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Division One review

Yorkshire proved a class apart in the County Championship, Birmingham were popular Twenty20 winners and a group of local boys from Durham ruled at Lord's.

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 12:  Yorkshire celebrate with the County Championship Trophy after beating Notts to secure the league during the fourth day
Image: Yorkshire celebrate with the County Championship trophy

The summer sun slowly begins to make way for frost and fog as another domestic season is ticked off with mixed results for the 18 first-class counties.

Yorkshire reigned supreme in red-ball cricket while their bitter rivals Lancashire lost their coach, top-flight status and a thrilling Twenty20 Final against hosts Birmingham.

Below we review how each county fared and Sky Sports pundit David Fulton has the final word...

YORKSHIRE

Yorkshire's Jack Brooks celebrates taking the wicket of Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales during day two of the LV= County Championship Division One clash
Image: Adam Lyth (L) & Jack Brooks: Star men

Packed with international quality and led by the always-impressive Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire were in a league of their own in four-day cricket, romping to the County Championship title with a match to spare. Opening bowlers Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom combined for 116 wickets and opening batsman Adam Lyth gave the England selectors a firm nudge with 1489 runs, the most in the top division. The one-day format was somewhat of a disappointment with Yorkshire failing to progress from the NatWest Blast North Group before falling at the quarter-final stage of the Royal London One-Day Cup to eventual champions Durham.

Our player of the season: Adam Lyth - Opening the batting at Headingley requires plenty of skill and talent and 26-year-old left-hander Lyth has both. Scored six hundreds and six fifties, including a stunning 251 against fierce rivals Lancashire, and looks a strong contender to open alongside Alastair Cook for England soon.

WARWICKSHIRE

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Highlights of the NatWest T20 Blast final between the Birmingham Bears and the Lancashire Lightning.

Arguably the team of the season across all formats, Warwickshire (or Birmingham Bears) challenged strongly in all competitions this summer. Runners-up to a very strong Yorkshire side in the County Championship was an achievement in itself but the Bears’ will forever remember the 2014 season as the one which saw them win Twenty20 Finals Day on home soil. Led expertly by Varun Chopra, Birmingham almost completed the one-day cup double, only to come up short in the 50-over Lord’s final with Durham. Jonathan Trott and Boyd Rankin also impressed after returning from difficult times with England.

Our player of the season: Jeetan Patel - With 100 wickets across all formats, Warwickshire’s 2009 recruitment of New Zealand off-spinner Patel looks shrewder by the season.

SUSSEX

TAUNTON, ENGLAND - JUNE 09:  Steve Magoffin of Sussex celebrates after taking the wicket of Peter Trego of Somerset during day two of the LV County Champio
Image: Steve Magoffin: 72 wickets for Sussex

After winning their first three matches – two by an innings - Sussex would have hoped for more than a second successive third-placed finish in Division One. Overly-reliant on Australian seamer Steve Magoffin and hampered by Chris Jordan’s England commitments, Sussex’s bowling attack ultimately prevented a serious title tilt. Seemingly a fading force in one-day cricket, the Sharks failed to progress to the knockout stages of either the Twenty20 Blast or Royal London Cup. Certainly room for improvement in limited-overs action.

Our player of the season: Steve Magoffin - The leading wicket-taker in Division One, Magoffin carried the Sussex almost single handily with 72 wickets. A special mention for Irish veteran Ed Joyce, who scored seven hundreds and almost 1,400 runs in his 37th year.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Riki Wessels of Nottinghamshire Outlaws guides a shot past Jos Buttler of Lancashire Lightning during the NatWest T20 Blast
Image: Riki Wessels impressed for Notts

A season that promised so much but delivered nothing represents big disappointment for Notts and their fans. The Outlaws faded badly down the stretch to finish fourth in Division One, suffered yet more home Twenty20 quarter-final agony and relinquished their one-day crown despite boasting one of the most enviable squads on the circuit. Riki Wessels and Samit Patel both passed 1,000 runs but the bowling department struggled to fire, with none of them reaching 40 first-class wickets.

Our player of the season: Riki Wessels - With the likes of Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, James Taylor and Patel in their ranks, it was somewhat of a surprise to see Wessels top the run-charts with 1,197 runs. A destructive player in white-ball cricket and a shining light in an underwhelming summer for the East Midland county.

DURHAM

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Gareth Breese, Paul Collingwood and Ben Stokes give their reactions to Durham's one-day success as they beat Warwickshire at Lord's.

