Hampshire are already relegated and either Leicestershire or Essex will join them in Division Two next season.

Leicestershire must beat title-chasing Warwickshire at Edgbaston and bag a few bonus points to stand any chance of avoiding the drop.

Essex will stay up if they avoid defeat by Glamorgan, although even if Leicestershire take maximum points from their match, Essex could still gain enough bonus points in a loss to secure safety.

What might change things is that Leicestershire have said they intend to appeal against the 27-point deduction imposed upon them for breaching pitch regulations in their recent win over Glamorgan.

So there's every chance the relegation picture won't be completely decided for a little while yet.

Only four points separate Kent and Northamptonshire in the battle for the second promotion spot in Division Two.

The first tie-breaker between teams that finish level on points is number of wins, so Northamptonshire must collect at least five more points than Kent to overhaul them in the standings.

Image source, Getty Images

Last week's penultimate round of fixtures was eventful to say the least.

Warwickshire won inside two days against Essex at Chelmsford and the Bears then followed from afar as their two closest title challengers, Somerset and Nottinghamshire, lost to Yorkshire and Sussex respectively.

At the bottom of Division One, Hampshire's defeat by Leicestershire confirmed their relegation. That result for the Foxes would have put them outside the bottom two, but a 27-point deduction for breaching pitch regulations earlier in the season was imposed while the Hampshire fixture was in progress.

In Division Two, rain and bad light prevented Northamptonshire from wrapping up what would have been an important win against Derbyshire in the race for promotion.

Kent's seven-wicket win over Lancashire means they have the upper hand in the battle for second spot.

The BBC Weather morning summary says: "A bright and chilly start today in most of Britain, with patches of low cloud in southern areas. The west and north will be gradually cloudier with spells of rain pushing in in the afternoon."

Could be a lot worse, given that October is only a few days away.

Division One

• Cardiff: Glamorgan v Essex
• Utilita Bowl: Hampshire v Sussex
• Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Yorkshire
• Taunton: Somerset v Surrey
• Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Leicestershire

Division Two

• Canterbury: Kent v Gloucestershire
• Old Trafford: Lancashire v Durham
• Lord's: Middlesex v Northamptonshire
• Worcester: Worcestershire v Derbyshire

Image source, Shutterstock

"It ain't over til it's over" - that may be a paraphrase of the message head coach Ian Westwood is giving to his Warwickshire players with the County Championship seemingly theirs for the taking.

The late Meat Loaf once sang "objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are" but the Bears enter the final round of games in the 2026 season with a healthy points advantage over title rivals Somerset and Nottinghamshire.

They will take nothing for granted against a Leicestershire side still smarting from a points deduction and needing a win at Edgbaston to have a chance of staying in Division One.

Hampshire are already down and either Leicestershire or Essex will be relegated alongside them.

Meanwhile, in Division Two, Durham are already champions and it's between Kent and Northamptonshire for the other promotion spot.

Play starts at 10:30.