July 18, 2025

Move to 12/6 conference-style Championship also favoured by players’ union

Essex record third win in last four but qualification hopes long gone as group stage nears finish

Former England team-mates produce vital roles with bat and ball to seal 21-run victory

Victory keeps mathematical hopes of quarter-finals alive, although results must go their way

James Coles, Tom Alsop hit half-centuries as Gloucestershire’s title defence ends in Cheltenham