#CountyBest winners

We asked. You answered. After heated debates, lots of votes, and a few disagreements, County Championship fans have had their say and selected the greatest player to have represented their county.

Below are the winners and what made them so special. 

Derbyshire: Wayne Madsen (34% of the vote)
Wayne Madsen joined Derbyshire in 2009 and has been loyal to the County ever since, taking the captaincy from 2012-2016. It was in his first season in charge that he led them to a nail-biting Division Two title, finishing top above Yorkshire, who achieved the same number of points, due to more wins. Madsen scored 885 runs, the most for the County that season, and has gone on to break the 1,000 First-Class runs-a-season barrier five times.

Durham: Paul Collingwood (76% of the vote)
Paul Collingwood is quite simply Durham CCC. His dedication to his county of birth, spending all 24 years of his professional career with the club, instantly puts him into the legend category. But it's his sterling performances and leadership throughout that propels him to the top of the pile. In his first full season of captaincy (2013), Collingwood drove Durham to their third Championship title, staying in the role until his retirement in 2019. It was during those finals years where he had such an impact, guiding a youthful side while still churning out the runs and wickets, going on to have the pavilion named after him.

Essex: Sir Alastair Cook (49% of the vote)
Knight of the realm and slayer of international bowlers one cut shot at a time, Sir Alastair Cook is a legend of English cricket, but it's his central part in Essex's recent title surge that helped him clinch the vote over mentor Graham Gooch. Both Championship wins (2017 and 2019) coincided with Cook making vital interventions with the bat, as well as offering advice and guidance at the top of the order. And then there's the 19 years that he's been a part of the Essex set up, his sparkling early performances for the club that won him an England place, and the commitment post England-career to continue playing for his childhood club.

Glamorgan: Robert Croft (41% of the vote)
Robert Croft is a true Glamorgan legend. The Welshman took 1,175 first-class wickets over a 23-year career. Croft was named Glamorgan player of the year on four occasions and won the County Championship in 1997. He became club captain in 2003 and held the honour for three years. In 2007 he became the first Welsh cricketer to take the double of 10,000 runs and 1,000 wickets. Croft has also been head coach of Glamorgan since retiring and was awarded an MBE in 2013.

Gloucestershire: W.G Grace (47% of the vote)
W.G. Grace was one of cricket's first superstars. Born in Bristol and playing for Gloucestershire for the majority of his career, Grace notched up almost 55,000 runs in his career. It wasn't just with the bat that he dominated, taking over 2800 wickets. A true colossus of the game.

Hampshire: Malcolm Marshall (50% of the vote)
One of the best bowlers in the history of cricket, Malcolm Marshall took over 1,000 wickets across all competitions for Hampshire, spanning a 15-year stint in which he captured the hearts and minds of the local fans. His exuberance and laughter were legendary at the club, alongside a staunch work ethic that helped galvanise his fellow Hants players. As former captain Mark Nicholas fondly remembered in Marshall’s obituary, “if much of Malcolm characterised the calypso cricketer, much, too, epitomised the model professional.” He is sorely missed.

Kent: Colin Cowdrey (45% of the vote)
A teenage phenomenon, Michael Colin Cowdrey was destined to be a cricket star from birth with the initials MCC. Selected for the Kent first team at 18, the stylish batsman went on to have a 26-year career with the county, 15 seasons of them as captain, including a Championship title win in 1970. He scored almost 33,000 First-Class runs for the county in that time, all the while representing his country with stylish endeavour. He would go on to pick up many accolades including a life peerage for his astonishing services to cricket, and return to Kent CCC as President in 2000.

Lancashire: James Anderson (54% of the vote)
James Anderson made his debut for Lancashire in 2002. He made such an impact that he soon found himself in the England squad. In 2003, Anderson became the youngest Lancashire player to take a hat-trick for the county. Despite all he has achieved with England, winning the County Championship with Lancashire in 2011 is one of his proudest moments. In 2017, Lancashire honoured Anderson by naming a stand after the legendary seamer.

