County cricket is the highest level of domestic
cricket in England and Wales. For the 2008
season, see
County Cricket
2008.
Teams
First-class counties
The eighteen traditional English
first-class counties are the main
cricket teams in England. They are all named after (and originally
represented)
historic
English counties.
Although Glamorgan
is a Welsh
county, it is generally included when referring to the English
first-class counties.
The English first-class counties are:
The full name of the cricket team is usually formed from the name
of the county followed by the words County Cricket Club, which are
often abbreviated to CCC.
Other first-class teams
When the
Marylebone Cricket
Club (MCC) plays against one of the first-class counties, the
game is granted first-class status.
The opening first-class game of an English
county cricket season is traditionally played at Lord's
between the
MCC and the Champion County - the club that won the County
Championship the previous year.
Four University Cricketing Centre of Excellence (UCCE) teams are
also afforded first-class status when playing against a first-class
county. They are:
Most of the first-class counties play three-day games against
university cricket teams in the early part of the English cricket
season. This is partly because the start of the cricket season
coincides with the end of the university academic year, and partly
because the games act as pre-season warm-ups game for the county
clubs. The university clubs involved are usually, but not
exclusively, the four that are granted first-class status when
playing one of the first-class county sides. The other UCCEs, not
having first-class status but which sometimes play against county
sides, are Cardiff and Leeds/Bradford.
Minor counties
The minor counties are the cricketing counties of England that are
not afforded first-class status.
Other teams
Some teams outside of the English counties have been allowed to
take part in some English county cricket one-day competitions. They
include:
First-class cricket
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket
competition in England and Wales. All of the first-class counties
compete in a two-division league format.
One-day cricket
Friends Provident Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy is a
one-day cricket competition in county
cricket. In the current format, the 18 counties, plus Scotland and
Ireland, are split into 4 groups of 5. Each team plays the other in
the group home once and away once. The top two teams from each
league then compete in quarter-finals, semi-finals and a final to
decide the winner. The competition is played in the first half of
the English cricket season.
Until 2006 , the competition was a straight
knock-out competition
involving thirty-two teams, including the
minor counties. The competition was played
through the whole English cricket season.
National League
The National League, currently sponsored as the NatWest Pro40
League, is the second
one-day
cricket competition in English county cricket. The eighteen
first-class counties compete in a two-league structure, where two
teams are promoted and relegated each season. Games are 40 overs
per side. The competition takes place in the second half of the
English cricket season.
Twenty20 cricket
The Twenty20 Cup is a
Twenty20 cricket
competition contested by the eighteen first-class counties. The
game is limited to 20 overs per side, and the emphasis is on fast
action.
Minor counties cricket
The minor counties compete in their own separate competitions. The
Minor Counties
Cricket Championship consists of two leagues, with the minor
counties split geographically. The ten sides in each division play
each other once in a three day game. The winners of the two leagues
then play to decide a champion.
The MCCA
Knockout Trophy is a one-day knock-out competition, with a
final at Lord's.
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