Sussex fans seem disappointed with his decision and worried that he will poach some of their best players. There is also the thought that they can save some much needed money by not replacing him.

Because of the financial problems at Sussex, Paul Farbrace's new role was only going to be part-time so there must have been a big pay difference between that and the full time role at Lancashire.
I think Surrey and Middlesex are right. Warwickshire have finished bottom three times.

Paul Farbrace is going from Sussex to try to sort out the mess at Lancashire:
https://www.cricketworld.com/lancashire-appoint-paul-farbrace-as-new-director-of-cricket/113681.htm

I think we were quite rightly critical of the new Head of Media earlier in the season; but maybe he has now settled in and started to deliver.

A really nice interview with Ed Barnard on The Cricketer website.
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/county-cricket-premium/ed_barnard_warwickshire_unassuming_title_winning_captain_being_respected_people_big_as_anything.html
Extracts -
"Barnard prefers to credit Westwood, just as Westwood prefers to credit Barnard. Somewhere in that relationship sits the story behind Warwickshire's success."
"As much as you want your cricket talked about, being respected as human beings is as big a thing as any," he says. "I would be very proud if that is how we're talked about."
"Barnard is one of county cricket's renowned nice guys, an accolade for which Bamber and Chris Woakes are also in the running. Certainly, you'd do well to stumble across a more popular new-ball pairing than those two"

The Cricket Paper sums up the Bears win:
"There was an old-fashioned quality to Warwickshire’s triumph.
They did not have the largest collection of England stars or the most expensive overseas signings but a settled dressing room, a deep seam attack, exceptional fielding and players who stayed fit enough to keep appearing.
Rob Yates took a remarkable 39 catches at second slip, while Woakes, at 37, provided experience.
The captaincy of Barnard was fundamental.
His contribution with bat and ball was substantial, but his greatest achievement may have been creating a side in which several players could carry the match rather than one being expected to do everything."

Not directly related to being champions - but the BBC county championship cricket live text page got 27.8 million views in 2026, which is 464,000 per day.

Whoever knew that Frank Sinatra was a Bears fan?
https://www.edgbaston.com/media-video/county-championship-glory-at-edgbaston?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=15645146_Members+Newsletter+%282%2F10%29&utm_source=DotDigital

And if KP's comments are hidden behind the paywall, the "highlights" are:
"The best thing about this is I have no responsibility for listening to and reading your rubbish," he said to the media during England's ODI series with Sri Lanka."
Ben Stokes gave an interview to Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler in their For the Love of Cricket podcast.
“The new journalistic landscape in full flow today," tweeted KP. "Ben Stokes chooses a player-owned (sic) media business for an exclusive. It's virtually game over for the old, and it's certainly evolving quicker than we think…! Huge congratulations to Broady and Jos for doing such a good job."

I'm not sure I would want to be on the side of Kevin Pietersen in any argument - but here he is pitching in about the cricket media:
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/premiumopinion/why_kevin_pietersen_is_wrong_about_traditional_media_.html?t=639262970768468926&utm_campaign=5099884_02%2F10%2F2026&utm_medium=email&utm_source=The%20Cricketer&dm_i=7T5X,31B3G,3BU9WM,7Z62V,1,0,0,0

Report on Carter's award here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/counties/9028694.stm

You can vote for Ethan Bamber as PCA Player of the Month - link here:
https://www.edgbaston.com/media-article/vote-bamber-for-septembers-pca-player-of-the-month?utm_campaign=15645146_Members+Newsletter+%282%2F10%29&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=DotDigital

Yes, I guess we will all wish him well. I hope he gets the kind of support that I know that the PCA can offer.

The Player of the Year is the result of players' votes. Past (Warwickshire) winners are Chris Woakes in 2020 and Neil Carter in 2010.

The moans by Kent supporters in 1911 were what probably lay behind one of the most famous Punch cartoons (of which I have a framed copy).
It's headed Two Gentlemen of Warwickshire and depicts Frank Foster talking to William Shakespeare and quoting from Henry VI part two:
"Tell Kent from me she hath lost"
To which Shakespeare responds (quoting from Henry VI part 3):
"Warwick, thou art worthy."

PCA Awards for 2026:
Toyota PCA Men's Player of the Year - Craig Overton
Toyota PCA Women's Player of the Year - Sophie Luff
Toyota PCA Men's Young Player of the Year - Sonny Baker
Toyota PCA Women's Young Player of the Year - Tilly Corteen-Coleman
PCA Outstanding Contribution Award - Heather Knight
ECB Special Merit - Tammy Beaumont
PCA Umpire of the Year - Men's Game - Ian Blackwell
PCA Umpire of the Year - Women's Game - Gabi Brown

Nothing for Bears there, though Umpire of the Year Ian Blackwell was briefly a Bear (and a Championship winner in 2012).

From the Guardian's 2026 County Cricket Awards:

"The nice guys don’t finish last award

Ethan Bamber
The Championship’s leading wicket-taker (with 69 of the things) mingled on the outfield at Edgbaston last Saturday after Warwickshire were awarded the winner’s trophy. Bamber had already been called the nicest man in cricket by his captain, Ed Barnard, and the hardest working by Sam Hain, before he auditioned for the most modest when talking to reporters (while signing a supporter’s miniature bat.) “You always wonder, as an average cricketer like me, how high your ceiling is, and in quiet moments I wasn’t sure I quite had it,” he said as he was passed a plastic cup of champagne and a man in a Scooby Doo costume sidled alongside. “Here I’ve been given the opportunity and space to express myself on the field. I feel like I have been the beneficiary of a really good group.” Bear hugs all round."

ITE7376 wrote:

GerryShedd wrote:

PS - a moan from me - Sam Hain doesn't get into the BBC team of the season:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c6dx01807d1ro
But because it was decided by public vote, maybe those of us who didn't vote are to blame.

---

looks like all of Abell, Clarke and Bedingfield scored more runs than he did, to be fair

How dare you confuse a good moan with some facts!

PS - a moan from me - Sam Hain doesn't get into the BBC team of the season:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c6dx01807d1ro
But because it was decided by public vote, maybe those of us who didn't vote are to blame.

My own take, having sat for a lifetime watching cricket with Bears fans, is not that we are hard done by (though occasionally we are) but that we like moaning about being hard done by.