Rain cancelled the match at Chelmsford against Essex, as Nottinghamshire suffered their third no-result of the season. Six days later, they lost to Northamptonshire, cementing their last place in the National League. In the County Championship, however, fortunes were reversed, as they beat Glamorgan comfortably to go top of the Championship yet again. They extended their lead with a two-day victory over Gloucestershire, and also beat Gloucestershire in the National League, in a low-scoring match where 233 runs were scored in total, for the loss of 19 wickets. The return of captain Stephen Fleming following international commitments boosted Nottinghamshire, as they beat Worcestershire by five wickets in the National League to give themselves more hope of avoiding relegation in that competition. Then, Nottinghamshire secured the County Championship title with a 204-run win over Kent. However, Hampshire criticised the Kent captain for "ridiculous" tactics , which robbed his team of any chance of the Championship title, and Hampshire got their revenge as Nottinghamshire lost by an innings and 188 runs at the Rose Bowl. Nottinghamshire eventually finished 2.5 points ahead of Hampshire in the final table, but got revenge in the National League, recording a 37-run victory that sent Hampshire down into Division Two. Players David Hussey David Alleyne Darren Bicknell Gareth Clough Mark Ealham Mark Footitt Paul Franks Jason Gallian Andrew Harris Richard Hodgkinson Paul McMahon Samit Patel Chris Read Ryan Sidebottom Anurag Singh Greg Smith Will Smith Graeme Swann Russell Warren Jason Gallian Tables Championship totesport League Match details Nottinghamshire v Loughborough UCCE (13–15 April) Match drawn At Trent Bridge Loughborough UCCE won the toss and elected to bat. This allowed Nottinghamshire's Greg Smith to show off his left arm fast-medium bowling that Loughborough's inexperienced students could not cope with. Smith took 5 for 19 as Loughborough UCCE made only 164 to be bowled out before tea. After tea, Darren Bicknell and Jason Gallian scored at a steady 3 runs an over to leave Notts 67 without loss at close on the first day. The Nottinghamshire innings continued and took up all the second day, and the batsmen got useful match practice before their Championship season started. The highlight was Anurag Singh's 131 from 176 balls with 23 fours and a six. Three other batsmen made half-centuries, including Darren Bicknell, whose 91 took up five minutes short of five hours. The pick of the bowling came from Loughborough UCCE's