What happened in Round 1 of the 2022 LV= Insurance County Championship?

Divison One

Essex 514 & 68/1 drew with Kent 581
Hampshire 428 beat Somerset 180 & 135 by an innings and 113 runs
Northamptonshire 288 & 272/8 drew with Gloucestershire 223 & 363
Warwickshire 531 drew with Surrey 428/8d & 43/0

Divison Two

Glamorgan 234 & 220/5 drew with Durham 383
Leicestershire 213 & 218/9 drew with Worcestershire 348 & 234/5d
Middlesex 401 & 258/5d drew with Derbyshire 304 & 255/5
Sussex 375 & 172/9 lost to Nottinghamshire 534/9d & 14/0 by 10 wickets

CHEF SUPREME

Day one of the County Championship, and Sir Alastair Cook marked it with his 70th first-class century. Anyone surprised? No? The Cloud County Ground pitch proved incredibly flat across the four days, just 20 wickets falling and more than 1,000 runs scored. Cook was the second of five centurions, Nick Browne reaching the milestone before him, the former England captain's ton coming in 262 balls. 

The other three century-makers are all at the start of their career, in one way or another. Matt Critchley was Essex's third on his club debut, and he returned a useful 4/114 from 46 overs too in the absence of kingpin Simon Harmer. Ben Compton, on his return to the Championship, this time with Kent after previously being at Nottinghamshire, scored his maiden first-class hundred on English soil, before 21-year-old Jordan Cox hit his second century, passing 1,000 first-class runs in the process.

AGEAS ANNIHILATION

Somerset won by 10 wickets at The Ageas Bowl last season. That was their last win in the Championship and on their return to Hampshire, this their tenth attempt to end the winless run, they were blown away by the hosts' bowling attack. James Hildreth provided the only resistance in the first innings, hitting 87 when the next highest score was Roelof van der Merwe's 28. Opener Tom Lammonby batted more than three hours in the match, but Mohammad Abbas was the pick of the Hampshire bowlers, claiming six wickets across the innings.

In between, it was a magnificent game for Joe Weatherley, whose career-best 168 set the platform for a giant win. 

DRAMA AT NORTHAMPTON

James Bracey began the season with a century, while Ryan Higgins took seven wickets and scored a hundred of his own, but it wasn't enough for Gloucestershire to force victory against Northamptonshire. Rob Keogh was the star for the hosts, hitting 113 in the first innings and 74 in the second as Northants looked to reach a target of 299. Despite a slow start to the chase, acceleration from Keogh and Cobb meant, for a moment, it looked on. But Zafar Gohar removed Cobb and when Higgins struck twice in two balls, a tensely-concluded draw was the result.

RUN-FEST AT EDGBASTON

Warwickshire and Surrey batters had the chance to cash in during what was, bar 13.2 overs at the end, a one-innings match. Ryan Patel's counter-attacking first morning for 75 set the tone for the game, with fifties for Ollie Pope and Jordan Clark, but it was Ben Foakes who went big with his first hundred in three days short of a year. Warwickshire had to recover from 41/4 after Kemar Roach ripped through the top-order, but Matt Lamb's 106 and a mammoth 178 from Michael Burgess saw off any threat of a defeat. 

LEES CARRIES BAT

Fresh from his Test debut in the Caribbean, Alex Lees returned to Durham and began the 2022 county season in some style, carrying his bat for a magnificent 182 not out at Sophia Gardens. He was accompanied for a while by David Bedingham, whose rapid 76 gave the visitors a shot at victory with a 149-run lead on first innings. And when Glamorgan slumped to 66/4, Durham were in the box seat. Kiran Carlson and Chris Cooke provided enough resistance though, adding 94 for the fifth wicket, and the points were shared.

AZAD SHOWS IMMENSE FIGHT

Hassan Azad was Leicestershire's savour on a nail-biting final day. Set a target of 370 in 96 overs, a Leicestershire win was never on the cards, not when regular wickets from Dillon Pennington and 18-year-old Josh Baker began to fall. The hosts were seven down with more than half the day still to bat, and yet the lower order hung in with the immovable Azad, whose 243-ball hundred was something of a footnote amid the bigger picture. He and Beuran Hendricks batted for 25.4 overs for the final wicket to deny Worcestershire the victory - what a rearguard. They had Ed Pollock, on his club and Championship debut, to thank for getting them into a potential winning position, his 112 from 122 balls in the third innings setting up the thrilling final day.

BALANCED AT LORD'S

Josh de Caires showed his promise in a lively draw at Lord's. The son of Mike Atherton, he caressed a first-innings 80, largely in partnership with Stevie Eskinazi, who reached 118. Tim Murtagh claimed his 900th first-class wicket while Shan Masood cashed in on his first Derbyshire appearance with a classy 91 in the first innings. A Middlesex declaration, helped by Robbie White and Max Holden, left a positive result possible for both teams but neither side could get over the line.

NOTTS CRUSH YOUTHFUL SPIRIT

The average age of the Sussex team facing Nottinghamshire was a tick above 22 years old, and despite an impressive first two days, Nottinghamshire came out on top at The 1st Central County Ground. Tom Clark's maiden first-class hundred gave Sussex a good first innings total, and then the visitors were reduced to 52/4. 

But Steven Mullaney showed all of his experience, smashing his way to a career-best 192, while Joey Evison also passed three figures for the first time. Liam Patterson-White, who claimed the season's first five-wicket-haul in the first innings, took three second-innings wickets on the final day as Nottinghamshire forced victory.