6 days ago
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As the County Championship resumes, long-suffering Leicestershire supporters could be forgiven for thinking that some prankster has turned the Division Two table upside down.
For they are certainly more familiar with its troughs than its peak, having finished bottom in eight of the previous 14 two-divisional seasons.
Between September 2012 and June 2015 - a period of 37 matches and 993 days - the perennial wooden spoonists went winless, and they remain the only county yet to go up since promotion and relegation was introduced to the 135-year-old competition at the turn of the century.
Yet the butt of jokes across the county game are in such a strong position with three rounds of matches remaining this time that it is merely a question of when not if they have the last laugh.
Sitting top, with a 52-point buffer over third-placed Derbyshire, they need just a further 21 to return to the top tier for the first time since 2003, whatever happens elsewhere.
Victory over Gloucestershire in the coming days would almost certainly seal the deal, but so powerful is their position that they could lose all three remaining fixtures and still finish in the top two.
Perennial wooden spoonists Leicestershire look set to have the last laugh this time
They are sitting top of Division Two and need just another 21 points to return to the top tier
Club insiders disclosed to Daily Mail Sport this week that the dressing room is the happiest it has been for years, with a genuine camaraderie among the squad.
Even accounting for the uncertainty over the future structure of the 18-team competition (more of that later), the second division champions and runners-up are both guaranteed to be in higher company next year whichever way the divisions are split.
What makes Leicestershire's season against the grain all the more remarkable is that it has coincided with a period of huge financial instability away from the field.
Sean Jarvis, the chief executive who arrived in 2020 and will leave the business at the end of the season, said in his exit notes: 'I set out a five-year plan and I'm pleased to have been able to deliver on that.'
Well, some of it at least. Because a spell featuring 2023's Metro Bank Cup triumph - a first piece of silverware in 12 years - plus impending promotion has also included some serious losses on the club's balance sheets.
The latest set of accounts, filed earlier this year, revealed an annual deficit of £567,831 and a membership that has dwindled to just 798. Revenue was down 6% on the previous 12-month period and crowds had dipped by 28%.
Success has come with the club haemorrhaging money and the mood among the fans appears to be one of huge relief that the £17million Hundred windfall is about to drop into Leicestershire's account, instantly wiping out debts and placing plans to begin a Grace Road redevelopment expected to cost north of £60million on hold.
Until confirmation of the first of two chunks of ECB-generated cash amounting to a combined £24m in total, Leicestershire were considering selling off parts of their 148-year-old ground, home to the biggest playing expanse in the country, including their grassed net area to a gym chain.
Jarvis has regularly spoken about the need to diversify income streams, but some have questioned the wisdom of such a huge overhaul given that footfall remains so modest.
Leicestershire were considering selling off parts of Grace Road, their 148-year-old ground
There has clearly been a disconnect between the Midlands county and its support, with grumbles about catering at home matches following its outsourcing to contractors and a core of long-term regulars relinquishing their memberships to exploit a loophole which has saved hundreds of pounds.
While an annual membership at Grace Road costs £300, nearby Nottinghamshire offer a country version for £183 per person, or £262 per couple, to those that live more than 20 miles from Trent Bridge that provides reciprocal arrangements for the use of members' facilities at other county clubs.
It is a moot point whether Leicestershire have overpriced tickets or their supporters are cutting their noses off to spite their faces in denying their own club valuable cash and handing a proportion to a local rival.
What is undeniable, however they have paid their entrance fee, is the value they have witnessed from a Leicestershire team skilfully pieced together by director of cricket Claude Henderson and head coach Alfonso Thomas.
Recent recruitment has focused on solid county performers with experience - Middlesex's Stevie Eskinazi, Jonny Tattersall, who lead Yorkshire to promotion 12 months ago, and Ben Green, the Somerset all-rounder have all signed permanent deals in recent weeks - and it is hard to argue with Jarvis' assessment: 'It's clear our reputation is shifting from perennial strugglers to genuine contenders. This is a testament to the structures we have built.'
Although England international Rehan Ahmed has stolen the headlines with his five hundreds, no Leicestershire batsman is in the division's leading 15 run scorers, while five bowlers have bagged between 22 and 31 wickets, promoting the theory that the team has been greater than the sum of its parts.
Lewis Hill stepping down as captain ahead of the 2025 season has also proved significant. Such was the stress of leading his boyhood club, that Hill, 34, suffered hair loss but he has flourished under the leadership of Australian Peter Handscomb, averaging 46 in this year's competition and threatening to reach 1,000 runs for the first time in his career.
Handscomb himself appeared to be weighed down by responsibility when previously in charge of Middlesex, but managed to make significant contributions with the bat, including two centuries, before heading back home to prepare for Victoria's Sheffield Shield season.
England international Rehan Ahmed has stolen the headlines with his five hundreds
Peter Handscomb managed to make significant contributions before heading back home
His departure means Pakistan captain Shan Masood, who has already featured for Leicestershire in the T20 Blast and One-Day Cup this season, comes in as second overseas player, alongside Dutch international Logan van Beek.
'To come back as a Division One player and a Division One club would be something special,' was Handscomb's departing message.
That appears to be a given now for county cricket's great under-achievers.
No format change despite summit
Next year's County Championship appears set to remain in its current format after a meeting of county chairmen on Friday failed to reach common ground.
Although there is a desire for change within the 18-club first-class structure, it is not sufficient to make change happen.
A two-thirds majority is required to move to a new 12-team, two group top tier and a season offering a maximum 13 matches per county - a reduction of one on 2025 appealing to the Professional Cricketers' Association.
However, there remains a rival view that it is simply change for change's sake and that 14 matches is a fairer number for the integrity of the four-day competition and better value for members and supporters.
Next year's County Championship appears set to remain in its current format
Dukes ball to return
The Championship returns to the use of its established Dukes ball for its decisive final three rounds of matches.
The previous four featured the machine-made Kookaburra - a period in which newly-promoted Yorkshire scrambled out of the relegation zone with two wins and two draws.
Durham are now in the bottom two, above the doomed Worcestershire, but with 15 points separating fifth and ninth, it promises to be a thrilling fight to stay up.
At the top, only Nottinghamshire appear capable of stopping unbeaten Surrey making it an impressive four titles in a row.
