We’ve put our heads together at Badger HQ and this is our best XI from County Championship Division Two. Do you agree with our choices?

Essex and Kent gained promotion, but there were some excellent individual seasons from further down the table too.

1. Sam Northeast (Kent) 1337 runs at 83.56
The Kent skipper has been tipped by many for higher honours, but second division runs appear to hamper his chances, despite scoring a shedload of them. Five hundreds and three fifties bolstered his Championship tally in a season where he amassed over 2,000 runs in all competitions.

2. Chris Nash (Sussex) 1256 at 54.60
Nash hit three hundred and nine fifties in a season when too many draws cost Sussex promotion. The hard hitting 33-year-old hit 188 fours but didn’t clear the ropes once - he uses the carpet! Reliable and consistent.

3. Tom Westley (Essex) 1217 runs at 52.91
A career-best 254 against Worcestershire and a thousand runs in a season for the first time saw Westley very close to an England call-up. Alastair Cook is a big fan and his time may yet come. Westley was an integral part of Essex’s promotion campaign as he provided regular runs at number 3.

4. Wayne Madsen (Derbyshire) 1292 at 58.72
(Main photo) After giving up the county captaincy it was no surprise that Madsen continued to strive for his side, even in a difficult summer. A professional in every respect, Derbyshire’s struggles would have been far worse without him. He hit six Championship centuries in a season where his team did not win a match. It was the fourth season in a row where he has surpassed 1,000 runs. His tally this season is his highest so far. Derbyshire must wish they could clone him.

5. Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire) 1338 runs at 60.81
Ben Duckett earned selection to England’s winter touring party with a stunning summer’s display. He’s bound to pick up countless player of the year awards in the next few weeks and a Test cap looks certain in Bangladesh. The left hander started like a house on fire with an unbeaten 282 against Sussex and never looked back. He scores his runs quickly in all formats and is destined for a long international career.

6. Ben Brown (Sussex) 854 at 50.23 and 40 catches
Brown is the definition of tidy behind the sticks and his batting is more than handy. Three centuries with an unbeaten 159 as his best, and four fifties too, win him the gloves in our XI.

7. Joe Leach (Worcestershire) 583 runs at 36.43 and 65 wickets at 27.47
Leach has rapidly developed into a genuine all-rounder, A century and four further fifties helped to provide solidity to the Worcestershire line-up and five 5-fors show he’s no flash-in-the-pan with the ball.

8. Rob Keogh (Northants) 519 at 30.52 and 31 wickets at 26.70
Not the highest wicket taker in the division, but Keogh gains selection as our spin option and more than a few runs down the order. His 9 for 52 and match figures of 13 for 125 against Glamorgan was the highlight of a very consistent season.

9. Graham Napier (Essex) 298 runs at 22.92 and 63 wickets at 23.17
Sadly missed next season, Napier finished in a high. Celebrating Essex’s promotion with his highest ever wicket tally, there must be a few at the County Ground hoping he’d change his mind. Always dangerous with the willow too.

10. Steve Magoffin (Sussex) 62 wickets at 20.14
Believed by a lot of pundits to be the best bowler in the second tier, Magoffin’s stats go a long way to supporting the argument. With five 5-fors and a 10 wicket haul Magoffin would walk into any other county side. The 36-year-old Australian may be coming towards the end of his career, but he uses all of his experience to befuddle batsman.

11. Ben Sanderson (Northants) 66 wickets at 21.03
Ian Dews once said of his development role at Yorkshire that it was not what the players Yorkshire let go achieved, it’s the ones kept in their stead that the county would be judged on. With Yorkshire the proof has been in the pudding, but it is no surprise to Yorkshire folk that both Oliver Hannon-Dalby (Warwickshire) and Sanderson have gone on to achieve success with other counties. Sanderson not only played a key role in the Steelbacks T20 success, but in the Championship took four 5-fors and had a best analysis of 8 for 83 against Gloucestershire.

Do you agree?

Comment on this post below or tweet your opinions to @cricket_badger

ALSO READ:

County Championship Division One Team of the Year