County cricket
In the UK, County cricket is the domestic form of the sport of cricket that is considered to be first-class cricket. All but one of teams are named after, and were originally representative of, English counties (the exception being Glamorgan, which is a county in Wales.)
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History
The official County Championship began in 1890, before which unofficial championships were contested. The unofficial championships were decided not by any numerical method but rather by popular acclaim.
The first official championship in 1890 was competed between Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex and Yorkshire, where the side were to play 14 matches (each other twice). The positions were based on number of wins minus the number of losses.
The following year Somerset also competed in the championship and in 1895 Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire also joined, by now each side had to play at least 16 matches per season. Because, up until World War II, counties played differeing numbers of matches, the points system was slightly modified so that the ratio of points to finished games (games minus draws) decided the Championship.
In 1910 the system was modified so that the order was based on ratio of matches won to matches played, whilst from 1911 to 1967 a variety of systems were used that generally relied on points for wins or first innings leads in games left unfinished. Since 1968, the basis has been wins (increased from 10 points in 1968 to 12 in 1976 to 16 in 1981) and "bonus points", which are earned for scoring a certain number of runs or taking a certain number of wickets in the first 100 overs of each first innings. In an effort to prevent early finishes, points have been awarded for draws since 1996.
Of the current 18 sides in County Cricket the remaining joined at the following dates:
- Worcestershire in 1899
- Northamptonshire in 1905
- Glamorgan in 1921
- Durham in 1992.
More information about the history of the County Championship can be found here.
2005 County Championship
The County Championship is currently sponsored by Frizzell. The teams in each division in 2005 are as follows.
- First division
- Second division
County champions
There have been two divisions since 2000.
| Year | 1st Division | 2nd Division |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Warwickshire | Nottinghamshire |
| 2003 | Sussex | Worcestershire |
| 2002 | Surrey | Essex |
| 2001 | Yorkshire | Sussex |
| 2000 | Surrey | Northampton |
Before 2000 there was a single division.
- 1999 Surrey
- 1998 Leicestershire
- 1997 Glamorgan
- 1996 Leicestershire
- 1995 Warwickshire
- 1994 Warwickshire
- 1993 Middlesex
- 1992 Essex
- 1991 Essex
- 1990 Middlesex
- 1989 Worcestershire
- 1988 Worcestershire
- 1987 Nottinghamshire
- 1986 Essex
- 1985 Middlesex
- 1984 Essex
- 1983 Essex
- 1982 Middlesex
- 1981 Nottinghamshire
- 1980 Middlesex
- 1979 Essex
- 1978 Kent
- 1977 Kent/Middlesex
- 1976 Middlesex
- 1975 Leicestershire
- 1974 Worcestershire
- 1973 Hampshire
- 1972 Warwickshire
- 1971 Surrey
- 1970 Kent
- 1969 Glamorgan
- 1968 Yorkshire
- 1967 Yorkshire
- 1966 Yorkshire
- 1965 Worcestershire
- 1964 Worcestershire
- 1963 Yorkshire
- 1962 Yorkshire
- 1961 Hampshire
- 1960 Yorkshire
- 1959 Yorkshire
- 1958 Surrey
- 1957 Surrey
- 1956 Surrey
- 1955 Surrey
- 1954 Surrey
- 1953 Surrey
- 1952 Surrey
- 1951 Warwickshire
- 1950 Lancashire/Surrey
- 1949 Middlesex/Yorkshire
- 1948 Glamorgan
- 1947 Middlesex
- 1946 Yorkshire
- 1940-45 No championship - World War II
- 1939 Yorkshire
- 1938 Yorkshire
- 1937 Yorkshire
- 1936 Derbyshire
- 1935 Yorkshire
- 1934 Lancashire
- 1933 Yorkshire
- 1932 Yorkshire
- 1931 Yorkshire
- 1930 Lancashire
- 1929 Nottinghamshire
- 1928 Lancashire
- 1927 Lancashire
- 1926 Lancashire
- 1925 Yorkshire
- 1924 Yorkshire
- 1923 Yorkshire
- 1922 Yorkshire
- 1921 Middlesex
- 1920 Middlesex
- 1919 Yorkshire
- 1915-18 No championship - World War I
- 1914 Surrey
- 1913 Kent
- 1912 Yorkshire
- 1911 Warwickshire
- 1910 Kent
- 1909 Kent
- 1908 Yorkshire
- 1907 Nottinghamshire
- 1906 Kent
- 1905 Yorkshire
- 1904 Lancashire
- 1903 Middlesex
- 1902 Yorkshire
- 1901 Yorkshire
- 1900 Yorkshire
- 1899 Surrey
- 1898 Yorkshire
- 1897 Lancashire
- 1896 Yorkshire
- 1895 Surrey
- 1894 Surrey
- 1893 Yorkshire
- 1892 Surrey
- 1891 Surrey
- 1890 Surrey
There was no official system for selecting the champion county before 1890. Cricinfo has lists of unofficial champions for 1864-89 [1] and for 1825-63 [2].
Number of wins by county 1890-2004
- Yorkshire 30 (plus 1 shared)
- Surrey 19 (plus 1 shared)
- Middlesex 10 (plus 2 shared)
- Lancashire 7 (plus 1 shared)
- Essex 7
- Kent 6 (plus 1 shared)
- Warwickshire 6
- Worcestershire 5
- Nottinghamshire 5
- Glamorgan 3
- Leicestershire 3
- Hampshire 2
- Derbyshire 1
- Northamptonshire 1
- Sussex 1
See also
- National League - the one day league for English first class counties.