The defending Division One champions swapped first-class glory for white-ball delight as the men from the North East landed the Royal London trophy at Lord’s, as well as consolidating their top-flight status. Doing so without pace ace Graham Onions was a notable achievement. Left-handers Scott Borthwick and Mark Stoneman scored 1,000 runs and Chris Rushworth filled Onions’ void with 64 wickets. Australian seamer John Hastings proved a savvy signing in all formats and his wickets and runs helped Durham, with seven local lads in the side, to the 50-over crown, even if he did miss the final. Still, stalwart Gareth Breese was able to sign off in style.

Our player of the season: Chris Rushworth - Abstaining from alcohol for 12 months for charity, Rushworth marked a summer to remember with produced the performance of the season by taking 15 wickets in a day to help dismiss Northamptonshire twice.

SOMERSET

Lewis Gregory. Somerset v Nottinghamshire. Trent Bridge. Royal London One-Day Cup. July 29 2014.
Image: Somerset Lewis Gregory.

A team in somewhat of a transition period, Somerset can regard Division One survival as a success but it’s time for the younger players to step up. Marcus Trescothick and Alfonso Thomas – with over 75 years between them – topped the run and wicket charts with the likes of Nick Compton and in particular James Hildreth struggling for consistency. All-rounder Lewis Gregory looks a fantastic prospect, particularly with the ball, and the signing of Tim Groenewald from Derbyshire looks good business.

Our player of the season: Lewis Gregory - In just nine first-class matches, Gregory scooped 43 wickets for the Cidermen and was also a shining light in one-day cricket. Somerset will have been delighted to secure a contract extension with their young gun.

MIDDLESEX

TAUNTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17:  Chris Rodgers of Middlesex (R) plays a shot past Tom Abell of Somerset (C) in the LV County Championship.
Image: Chris Rogers: 1,333 first-class runs

It was often a case of the sublime and then the ridiculous from Middlesex, who avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season. A remarkable 472-3 run-chase against Yorkshire early in the season proved somewhat of a false dawn as both sides headed in different directions from then on. In the end, two rear-guard actions in the second innings saved them from the drop. Their one-day form bordered on embarrassing, six successive defeats at the start of a dismal Twenty20 campaign being followed up by an equally limp 50-over challenge.

Our player of the season Chris Rogers - Still going strong at the age of 37, Rogers racked up over 1,300 runs and scored a sparkling unbeaten double century in Middlesex’s mammoth run-chase against Yorkshire. A special mention for fellow left-hander Dawid Malan, who shone in all formats.

LANCASHIRE

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England and Lancashire's Jos Buttler shows Michael Vaughan how to play his innovative ramp shot.

Despite taking it right down to the wire in their final game of the season with Middlesex, Lancashire return to Division Two after just a year back in the top flight. The loss of coach Peter Moores to England so early in the campaign undoubtedly had an effect and the Red Rose county seemed unable to build up any momentum after that. Pre-season worries about their batting line up proved well founded and as such Jos Buttler’s international call up was as unwelcome as it was untimely, with the former Somerset wicketkeeper just finding form. Kyle Hogg, the star of their 2013 promotion campaign, was also conspicuous by his absence for much of the summer before the seamer announced that a back problem was forcing him to retire aged 31. The return of Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff almost ended in a fairytale Finals Day win, only for Birmingham to pip them to glory at Edgbaston.

Our player of the season: Tom Smith - The one bright spark came in the form of all-rounder Smith; he topped the bowling averages taking 54 wickets at 20.46 and scored just shy of 800 runs at an average of 33.60 before a back injury curtailed his impressive season.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

HOVE, ENGLAND - JULY 07: Stephen Peters of Northamptonshire looks on after being bowled out by Steve Magoffin of Sussex during day two of the LV County Cha
Image: Northamptonshire endured a nightmare season

After Twenty20 glory and promotion in 2013, Northants were brought back down to earth with a bump this summer. They wre bowled out twice in a day at Durham a particular lowlight in a winless and disastrous return to the top-flight. A record of 12 defeats and four draws tells its own story and Northants have wielded the axe as a result, the likes of Andrew Hall, David Sales, Matt Spriegel and James Middlebrook all leaving the club. Alex Wakely will take the reins next summer and will be boosted by the arrivals of Josh Cobb and Adam Rossington.

Our player of the season: James Middlebrook - Slim pickings for this award at Wantage Road but Middlebrook’s all-round contribution of 825 runs and 29 wickets sees him take the spoils in his farewell season.

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