Marcus Harris fell short of scoring 1,000 runs in the County Championship before the end of May - a feat last achieved by Graeme Hick in 1988.
How close was Marcus Harris to scoring 1,000 runs before May?
Harris looked well-placed to etch his name into County Championship folklore with a shot at one of the competition’s rarest milestones - reaching 1,000 runs before the end of May.
Representing Lancashire as an overseas signing, the Australian opener got off to a blistering start to the 2025 season, compiling 749 runs from his first 10 innings at a commanding average of 82.22. His run-tally included three centuries and three half-centuries, and at one point, he sat more than 150 runs clear of the next best in Division Two.
Despite Lancashire languishing at the bottom of the Division Two standings after five rounds, Harris stood out as the team's one consistent performer. After the game against Northamptonshire, which ended on May 11, he was well on course to break the 1,000-run mark before the end of May, with a maximum of four innings ahead of him in the month.
However, it was not to be, as he scored 45, 1, 10 and 20, to end with 825 runs in the first two months of the Championship.
Match 62, Leicestershire vs Lancashire
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Scoring 1,000 runs before the end of May in the County Championship is considered a remarkable achievement because it requires sustained excellence under some of the toughest batting conditions in the game.
How many players have scored 1,000 County Championship runs by May?
The English domestic season begins in early April, a period often marked by cold, damp weather, and green seaming pitches that favour bowlers. In the long history of the County Championship, only eight players have ever managed it, with Nick Compton coming agonisingly close to the achievement in 2012.
Currently, Harris is 132 runs away from second-placed Caleb Jewell in the run-scoring list of Division Two, averaging 63.46 after 14 innings. Lancashire have managed to pull themselves up to sixth place in the rankings, although they are yet to win a game.
Full list: Batters who scored 1,000 runs in the County Championship by the end of May
| Player | Team | Date achieved | Innings batted |
| WG Grace | MCC/Gloucestershire/England | May 30, 1895 | 10 |
| Tom Hayward | Surrey | May 31, 1900 | 13 |
| Wally Hammond | Gloucestershire | May 28, 1927 | 13 |
| Charlie Hallows | Lancashire | May 31, 1928 | 11 |
| Donald Bradman | Australia | May 31, 1930 | 11 |
| Donald Bradman | Australia | May 27, 1938 | 7 |
| Bill Edrich | Middlesex | May 31, 1938 | 15 |
| Glenn Turner | New Zealand | May 31, 1973 | 18 |
| Graeme Hick | Worcestershire | May 28, 1988 | 11 |
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