Leicestershire secured County Championship promotion for the first time in the club's history, with a draw against Gloucestershire today meaning they will play in Division One next year for the first time in 24 years.
With two rounds of competition yet to play, the result at Grace Road has given Leicestershire an unassailable lead in the top two positions of the Division Two table. Gloucestershire put on 482 in their first innings, with Graeme van Buuren the main contributor with 101 (143), in addition to half centuries from Ben Charlesworth, Miles Hammond, James Bracey and Zaman Akhter.
Leicestershire responded with 342 all-out, built on a gritty century from Pakistan Test captain, Shan Masood. After Gloucestershire declared their second innings to set the home side a target of 316 late on day four, Leicestershire's promotion was safe. Captain (in the absence of Peter Handscomb) Ian Holland fittingly batted out the session one wicket down, Sol Budinger having been dismissed for 14.
Match 106, Leicestershire vs Gloucestershire
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Leicestershire create club history with Championship promotion
Leicestershire have been in Division Two since they were relegated after finishing bottom of Division One in 2002. Having won the Championship twice in the 1990s, their decline from those heights was rapid. Since then, they have rarely threatened promotion. They finished bottom of the league for three years in a row from 2013-2015, going 933 days without a Championship win. They also failed to register a win in a season as recently as 2022.
ALSO READ: How the Foxes found their teeth: The pack mentality driving Leicestershire's success
However, they have undergone a remarkable transformation since that 2022 season, despite having won just four matches in three years ahead of their 2025 campaign. Scoring big first innings runs, and having several players in form at the same time has been crucial to their success, as has Rehan Ahmed's surprise move and success at the top of the order. Rehan has scored five centuries this season, as well as averaging 19 with the ball.
Having secured promotion, Leicestershire will be eying sealing their spot as Division Two winners, which should be a straight forward task.
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
