It's a little over half way through the season and I thought I'd take a look at which teams have performed the best and which ones the worst, so here we go.
The County Championship is a fairly open competition at the moment, and that applies to both divisions. In the first as many a five different teams could realistically still win it, while any two of the bottom four could go down. In the second division there's a similar story, with the top four teams split by just 27 points any of them could finish top and any two could be promoted.
However there have been a couple of teams that have stood out. In the second division Derbyshire are a big surprise currently top by 22 points, while in the first Warwickshire are firmly at the top with a game in hand, although Nottinghamshire are still undefeated after 10 matches.
Down at the bottom Durham are in a dreadful position having not yet won a match and at the moment look favourites to be one of the teams to be relegated. In the second division Essex, Glamorgan and Leicestershire are all having poor years in the long format, each of them having only won once.
To the CB40 Competition. This is an odd one, as only four teams can progress to the Semi-finals, which means the top team from each group, plus the best second placed side. This can leave many teams out of the running with several matches left, but that aside here are the top placed teams.
In Group A, it's Middlesex, the Netherlands and Lancashire, all having won 5. In Group B Hampshire, Nottinghamshire and Surrey lead the table; and in Group C Sussex and Warwickshire are dominant, although some teams lower down have played fewer matches.
Named and Shamed are Essex, Glamorgan, Scotland, the Unicorns, and worst of all Northamptonshire, all well and truly out of the reckoning.
Finally the Twenty20, about to head into the Quarter-finals. The top teams, it is clear, are: Somerset, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Sussex, Hampshire and Essex. Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire. Of those Yorkshire was the only side to win 7 games in the group stages, although, of those who progressed, they had the fewest rained of matches.
Lying low, some familiar names, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire (surprisingly as last years champions) and Surrey, all finished in last place.
So how does that put teams in an overall context?
Starting at the bottom, Northamptonshire have won just 3 matches all season, in 28 games, while Leicestershire and Glamorgan have won just 5 and 4 respectively. None of them has a realistic chance in any competition, making it a pretty sorry year for the trio. Maybe things will pick up!
At the top however three sides can still hope to win all three competitions. Hampshire are 2nd in the second division of the Championship, while being top of their CB40 group and in the quarter-finals of the T20. However they are playing Nottinghamshire, and both teams cannot progress. Nottinghamshire are 2nd in the first division of the Championship and also 2nd in their CB40 group. Finally Sussex, they finished top of their T20 group and are currently top of their CB40 group, while lying 4th, and not out of, the first division in four-day cricket.
To look at things another way, Nottinghamshire have won the most matches so far (14 from 27 games, which is 51.9%) with Warwickshire in second (13 wins from 26 games, 50%).
So then, who will come out victorious at the end? Have some teams peaked too soon, or are they on a charge that will see them dominate the second half of the season? We can only wait and find out.
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