| Essex | County Ground, Chelmsford | Castle Park Cricket Ground, Colchester |  ReportDivision OneDefending champions Warwickshire had a disappointing start to the season, only managing a draw against newly promoted Derbyshire in a game that was dominated by bad weather. Somerset, runners-up the previous season, collapsed from 96/2 at the end of the third day against Durham to 186 all out, in the process losing by 48 runs to the champions of 2008 and 2009. Middlesex defeated Nottinghamshire by ten wickets at Trent Bridge. This was the latter county's first loss in an opening fixture for eleven years. Yorkshire, the other team promoted from Division Two in 2012, also lost at home—they fell to an innings defeat against Sussex, having been bowled out for just 96 in their first innings. Middlesex and Sussex jointly led the table on 23 points after the first round of games, with only Surrey yet to play their first match.
Despite having a slight first-innings lead, Derbyshire lost within three days against Middlesex at Lord's, having been bowled out for just 60 in their second innings, their lowest total against Middlesex. Surrey's first game of the season ended as a draw against Somerset, in part as a result of play being lost due to rain. Durham suffered a change in fortunes, falling to a heavy defeat against Warwickshire, who bowled them out for 94 after setting a target of 413 to win. Nottinghamshire picked up their first win of the season against Derbyshire, who had yet to win themselves on their return to Division One. Surrey drew their second consecutive game at The Oval, this time against Sussex, on a pitch that appeared to favour batting. Durham fell to a second consecutive defeat when Yorkshire set a record for the highest successful chase at Chester-le-Street. Warwickshire's tenth-wicket partnership denied Somerset their first victory of the season, holding out for 78 minutes in a match that was somewhat overshadowed by a series of questionable umpiring decisions. Middlesex, with two wins out of two, remained at the top of the table at the end of April, eight points clear of Warwickshire.
Durham subjected Nottinghamshire to a second consecutive home defeat, chasing a target of 183 in just over twenty overs. Derbyshire's miserable season continued with an innings loss against Yorkshire in a match that appeared to be heading for a draw. The matches between Middlesex and Surrey, and Sussex and Warwickshire were both drawn, allowing Durham to take the lead in the standings, with four other teams—Middlesex, Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Sussex—within ten points of the lead. In a match heavily affected by bad weather, Somerset hung on for a draw against Yorkshire, finishing on 61/6 after being made to follow-on. The weather also intervened in the match between Warwickshire and Middlesex at Edgbaston, which ended in a high-scoring draw. Durham's third win in five games, this time against Surrey, extended their Championship lead to 13.5 points over nearest rivals Middlesex.
Yorkshire's impressive start to the season continued when they inflicted an innings defeat on defending champions Warwickshire, dismissing them for under 200 in both innings. Somerset fell to their first home Championship defeat since the end of 2011, losing to Middlesex by nine wickets in three days. Sussex condemned the struggling Derbyshire to their fourth straight loss, with more than two sessions to spare at Derby. Surrey's difficult season continued when they lost to Nottinghamshire by over a hundred runs in a fairly low-scoring match. Sussex completed an innings victory against Somerset within two days, bowling their opponents out for just 76 and 108 in the two innings. Championship contenders Durham and Middlesex drew at Chester-le-Street after rain curtailed play on the third day. Durham ended up four wickets short of securing another victory. The game between Somerset and Yorkshire at Taunton also resulted in a rain-affected draw. Nevertheless, Yorkshire led the table at the end of May, a single point ahead of Sussex, and a further point clear of Middlesex. Somerset, Surrey and Derbyshire, all yet to win a game, were early contenders for relegation.
The match between fellow strugglers Derbyshire and Surrey ended in a high-scoring draw, while Nottinghamshire fell four wickets short of defeating early title contenders Sussex. The 2010 champions drew a second game in a week in a high-scoring encounter against Yorkshire. Draws also resulted in the contests between Middlesex and Sussex, Surrey and Warwickshire, and Somerset and Durham. Yorkshire defeated Middlesex by ten wickets, their first win at Lord's for 26 years. On the same day, Durham completed a narrow victory over Warwickshire, placing them back in title contention. Sussex, while remaining unbeaten, could only manage a draw with Surrey. The contest between Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire also ended in a high-scoring draw. Somerset achieved their first win of the season away at fellow relegation candidates Derbyshire, while Surrey managed a fourth successive draw, this time against title contenders Yorkshire. A draw for Sussex against Nottinghamshire was enough to give them second place in the table, eight points behind Yorkshire, and 8.5 ahead of Durham, at the halfway stage of the season.
