Somerset, one of three counties never to win the County Championship, lead the race. They have been runners-up six times since 2001. Tom Abell, Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton and Jack Leach remain integral. Overton has had an outstanding season, but warns: "There's still a long way to go."

Nottinghamshire, last year's underdogs, aim to retain the title. Joe Clarke has 1,240 runs, almost 300 more than anyone else. Olly Stone and Dillon Pennington lead the attack. A failure to beat Leicestershire let Somerset nip ahead; a 54-run win over Hampshire kept the margin at four points. Stone said: "We go to Sussex now... Hopefully we can push hard to bring it home again."

Warwickshire, like Novak Djokovic, quietly challenge. Chris Woakes led a one-wicket win over Sussex. They seek a ninth Championship and first since 2021. Ethan Bamber leads the seam attack. Captain Ed Barnard said: "It feels really exciting. We're trying not to think about it too much and obviously there are two massive games to go."