The County Cricket Podcast · thecountycricketpodcast

2025 County Championship Round One Review Show

·1 hr 12 min·4 clips

Worcestershire survived 200 overs and stayed up until the final ball at Taunton.

Aaron opens the show with Joe Nutsy Nuttall. They set the tone by talking through Round 1 of the County Championship and the feeling of coming down from the first week while already looking ahead to Friday and the start of week two. That reflective mood runs through the conversation. Joe says they have not done much beyond looking back on the opening fixtures and turning toward the next set of matches. The episode then shifts to Hampshire and the shape of their first-round performance. Dawson is singled out for the value he brings with bat, ball, and in the field, with the discussion calling him one of the most underrated players in domestic cricket. Brad Wheel gets proper recognition too. His pace, control, line, and length are tied directly to the four wickets he took, and the discussion treats that as a deserved reward for a strong spell. The discussion stays measured throughout. Hampshire are described as a stern early challenge, and while they are still viewed as dark horses in the wider title race, the episode says it is still very early days and that it may take time for the side to gel, especially without James Vince. There is also a warning that if the same issues are still there in the fourth or fifth game, the conversation can shift, but for now the result is framed as a blip rather than a crisis. The episode closes by widening the lens to Round 2 fixtures, including Surrey versus Hampshire at the Oval, Sussex versus Somerset at Hove, Notts versus Essex at Trent Bridge, Lancs versus Northants, and the East Midlands derby between Leicestershire and Derbyshire at Grace Road. The final note is simple: it is wonderful to have county cricket back, and Round 2 already looks strong.

As heard by us

A calm, scorecard minded look at opening-week county cricket and a few Round 2 fixtures worth circling.

The opening round gets a calm county-cricket reading here, with Aaron and Joe Nuttall, plus Matt, working through early form without pretending it means more than it does. The focus stays on performances, momentum, and what the first results suggest about each side's shape.

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Why you'd press play

Want a calm reset on Round 1 before Friday's cricket returns?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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