Leicestershire: David Gower (69% of the vote)
David Gower played for Leicestershire from 1975-1989. The left-hander became known for his imperious stroke-making and would go on to consistently score runs for the Foxes as well as England. Gower captained the side on two different occasions (1984-86 & 1988-89).

Middlesex: Denis Compton (57% of the vote)
While loved by the nation for his rousing England performances, Denis Compton is most fondly remembered by those at Middlesex. Over a 23-year stint with the club, Compton scored 21,781 First-Class runs in his flamboyant style, all the while representing his country with zeal and panache. He finished his professional career with Middlesex as he’d always played, striking 143 in three hours, leaving fans at Lord's wanting more.

Northamptonshire: Allan Lamb (42% of the vote)
In 1978, Lamb moved to the country of his parents’ birth and joined Northamptonshire, following the banning of Test cricket in South Africa. Lamb would go on to represent the county for 18 years and hit 20,128 runs in that time. As captain, Lamb almost led the club to their first County Championship title in 1995, his final year as a professional.

Nottinghamshire: Richard Hadlee (39% of the vote)
Representing Nottinghamshire between 1978 and 1987, Richard Hadlee won over the locals with heroic performances that helped them pick up the County Championship title twice. During that time he managed the rare feat of scoring 1000 runs and taking 100 wickets in a single season in 1984, and won numerous awards, including the PCA Player of the Year three times.

Somerset: Marcus Trescothick (46% of the vote)
Mr Somerset CCC, Marcus Trescothick has broken records and hearts during his 27-year career with the county. A local lad done extremely good, Trescothick struck 19,654 First-Class runs, including a club-best 52 First-Class centuries. A powerful left-handed opener, Trescothick will be remembered fondly across cricket as one of the greats of the modern games.

Surrey: Jack Hobbs (51% of the vote)
A player known across the world for his astounding run-scoring feats, Jack Hobbs was such a genius of his craft that he became known as ‘The Master’. For Surrey he hit 43,554 First-Class runs and 144 centuries across three decades, only the Great War intervening during his peak years preventing him from reaching even greater heights.

Sussex: Mushtaq Ahmed (40.7% of the vote)
In 2003, leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed arrived at Sussex and helped turn the club around, bringing in an era of incomparable success as they won three County Championship titles. Ahmed astounded people in his first year, becoming the first bowler in five seasons to take 100+ Championship wickets. He would leave six seasons later, retiring due to a knee injury, with 478 First-Class wickets to his name and a forever grateful Sussex following.

Worcestershire: Graeme Hick (59.5% of the vote)
A giant of county cricket, Graeme Hick became an adopted son of Worcestershire after first moving to the county in 1984 as a teenager. He would stay there for 25 years, in the process hitting 31,149 First-Class runs, including a remarkable innings of 405* at Taunton, and picking up two County Championship titles. But it was his mild-mannered yet run-thirsty persona that drew so many to him, his exploits at domestic level bringing him numerous Test opportunities.

Warwickshire: Bob Willis (41.5% of the vote)
An intimidating fast bowler, it was at Warwickshire where Bob Willis furthered his career after moving from Surrey. He enjoyed instant success with the county, helping to propel them to the County Championship title for the first time in 21 years. He would leave 12 years later, 353 First-Class wickets to his name, a busy life with England depriving him of more, and a legion of children inspired to bowl quickly.

Yorkshire: Fred Trueman (59.3%)
As fast as lightning and with a ferociousness to match, Fred Trueman is regarded as one of England’s greatest ever bowlers. It was at Yorkshire, where he played for 20 years, that Trueman made his name, collecting 1,745 First-Class wickets, and helping the county pick up seven County Championships titles including a hat-trick from 1966-68.

Keep coming back to find out who's voted the greatest player for each county.