Tom Norton headlines county cricket's 2026 awards

Glamorgan handed a Championship debut to 18-year-old seamer Tom Norton in early May, and he marked it with a hat-trick against Somerset at Sophia Gardens, ripping through the top order. Teammates chased him round the outfield afterwards, patting a beard that looked older than he is.

By August a stress fracture of the back had ended his season. Glamorgan, back in Division One for the first time in years, survived the campaign anyway. Batters facing them in 2027 will remember the name.

Groundstaff earn their tea break

County groundstaff had the harder summer. Heatwave followed heatwave, with temperatures in the middle of the country hitting the mid-30s day after day. Staff worked split shifts and stayed late into the evenings to get more pitches ready for more fixtures, fighting a lack of rainfall that made keeping the square moist without scorching it close to impossible.

Bamber tops the wicket charts

Warwickshire were presented with the Championship trophy at Edgbaston last Saturday, and their bowler Ethan Bamber finished the season as the competition's leading wicket-taker, with 69. His own captain, Ed Barnard, has called him the nicest man in cricket; teammate Sam Hain rates him the hardest working.

Signing a supporter's miniature bat as reporters gathered round, Bamber turned the questions on himself. "You always wonder, as an average cricketer like me, how high your ceiling is," he said.