After a two-week break, Championship cricket returned on 8 July. Sussex beat Somerset for the second time in 2013, this time in just three days. Derbyshire's relegation worries were not abated when they lost by 279 runs to title contenders Durham, who bowled them out for under 200 in both innings. Middlesex's title ambitions were dented by a loss to Warwickshire on a turning pitch at Uxbridge, while an unbeaten century from Ricky Ponting in his final first-class innings was enough to save Surrey from a defeat against Nottinghamshire. A victory for Warwickshire against Nottinghamshire gave the defending champions a faint hope of being able to retain their title, while more realistic title hopefuls Yorkshire completed an innings defeat against Derbyshire, their seventh loss in ten games. Sussex's chances of claiming their first Championship for six years were damaged with their first loss of the season, at Hove against Middlesex. Yorkshire topped the table at the end of July, seven points clear of, and with a game in hand over, second-placed Sussex. Durham were third, 19.5 points behind Yorkshire, but with an extra game left to play.
Middlesex defeated fellow title challengers Durham within three days in a low-scoring match in which neither side posted a score above 200. Sussex lost their second consecutive Championship game, this time against relegation-battling Derbyshire, who took their first win of the season, and their first victory at Hove for seventeen years. The prevalence of heavy rain thwarted any hopes of a result in the matches between Somerset and Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire and Warwickshire. Derbyshire's hopes of survival were boosted by a win against Middlesex, whose title ambitions were dented, while a draw for Warwickshire at home to Somerset left their hopes of retaining the Championship increasingly slim. Meanwhile, Yorkshire defeated Nottinghamshire to take their sixth victory of the season, strengthening their lead at the top of the table, while at Chester-le-Street, an emphatic victory for Durham over Surrey ensured that Yorkshire's position was not left unchallenged. Yorkshire, with four games remaining had 181 points, while Durham, with an additional game yet to play, were 25.5 points behind the leaders. In the relegation battle, two points separated seventh-placed Derbyshire and eighth-placed Somerset, while Surrey, albeit with a game in hand, were a further thirteen points back in last place.
Somerset's hopes of retaining their place in Division One were assisted by an innings victory over Middlesex at Lord's, with the erstwhile title contenders being bowled out for just 106 and 164 in their two innings. The match between Warwickshire and Sussex petered out into a draw when neither side could agree to set up a fourth-innings chase. The gap between the two leading sides was closed considerably when Durham defeated Yorkshire by seven wickets, in what was the first-placed county's first loss since their opening fixture of the season. Surrey's first win of the season, against relegation rivals Derbyshire, allowed them to move above their opponents in the table, while remaining adrift of both Somerset and Nottinghamshire. However, four days later, Surrey fell to their fourth defeat of the season, against Middlesex, in a match in which off-spinner Ollie Rayner took fifteen wickets. A comprehensive victory against Sussex within three days put Durham into the lead of the Championship, 14.5 points ahead of Yorkshire, with three games apiece to be played. At the other end of the table, Derbyshire won in a close-fought contest at Taunton, where having been nearly 200 behind after their first innings, Somerset recovered to post Derbyshire a target of 244, which was achieved with two wickets to spare. A washout on the final day of their game denied Nottinghamshire a chance to win against Warwickshire, leaving the 2010 champions on the cusp of the relegation battle. A rain-affected draw for Yorkshire against Sussex, while Durham completed a nine-wicket victory against Derbyshire, left Yorkshire trailing Durham by 27.5 points with two games each remaining. Meanwhile, in the relegation battle, a win for Somerset over Surrey, and a draw for Nottinghamshire against Middlesex, ensured that both Somerset and Nottinghamshire were clear of the relegation zone. Derbyshire and Surrey occupied the bottom two spots, with one and two games left, respectively.
Durham clinched the County Championship on 19 September by winning their match against Nottinghamshire by eight wickets, giving them an unassailable 48.5 point lead over Yorkshire, who, the following day, completed an 80 run victory against Middlesex to secure second place in the table. When Warwickshire defeated Surrey by six wickets at Edgbaston, the latter county's relegation to Division Two for 2014 was confirmed. The following week, the remaining relegation spot was taken by Derbyshire, who were also condemned to Division Two by losing a match to Warwickshire—on this occasion by an innings, after being bowled out for 103 and 120. With the prospect for relegation for both counties removed, Nottinghamshire and Somerset drew their match at Trent Bridge, while the game between Surrey and Yorkshire, whose fates had already been decided the previous week, ended as a high-scoring draw. Sussex won their final match, against champions-elect Durham, to clinch third in the standings, leaving Warwickshire and Middlesex in fourth and fifth, respectively, while Somerset and Nottinghamshire ended level on points, with the former taking sixth place, with three wins to the latter's two.
|