Lancashire began the 2025 men’s season buoyed by optimism and a familiar narrative. Relegation from Division One of the County Championship had stung, but it was not uncharted territory. The club had responded to demotions in 2013, 2015 and 2019 with immediate promotion. Many observers expected history to repeat itself. Even seasoned pundits tipped Lancashire for a swift return to the top tier.
Reality, however, proved far less forgiving.
A Promising Spring Turns Sour
Within two months, early enthusiasm had curdled into frustration. Lancashire’s Championship campaign lurched from underwhelming to alarming. By the end of May, they stood alone across both divisions without a single victory. The nadir came in an innings defeat to Leicestershire inside three days, a result that crystallised the discontent simmering among supporters.
The pressure told.
Club captain Keaton Jennings, visibly burdened by the weight of expectation, stepped down. His resignation was emblematic of a dressing room and a fanbase struggling to reconcile lofty ambition with stark underperformance. Head coach Dale Benkenstein, recruited from Gloucestershire after their own difficult spell at the foot of Division Two, departed “by mutual consent”. The phrasing was diplomatic. The message was not.
Even the return of James Anderson, a figure synonymous with Lancashire and English cricketing excellence, failed to lift the gloom. Young prospects who had been expected to inject energy and consistency did not deliver. The team looked brittle and short of direction.
Steven Croft Steadies the Ship
Yet cricket seasons, like matches, can pivot unexpectedly.
Steven Croft, a Lancashire stalwart, stepped in as interim coach. His influence was immediate and calming. Lancashire surged to Blast Finals Day, rediscovering competitiveness in white ball cricket, and gradually repaired their red ball form. By the end of the Championship campaign, they had climbed to fifth in the table. It was not promotion, but it was respectability restored.
In October, Croft’s appointment was made permanent. The symbolism was clear: Lancashire were turning inward, trusting experience forged within the club’s own culture.
The most eye catching development, though, concerned Anderson. The evergreen seamer, still defying the passage of time, signed a one year extension and agreed to captain the red ball side in 2026. In his mid 40s, Anderson’s decision represents both continuity and ambition. Lancashire are betting that his authority, tactical acumen and enduring competitiveness can anchor their push back toward Division One.
Strategic Recruitment Across the Squads
Lancashire have also moved decisively in the transfer market. Chris Green and Marcus Harris return as overseas signings for the summer, providing both quality and familiarity. Ajeet Singh Dale and Paul Coughlin arrive as new recruits, adding depth to a squad that looked thin during its worst stretches last season.
Meanwhile, the women’s side, already more successful in recent campaigns, secured a headline signing of their own. Former Australia captain Meg Lanning will feature in the Blast, a coup that underscores Lancashire’s growing ambition in the women’s game. For Lanning, it marks a first experience of English county cricket. For Lancashire, it is a statement of intent.
The broader message is unmistakable: the club are recalibrating their competitive strategy across both men’s and women’s programmes.
Farington: A New Home and a Bold Vision
Off the field, Lancashire’s most transformative development lies south of Manchester, near Preston.
The club has taken possession of a new second ground at Farington, built on green belt land and designed as a modern cricketing complex. The site comprises two ovals. One is a professional arena for men’s and women’s first and second teams. The other is recreational, intended to serve the community. The design draws inspiration from Hagley Oval in Christchurch, New Zealand, a ground admired for its family friendly atmosphere and grassy banks that encourage spectators to linger.
If the Lancashire weather cooperates, those grass embankments may become a defining feature.
The pavilion houses four changing rooms and fitness facilities, reflecting an ambition to create a high performance environment comparable to elite football training centres. The nets and indoor dome, part funded by the England and Wales Cricket Board, are scheduled for completion later in the year.
Chief executive Daniel Gidney has framed the project as a philosophical shift as much as a structural one. Lancashire have committed to 750 hours of community work as part of their agreement with Lancashire County Council. As Gidney puts it: “We want all the kids in state schools across Lancashire to have a cricket experience. This is not about kids from wealthy families having private nets.”
He is candid about the club’s recent priorities. “Now is the right time to pivot to cricket and facilities,” he says, acknowledging a decade during which commercial development, including the two prominent hotels at Old Trafford, dominated strategic thinking.
Gidney believes the combination of Farington, Old Trafford, a high quality medical team and a Hundred franchise positions Lancashire to attract elite talent. “We’re incredibly fortunate, to have a facility like this,” he says “It is unique in cricket … it doesn’t happen because it is expensive and complicated. And we’ve got an elite and community oval – the best of both worlds.
“Cricket has been a bit behind other sports, if you want to drive performance on the field. It feels to me like a Premiership training ground, no other professional county in the UK has a professional training ground.”
Membership Tensions and the Outground Debate
For all the ambition, scepticism persists.
Lancashire’s membership base has long been vocal. Some supporters feel alienated by what they perceive as an excessive focus on revenue generation at the expense of cricketing tradition. For them, the move toward Farington raises practical and emotional concerns.
One member, speaking anonymously, articulates a common anxiety: “It’s a selfish point of view to some extent because I’m up the road from Old Trafford and it would take longer to travel there and back to Farington than it would to watch a T20 game there. But it isn’t the easiest place to get to. At least in Manchester you’ve got travel options.
“But the biggest worry from members is that Farington will replace the other outgrounds. And what members love most is outground cricket, Blackpool is my favourite ground and it is always full, it’s such a fantastic day out.”
Outgrounds such as Blackpool occupy a cherished place in Lancashire’s identity. They represent accessibility, heritage and communal enjoyment. Gidney and director of cricket performance Mark Chilton are said to value these venues, and the club currently plans to maintain a presence at selected outgrounds. Nevertheless, many believe Farington will inevitably become the primary secondary venue.
Groundstaff are expected to begin work on the square in April, conditions permitting. The club hopes to stage a couple of Metro Bank men’s fixtures in late July and a women’s match in September. Yet, as every county knows, pitches can be unpredictable.
Watching Eyes Across the Counties
Lancashire’s new facility has already attracted interest beyond their own membership.
With New Road flooded once more and Worcestershire reassessing their long term options, chief executive Ashley Giles has visited Farington to assess its design and viability. He is reported to have been impressed.
Such attention underscores a broader reality. English county cricket faces infrastructural and financial pressures. Modern training complexes and climate resilience are no longer luxuries but strategic necessities.
The final verdict, however, rests with Lancashire’s most exacting critics: their own supporters. Winning matches in 2026 under Anderson’s captaincy would help. Demonstrating that Farington enhances rather than replaces the club’s heritage would help more.
Lancashire’s 2025 season began with confident predictions and descended into turmoil. It ended in cautious optimism and structural renewal. Whether that renewal translates into sustained success will define the next chapter in a county that has long oscillated between promise and frustration.