Image source, Getty Images

Goodness me, Hampshire fans. How's your ticker?

Hampshire lost to Surrey by 20 runs this morning after resuming on a nerve-shredding 148-9, chasing 181.

Surrey finish second after coming close to a fourth straight title win, dethroned as champions by Notts.

If that result wasn't enough stress for Hampshire, the team then had to sweat on the result of the game between Yorkshire and Durham.

A Durham draw would have been enough for the north-east county to stay up but a collapse from 25-0 to 85 all out in 30 overs sends them down in ninth place with bottom-placed Worcestershire and Hampshire hang on by a single point in eighth.

Yorkshire end in seventh place.

Hampshire might well give Dom Bess and George Hill a call and thank them for their bowling efforts. Four wickets for each of them for a combined total of just 36 runs in 27.5 overs.

Elsewhere, we had a successful run chase for Essex at Chelmsford, leaving Somerset in third place and leaving Essex a respectable sixth after being relegation threatened going into the final round.

In the second flight, Derbyshire thrashed Kent by an innings and 229 runs for a third place finish - with Luis Reece taking 5-63.

Kent finish at the foot of the table on 114 points.

Leicestershire end on the highest of highs with a seventh win of the season, dispatching Northants by 167 runs despite a heroic century on debut for Stuart van der Merwe.

The Foxes had already snapped up the Division Two title with a game to spare.

They top the table with a resounding 241 points, leaving Northants second from bottom with 143.

Middlesex end the season on a high of their own with a crushing innings-and-67-run win over Gloucestershire.

The North London club end in fourth place with Gloucestershire in sixth.

We'll sweat on the result of the Ashes series this coming winter and regardless of the result we'll warm your hearts with more text commentary on a new county season in April.

Thank you for reading and for your time throughout the season. It's been a pleasure.

We asked you to name your County Championship team of the season this week and we announced it earlier but in case you missed it among all the action here it is again.

Just under 29,000 teams have been picked by users of the BBC Sport website and app over the past week.

For the third straight season nine different counties are represented, but it's an entirely new XI for 2025, while three of the team plied their trade in Division Two this summer.

Here is the team of the season, as chosen by you, the BBC Sport users.

Haseeb Hameed (Notts), Dom Sibley (Surrey), Saif Zaib (Northants), Tom Abell (Somerset), Marcus Harris (Lancashire), John Simpson (Sussex), Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire), Jack Leach (Somerset), Kyle Abbott (Hampshire), Josh Tongue (Notts), Tom Taylor (Worcestershire)

For the article in full please click here.

Division One

Chelmsford: Essex 438 & 99-3 v Somerset 433 & 99 - Essex win by seven wickets

Utilita Bowl: Hampshire 248 & 160 v Surrey 147 & 281 - Surrey win by 20 runs

Headingley: Yorkshire 475 v Durham 346 & 85 - Yorkshire win by an innings and 44 runs

Division Two

Canterbury: Kent 271 & 198 v Derbyshire 698-6 dec - Derbyshire win by an innings and 229 runs

Lord's: Middlesex 634-9 dec v Glos 286 & 281 - Middlesex win by an innings and 67 runs

Northampton: Northants 189 & 333 v Leicestershire 429 & 260-5 dec - Leics win by 167 runs

Leicestershire head coach Alfonso Thomas after lifting the Division Two trophy:

“It's a fantastic moment to now finally get the trophy. It's just a symbol of what it’s meant throughout the demands we've put on the players throughout the season. We kept challenging them and even more so in this game.

"Even today, it was hard, hard graft. Everybody wants to get to the finishing line and get the trophy, but the boys just kept going at it, and eventually we got the wickets that were required.

“It's been a phenomenal season. It's been fantastic. I think before today, it's taken us four or five years to win seven games. To go and do that in one season has been a remarkable achievement from this group of players, and it's just so nice to see."

Yorkshire head coach Anthony McGrath has paid tribute to the "spirit" of his side after the spectacular victory over Durham earlier. They were in the relegation mix ahead of this round of games but comfortably survived in the end.

"I thought we bowled really well before lunch. We didn't let them get away. And, yeah, things just escalated very quickly.

"For us, it's a great way to finish the season. Getting a win at Headingley, securing our Division One status, I think there's a lot of positives to take from the last game and build for next season."

He also spoke about talks with Jonny Bairstow over a new contract, saying discussions are ongoing and there may be some news to announce shortly.

"We want him to stay. He knows that. I know Jonny loves Yorkshire and loves playing here. I’m sure him and the club will get their heads together, and hopefully there will be some good news.

"Hopefully we don’t see Jonny leave. That would be a disaster. I don’t want to speak too soon, but I’m pretty confident we’ll see Jonny here next year.”

Leicestershire have had an outstanding season, winning seven games out of 14 and wrapping up the Division Two Championship with a game to spare.

But the renaissance after title wins in 1996 and 1998 has been a long time coming.

At one stage the club went for 37 matches without a win in the championship, before finally breaking the long duck in June 2015.

Since then they have gone from being on or near the foot of the Second Division Championship table to One Day Cup winners in 2023 and now Championship winners with a richly deserved promotion to the top flight for the first time since 2003.

That seventh win was hard-earned, breaking a stand of 128 between Stuart van der Merwe and George Bartlett this afternoon before Liam Trevaskis (6-85) finally prized Van der Merwe out for 116 on his first class debut to seal that seventh win.

