The final round of the 2025 County Championship will be played this week and five teams are still desperately fighting to avoid relegation to Division Two.
Much of the attention will be centred on Nottinghamshire's attempt to prise the Division One title away from Surrey after their thrilling clash at The Oval last week. However, the real fireworks could come at the bottom of the table, in the race to stay out of the relegation spots and avoid joining already relegated Worcestershire at the bottom of the pile. Just 10 points separate those in danger of relegation.
Sussex
Points: 150
Fixture: Vs Worcestershire (A)
Despite sitting fifth in the table in their first top-flight outing in a decade, last season’s Division Two champions are not in the clear just yet. Their task is aided by the fact that they are playing Worcesterhire, already down, and because relegation rivals Yorkshire and Durham play each other. Sussex need just six points to be absolutely sure of staying ahead of one of those two, when the County Championship's level-on-points tiebreakers (most wins, then fewest losses) are taken into account.
Essex
Points: 150
Fixture: Vs Somerset (H)
After challenging for the title over the past two seasons, this year has been more of a struggle for Essex. They sit on the same points as Sussex so need the same outcome for survival. However, a match up against third-placed Somerset may prove a more difficult assignment despite taking place at Chelmsford.
Yorkshire
Points: 146
Fixture: Vs Durham (H)
Yorkshire’s return to the first division after two seasons in the second tier has not gone as swimmingly as some may have expected. Jonny Bairstow’s men sit seventh, four points below Sussex and Essex, and six points above the drop zone. Their home fixture against ninth-placed Durham represents an opportunity to finish the job themselves by relegating their opponents.
A draw will likely be enough, as long as Yorkshire keep the bonus point gap between themselves and Durham below six. A loss will leave them dependent on other results, most likely requiring a Hampshire defeat.
Hampshire
Points: 142
Fixture: Vs Surrey (H)
A shock relegation for Hampshire would be the final disappointment after a fortnight which has already contained defeats in the finals of the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup. To make matters worse, they face a hungry Surrey side, who need their fifth victory of the season if they are to have any hope of securing their fourth consecutive title. The good news is, any sort of win will be enough, putting them out of reach of one of Yorkshire or Durham. Even a draw could be enough, though a bonus point-heavy draw at Headingley, or a Durham win in which Yorkshire snaffle several bonus points, could put them in trouble. Defeat wouldn't necessarily be fatal, but would require one of Durham or Yorkshire to lose and then come down to bonus points.
Durham
Points: 140
Fixture: Vs Yorkshire (A)
Currently occupying the dreaded ninth spot and suffering from a bad case of second-season syndrome, Durham are the side that have it all to do. Their swashbuckling, Bazball-inspired approach has seen them fall to five defeats, the second-most in the division. They will be safe if they beat Yorkshire. Other than that, they must secure enough bonus points in a draw to out-pace the rest. A draw without bonus points would mean they would need Hampshire to score no more than five points in their game. A draw and three bonus points would be enough if Sussex or Essex lose with no bonus points. From there, their number of bonus points needed go up with every bonus point scored by their rivals.
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