The second round of fixtures gets underway this weekend in the Specsavers County Championship, with many teams starting their seasons.
Division One
Lancashire v Nottinghamshire
- Lancashire are unbeaten in 12 matches coming into their 2016 opener (W5 D7).
- Nottinghamshire have only tasted defeat once in their last nine games (W6 D2).
- Only one of the last 12 meetings between these sides has been won by Lancashire (D5 L6); they are currently without a win in five attempts against Nottinghamshire (D1 L4).
- Two of the last three first class innings recorded by Steven Mullaney for Nottinghamshire have been hundreds.
- Lancashire’s Simon Kerrigan bowled more balls than any other spinner in Division Two last season (460.2 overs).
Middlesex v Warwickshire
- Middlesex have failed to beat Warwickshire since June 2001; a run of 19 meetings without claiming victory (D12 L7).
- Warwickshire are unbeaten in 16 visits to Middlesex (W5 D11); last tasting defeat there back in 1988.
- Middlesex have only won one of their last four season opening matches (D1 L2).
- Jeetan Patel (Warwickshire) recorded match figures of 8/124 when these sides last met in September 2015.
- Ian Bell comes into this game on the back of his highest first class innings score (174 v Hampshire) since April 2014.
Yorkshire v Hampshire
- Yorkshire are currently 10 games unbeaten versus Hampshire (W3 D7).
- Hampshire have only lost one of their last seven matches (W3 D3); that defeat came at the hands of Yorkshire however.
- Yorkshire have tasted defeat only twice across their last 33 matches at home (W17 D14).
- Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow registered the best batting average of anyone to record 10+ innings across the two divisions in 2015 (92.3, 15 innings).
- Andrew Gale claimed his 20th first class century when these sides last met (September 2015); he helped guided his side to a five wicket victory.
Division Two
GLAMORGAN v Leicestershire
- Leicestershire have gone seven meetings without a win against Glamorgan (D5 L2).
- Leicestershire have not lost a season opener since 2007 (W4 D4) when they lost to Nottinghamshire by nine wickets.
- Glamorgan ended last term with three successive home defeats; they went five games unbeaten immediately before that three game losing streak (W3 D2).
- Ben Raine (Leicestershire) took career-best first class figures when these sides last met in June 2015 (5/43).
- Only three batsmen (Browne, Prince and Sangakkara – all 5) posted more centuries in Division Two last season than Mark Cosgrove (Leicestershire, 4).
Gloucestershire v Derbyshire
- Gloucestershire have only mustered one win in their last seven attempts versus Derbyshire (D3 L3).
- Gloucestershire have failed to win any of their last five matches (D4 L1); they lost their 2016 season opener to Essex by a margin of 10 wickets.
- Derbyshire ended the 2015 campaign with two draws and two defeats; those losses were both innings defeats.
- No batsman posted more scores of 50+ than Billy Godleman (Derbyshire) last season in Division Two (10).
- Jack Taylor (Gloucestershire) hit his maiden first class hundred when these sides met in May 2015 (120).
Sussex v Essex
- Sussex are unbeaten in six encounters with Essex (W3 D3); this is the first meeting between these sides since 2003 however.
- Essex have been victorious in four of their last five visits to Hove however; including a 10 wicket win in their most recent outing there, although it was in 1997.
- Essex are currently on a five game unbeaten streak heading into this fixture (W3, D2); for Sussex it is one win in their last 12 though (D5 L6).
- Jamie Porter (Essex) opened his 2016 account with career-best first class match bowling figures of 7/112 (v Gloucestershire).
- Alastair Cook recorded a County Championship century for Essex for the first time in two years during his side’s 2016 opener versus Gloucestershire.