Taylor (both released)

After being refused planning permission to redevelop their ground at Bristol, Gloucestershire were forced to release Vikram Banerjee and the experienced Chris Taylor. They will also have to do without an overseas player in the Championship. Last season they maintained a promotion push thanks to the quiet achievements of Will Gidman, who was their best player in his first season for the club. This season they will need his brother Alex - the captain - and the former New Zealand international Hamish Marshall to step up to the plate if they are not to slide down the table with Taylor and Jon Lewis unreplaced. Kevin O’Brien and the great Murali will add an ‘x-factor’ to the one-day side which definitely looks missing in the longer form of the game, but John Bracewell will have his work cut out to repeat the limited-overs success he achieved with Gloucestershire at the turn of the century.

Key Man: Will Gidman. 2011’s surprise package will now be expected to repeat his heroics in 2012. No part of his game is spectacular but he topped Gloucestershire’s batting and bowling averages last season, and in doing so became the first player from any county to complete the double of 1000 runs and 50 wickets in a Championship season for 15 years.

Championship Prediction: 7th

HAMPSHIRE

2011: Championship Division One - 9th, CB40 Group B - 4th, FL t20 - Semi-finalists
Captain: Jimmy Adams
Overseas Players: Simon Katich, Shahid Afridi (T20)
Players In: None
Players Out: Michael Lumb (Nottinghamshire), Simon Jones (Glamorgan), Friedel de Wet, Johann Myburgh, Jamie Miller, Benny Howell, Tim Ravenscroft (all released), Nic Pothas, Dominic Cork (both retired)

A disappointing campaign last year was followed by a clear out of unwanted players but Hampshire have surprisingly made only one new addition - the ‘gritty’ Australian Simon Katich - to their squad during the off season. Nevertheless, they should be strong enough to believe they will return to the top flight at the first attempt. New captain Jimmy Adams, Michael Carberry, Neil McKenzie, Katich and young James Vince form perhaps the strongest batting line-up in Division Two, whilst Kabir Ali is back to full fitness to lead the bowling attack. Hampshire have enjoyed most success in Twenty20 in recent years and they again look set to be title challengers in that format, though they might miss the experience of the now retired Dominic Cork.

Key Man: Kabir Ali. Did well in his one and only Test for England in 2003, but injury problems have prevented him from having any impact since joining Hampshire in 2010. A strong showing at the Bangladesh Premier League suggests he is now ready to remind cricket fans that he is one of the top seamers in the county game.

Championship Prediction: 3rd

KENT

2011: Championship Division Two - 8th, CB40 Group A - 4th, FLt20 - Quarter-Finalists
Captain: Robert Key
Overseas Player: Brendan Nash
Players In: Charlie Shreck (Nottinghamshire), Michael Powell (Glamorgan), Ben Harmison (Durham), Scott Newman (loan, Middlesex), Mark Davies (Durham)
Players Out: Joe Denly (Middlesex), Robbie Joseph (Leicestershire), James Goodman (retired), Martin van Jaarsveld (retired from county cricket)

Despite financial issues and a poor 2011 campaign, Kent find themselves with a decent looking squad going in to season where little is expected of them. Under the stewardship of captain Robert Key and new coach, the former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams, the signings of Scott Newman, Charlie Shreck, Ben Harmison, Mark Davies and Brendan Nash have gone some way to filling the gaps left by Joe Denly and Martin van Jaarsveld. Meanwhile, a strong core of experienced players including Key, Darren Stevens, Azhar Mahmood, Geraint Jones and James Tredwell remains intact. Questions might still be asked about the seam attack, but the squad would appear to have the capability to challenge for a return to Division One. They are also well-suited one-day cricket and will hope to at least repeat last year’s appearance in the quarter-finals of the Twenty20.

Key Man: Key. 14 years of first-class cricket and an average above 40 make county cricket’s longest serving captain key to Kent’s chances in more than just name. He is a highly regarded tactician and signs are already promising that he is forming a fine leadership team with Jimmy Adams. His cautious batting style makes him an important part of a line-up packed with attacking players.

