The County Cricket Championship

The first official County Cricket Championship began in 1890, and is the premier domestic first class cricket competition in England and Wales. The first winner of the County Cricket Championship was Surrey. The current champions are Nottinghamshire. Eighteen counties now compete in the competition, which is split into two divisions of 9 teams.

Matches are played over four days in the traditional white clothing and with a red cricket ball. Each cricket team plays each other in a league format on a home and away basis between April and September.

Fourteen points are given for a win, seven points for a tie and four points for a draw. Bonus points are also awarded on first innings performance in the first 130 overs. When batting, five bonus points are available for every 50 runs scored starting at 200 up to 400. Three bowling points are available when the third, sixth and ninth wickets have been taken. Points can be deducted if the pitch is of poor quality or if they have not achieved the desired over rate in a match when bowling.

Previous Winners of The County Cricket Championship

The last five winners of the County Cricket Championship were:

Year Division 1 Division 2

• 2005 Nottinghamshire Lancashire
• 2004 Warwickshire Nottinghamshire
• 2003 Sussex Worcestershire
• 2002 Surrey Essex
• 2001 Yorkshire Sussex

Number of County Cricket Championship Wins by County

Fourteen counties have won the County Cricket Championship. The four teams that have not won the title are Durham, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire and Somerset.

• Yorkshire 31 (including 1 shared)
• Surrey 20 (including 1 shared)
• Middlesex 12 (including 2 shared)
• Lancashire 8 (including 1 shared)
• Essex 7
• Kent 7 (including 1 shared)
• Warwickshire 6
• Nottinghamshire 6
• Worcestershire 5
• Glamorgan 3
• Leicestershire 3
• Hampshire 2
• Derbyshire 1
• Sussex 1

Sponsors of The County Cricket Championship

Sponsorship was introduced in the 1977 season when Schweppes sponsored the championship for 7 seasons. The sponsors are:

• 1977 - 1983 Schweppes
• 1984 - 1998 Britannic Assurance
• 1999 - 2000 PPP Healthcare
• 2001 - Cricinfo
• 2002 - 2005 Frizzell
• 2006 - Liverpool Victoria

Betting on The County Cricket Championship

There are many ways to bet on The County Cricket Championship, from highest run scorer in the competition to the winners of Division 1 and Division 2.

For the latest odds on the 2006 The County Cricket Championship from a range of bookmakers and betting exchanges, visit our Latest Odds section.

The County Cricket Championship is only one of many events in the Cricket calendar. Check out other Cricket events.

If you are new to betting and want to place a bet on The County Cricket Championship be sure to check out our Cricket - How To Bet section for some betting hints and tips.