The County Championship returned under splendid spring sunshine on Friday and all it took was a quick glance around the grounds — or a scroll through social media and the Guardian’s live blog — to challenge the notion of a competition struggling for relevance.
It may have been pushed to the bookends of summer, and be due for its umpteenth review in the coming months, but in some ways the Championship feels more important than ever. As private money reshapes the sport, accelerating the rise of a dystopian year-round T20 circuit, it remains a vital touchstone: 135 years of unrivalled history and heritage that has only ever paused for two world wars and a pandemic.