Championship Prediction: 2nd

LEICESTERSHIRE

2011: Championship Division Two - 9th, CB40 Group B - 8th, FL t20 - Winners
Captain: Matthew Hoggard
Overseas Players: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Abdul Razzaq (T20)
Players In: Robbie Joseph (Kent)
Players Out: James Taylor, Harry Gurney (both Nottinghamshire), Tom New (released), Paul Nixon (retired)

2011 was a bizarre year for Leicestershire; winners of the Twenty20 but woeful in the other two competitions. The departure of James Taylor and Harry Gurney to Trent Bridge will not help to turn things around, though Ramnaresh Sarwan - now discarded by the West Indies selectors - will hope to get at least the number of runs that Taylor was scoring. Otherwise the squad will be relying on a mix of old heads such as captain Matthew Hoggard and young guns including Nathan Buck and Josh Cobb. The members will grumble that promising cricketers are constantly snatched away from the club by Nottinghamshire, but in reality an improvement in on-field results is the only way that that will change. However, expectations will again have to be extremely low in the Championship. Last season’s Twenty20 success was something of a surprise but if that spirit can be re-kindled they stand a decent chance of making it two in a row.

Key Man: Buck. The tall 20 year-old paceman opened the bowling for England Lions this winter with some success. That experience may give him the know-how to improve his first-class record and surprise some established batting line-ups. If he can do that he will place himself firmly on the radar of the England selectors.

Championship Prediction: 8th

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

2011: Championship Division Two - 3rd, CB40 Group B - 3rd, FL t20 North Group - 9th
Captain: Andrew Hall
Overseas Players: Chaminda Vaas, Cameron White (T20)
Players In: Kyle Coetzer (Durham), Con de Lange (UK Passport)
Players Out: David Lucas (Worcestershire), Mal Loye, Tom Brett, Gavin Baker (all released)

So near but yet so far was the story of Northamptonshire’s 2011 campaign. And it may be that they missed a massive chance of promotion which will not come along again in a hurry. If they are to challenge this year Chaminda Vaas is likely to be critical, with Niall O’Brien, Andrew Hall and Jack Brooks also required to play important roles. However, it was a lack of depth which cost them last year, and this again looks an issue this time round. One-day efforts have been dismal of late and are likely to be so again.

Key Man: Vaas. Even at 38, the Sri Lankan Test side would love to still have Vaas around. Bowling left-arm seamers at a relatively slow pace, he has mastered the art of swing and is thus ideally suited to the county game. He has also become a genuine all-rounder and, unlike most overseas players, will be available all season.

Championship Prediction: 5th

YORKSHIRE

2011: Championship Division One - 8th, CB40 Group A - 8th, FL t20 North Group - 6th
Captain: Andrew Gale
Overseas Players: None
Players In: Phil Jaques (UK Passport)
Players Out: David Wainwright (Derbyshire), Jacques Rudolph (Surrey), Ben Sanderson, Lee Hodgson (both released)

A long stay in Division Two is surely impossible for a squad packed with so much talent. Captain Andrew Gale, and youngsters Adam Lyth, Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance and Joe Root form an exciting batting line-up which will now be completed by the former Australia opener Phil Jaques. Meanwhile, Ryan Sidebottom, Ajmal Shahzad and Adil Rashid form part of an equally impressive looking bowling unit. But cricket is not played on paper, and the players know that, after being branded a “disgrace” by chairman Colin Graves following last year’s relegation, they now need to put in big performances. The ability in the club’s ranks suggests that they should be in the mix for one-day trophies, but that too failed to materialise last season. Expect the unexpected, but the White Rose county are likely to be motivated by the success of their great rivals Lancashire, and seal a hasty return to the top flight.

Key Man: Sidebottom. Despite his perhaps premature international retirement he remains a class act at domestic level, and was a shining light amongst the gloom last year, during his first season back at his home county. Will expect to blow away many of his opponents in Division Two.

Championship Prediction: 1st

Jack Sheldon is a teenage cricket writer and has also started his own blog, found at http://thepavilioncricket.blogspot.co.uk/

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Please offer comments, positive or negative.

If I don't get anything back I will probably move this across to the ready for publishing sometime on Sunday, as I will write Part 2 and want these up by Thursday. The plan is that Part 2 will be the Division One clubs obviously and a final part, Part 3, will look at 'Six Players To Watch' this season.