Leicestershire’s acting captain Ian Holland says the club will celebrate their long-awaited promotion to the County Championship’s top division after 22 years, but insists the job isn’t finished yet. The Foxes are now targeting the second-division crown to cap their historic season.
Promotion Secured After Rain-Hit Draw
Holland was unbeaten on 27 when Leicestershire sealed a rain-affected draw against Gloucestershire at Grace Road, a result that pushed them more than 50 points clear of Derbyshire and Middlesex. Only Glamorgan, trailing by 25 points, can still challenge them for the title.
“𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔,” 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
The draw confirmed Leicestershire’s return to Division One for the first time since 2002, marking the end of years of struggle and bottom-table finishes.
A Revival Years in the Making
The promotion continues the resurgence that began with Leicestershire’s 2021 One-Day Cup triumph. Holland credited the progress to Claude Henderson, director of cricket, and the coaching staff, alongside outgoing chief executive Sean Jarvis, who transformed the club’s direction.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒙-𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕,” 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅.
Young star Rehan Ahmed stood out with five centuries and 23 wickets in just ten matches, while captain Pete Handscomb, now back in Australia, was praised for his leadership.
Looking Ahead
Although heavy rain denied Leicestershire a shot at chasing 316 against Gloucestershire, Holland was proud of the team’s resilience after early setbacks in the game.
“There will be a celebration, a few beers tonight,” Holland admitted. “But we want to go on and win the trophy now, that’s very important to us.”
With consistency, contributions across the squad, and a renewed sense of belief, Leicestershire’s red-ball revival is not just about promotion—it’s about finally competing for silverware again.