BBC Leicester Commentator Richard Rae told BBC Sport:

“They made hard work of it this morning but this afternoon the wickets in the end came quite quickly.”

“In the end, they did it in some style.”

On the Leicestershire resurgence:

“In my first, I think six years of commentating on the Foxes, I think I have commentated on seven wins over those six years, and there have been seven this season alone.

"I think it was 19 games before I commentated on any sort of win.

So it just tells you how far they have come, not just in that time, in the last couple of years as well.”

Congratulations to the Foxes.

Durham head coach Ryan Campbell after his team's collapse against Yorkshire earlier led to their relegation to Division Two:

"I can't explain it. It's just a total capitulation. Unfortunately, it's happened a few times this year. The pressure went on and our blokes couldn't stop it.

"Obviously, there's a room full of gutted people. We were handed a lifeline and we didn't take it.

"I've always said that we bat at our best when we look to score. When you look to score, you get yourself into better positions and make better decisions.

"I think, obviously, there was a very defensive mindset of trying to get through. What then happens is that if you lose a couple of wickets, you haven't gone anywhere.

"Today was one of those days that will probably go down in Durham's folklore of hanging our heads in shame. We're going to have to rebuild and come back bigger and better next year."

Image source, Getty Images

We saw Notts lift the Division One trophy yesterday and today it is the turn of Division Two winners Leicestershire!

They beat Northants today for their seventh win from 14 matches this season which made them comfortable and deserving winners.

Great grab low at slip by Ryan Higgins to send Ajeet Singh Dale on his way.

Good cricket all round as they say (although not the batting obviously) as Zafar Gohar produces a ripper which leaves him, takes the edge and almost dies on the slip.

Just carries and Zafar wheels away in extravagant celebration.

Image source, Rex Features

Gareth Batty hopes Rahul Chahar will be back with Surrey next season after their one-match wonder provided the key contribution to ensure a winning end to the season.

Chahar was signed for the final round of the County Championship only after a recommendation from Sam Curran who played against him in the Indian Premier League.

And Surrey head coach Batty is keen to try and tie him to a longer contract as they attempt to regain their title from new champions Nottinghamshire.

“We did our groundwork with Chahar. He’d been around Sam [Curran], and he’d said he is a wicket of a character, has a googly and is a real wicket taker,” said Batty after the India leg-spinner took 9-45.

“He is one of those guys who comes and fits in with the DNA of what we are about. Hopefully it isn’t the last we see of him because that was a wonderful performance and you saw what he added value wise to our group.

“Eight for 51 takes some doing, it was absolute skill and wonderful to see.”

Umpires are looking at the light and appear to have informed Middlesex to switch to a spin-only diet. Josh de Caires is tossed the ball.

Image source, Getty Images

Hampshire's Liam Dawson speaking to BBC Radio Solent after his side survived relegation to stay in Division One: “We can only thank Yorkshire for what they have done. At 11 o'clock today we were dead and buried and looking at Division Two.

“It’s been our fault for where we are but we have got away with it, while we’re relieved as a group there is nothing to celebrate, it has been a realty disappointing year.

“Next year we have to show more character and toughness and prove we deserve to be there.

“We’re a team that is used to being at the top end of the table and used to winning things, we have been poor this year and have been a club that should be winning things.

“We’ve been given a lifeline and hopefully that’s enough to let us know we have to do better. “

Zafar Gohar providing some contrast to seam and it is to Jack Taylor's liking, crunching a boundary to the extra cover rope to bring up the 250 and reduce the deficit to double figures.

Essex were early challengers at the top end of the table before fading in the last few rounds.

But their last game of the season ended in an emphatic seven wicket win over Somerset and elimination of any chance of relegation to Division Two.

It was an extraordinary turnaround on a pitch that appeared serene for batting on days one and two.

Dean Elgar and Paul Walter both scored centuries, before the pitch began offering lavish movement for Jamie Porter (4-18) late on the third day, when Somerset were routed for 99.

Essex Director of Cricket Chris Silverwood told BBC Sport:

"It's been a great team effort. Obviously, the bowlers did a great job for us yesterday, led by Ports (Jamie Porter) who was superb again."

On the wicket:

It looked really flat on days one and two. Walts (Paul Walter) was making it look really easy out there. And the overhead conditions, and the drop in temperature, whatever it was, meant the wicket did do a lot more."

On the Essex season:

"It has been a difficult season, there's no hiding from that. There have been missed opportunities."

"But the fact is if we are positive like we were today, it gives you a bit of momentum, something to smile about in the dressing room.

"We can crack on now and look forward to next year."

Jack and Matt Taylor resume in the middle as Glocs rearguard action continues.

Zafar Gohar has the ball in hand and there are 36.5 overs ahead of us if it goes that far.

Richard Rae
BBC Radio Leicester Sport

The county that four, five years ago in the national media they were asking - what is the point of Leicestershire?

Well, since then Leicestershire have produced England players, they have won the One Day Cup and they have now won seven championship games in a season -and won the Second Division by a distance.

Andrew Radd
BBC Radio Northampton

Leicestershire have proved what is possible with relatively limited resources compared to some of the other counties and they've had a wonderful, wonderful season.

Seven wins, Division Two champions and they will thoroughly enjoy it.