About our County Cricket news
Latest news and updates on the County Championship, a cricket competition that consists of 18 teams across two divisions from England and Wales.
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales, organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It has been an official title since 1890. The competition is divided into two divisions, with 10 teams in Division One and 8 teams in Division Two. The teams play each other twice in a double round-robin format, for a total of 14 matches in Division One and 16 matches in Division Two. The season usually runs from April to September.
The top two teams at the end of the season in Division Two are promoted to Division One, while the bottom two teams in Division One are relegated to Division Two. The team that finishes top of Division One is crowned as the County Champion.
The County Championship also has a domestic cup competition, the Bob Willis Trophy, which involves teams from both divisions. It was introduced in 2020 as a replacement for the County Championship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was retained as a separate competition in 2021. The trophy is named after the former England captain and fast bowler Bob Willis, who died in 2019.