Spinners stir after change to toss rules

Changes to the toss in England's county game were intended to encourage spin back into Championship cricket. But have they been successful?

Hello Hameed, goodbye Napier

Apart from the teen and the vet, who else make it to our County Championship XI?

Essex's great entertainer signs off on top

Graham Napier hobbled out of his last match at Chelmsford knowing he had given his all in two decades as a one-club pro

County news

Silverwood's dream awakens Essex slumber

Promotion achieved in first year

County news

Toumazi to stand down as Sussex chief executive

County chief departs after four-year tenure

Can Foakes solve bat v gloves debate?

Andy Flower and Alec Stewart believe Ben Foakes is an England keeper in waiting

Gubbins revels in all-for-one title charge

Middlesex have topped the Championship with a focus on the team's 'DNA' and playing for each other, opening batsman Nick Gubbins tells Will Macpherson

Kent comes first for Sam Northeast

Selection meetings, scouting, sorting contracts - there's a lot on the plate of Kent's captain, but he has taken it all in his stride. By Will Macpherson

English cricket must reach out to its public

Its image as an establishment game fits uncomfortably with the impulse to spread T20 cricket to a wider audience

Willey aims higher for club and country

David Willey's eagerness to prove himself led him to leave Northants for Yorkshire in the close season. By Tim Wigmore

Brett D'Oliveira unburdened by family legacy

He is thriving at a county his grandfather made home, playing in a set-up that is driven on the very principles his father made his life's work

No toss is fine, but what about the spinners?

If one of the intentions of doing away with the toss in county cricket is to encourage spin, the visiting captain should also be given the option of batting first

'I've had a lot more good days with bat recently than ball'

Scott Borthwick's main chance appears to be of making the Test squad as a top-order batsman, but his value as a spinner is still high

Could social media save county cricket?

David Hopps: The likes of Twitter are spreading the word about the circuit more enthusiastically than newspapers ever did

'We are big on culture, big on values'

Leicestershire coach Andrew McDonald on taking charge of a struggling side

Pacy Mills sets sights on England T20 spot

A medical condition forced Tymal Mills to give up first-class cricket, so now he is focusing on the shortest format

How a cricket transfer works

All Out Cricket: The moves, up, down and sideways, in county cricket explained

Wake up and smell the IPL

Mark Nicholas: Spring in England is a time for getting back into the rhythms of cricket. In India, it's a different ball game

Give first-class cricket its due

Ian Chappell: Struggling Test teams need to strengthen their domestic cricket and ensure their best players aren't lost to T20