1898 was the ninth season of County Championship cricket in England. Yorkshire won the championship for the second time in three years. It was an emphatic victory with a record of sixteen wins and seven draws in 26 games. Middlesex finished second after two wins over Kent in late August to improve five places on their 1897 finish. Derbyshire broke their streak of 22 Championship matches without victory by beating Hampshire in late May. As for individual performances, Surrey batsman Bobby Abel made 1800 runs for the second season in succession, one run shy of his own championship record in 1897.
| County Championship 1898 – Final Standings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | W | L | D | Pts | GC1 | Pts/GC (as %) | ||
| 1 | Yorkshire | 26 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 68.42 |
| 2 | Middlesex | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 53.85 |
| 3 | Gloucestershire | 20 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 50.00 |
| 4 | Surrey | 26 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 46.67 |
| 5 | Essex | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 25.00 |
| 6 | Lancashire | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 20.00 |
| 7 | Kent | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 0 | −1 | 11 | −9.09 |
| 8 | Nottinghamshire | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | −1 | 3 | −33.33 |
| 9 | Derbyshire | 16 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 1 | −4 | 8 | −50.00 |
| 9 | Sussex | 20 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 0 | −6 | 12 | −50.00 |
| 9 | Warwickshire | 18 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | −4 | 8 | −50.00 |
| 12 | Hampshire | 18 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | −6 | 10 | −60.00 |
| 13 | Leicestershire | 16 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | −9 | 11 | −81.82 |
| 14 | Somerset | 16 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | −9 | 11 | −81.82 |
Points system:
| 1898 County Championship – leading batsmen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Bobby Abel | Surrey | 24 | 1832 | 57.25 | 7 | 10 |
| Johnny Tyldesley | Lancashire | 26 | 1801 | 39.15 | 2 | 12 |
| CB Fry | Sussex | 16 | 1604 | 59.40 | 6 | 8 |
| John Tunnicliffe | Yorkshire | 24 | 1538 | 46.60 | 4 | 8 |
| Bill Brockwell | Surrey | 24 | 1468 | 43.17 | 5 | 5 |
| 1898 County Championship – leading bowlers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | Matches | Balls bowled | Wickets taken | Average |
| Charlie Townsend | Gloucestershire | 20 | 4905 | 130 | 20.00 |
| Wilfred Rhodes | Yorkshire | 26 | 4949 | 126 | 13.84 |
| Tom Richardson | Surrey | 24 | 5167 | 126 | 21.29 |
| Jack Hearne | Middlesex | 18 | 5663 | 125 | 14.76 |
| Bill Lockwood | Surrey | 21 | 4188 | 109 | 17.06 |
| 1898 English cricket season – leading batsmen | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team(s) | Matches | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| Bobby Abel | Players, Surrey | 30 | 2053 | 48.88 | 7 | 11 |
| Johnny Tyldesley | Lancashire, Players | 29 | 1918 | 37.60 | 2 | 13 |
| John Tunnicliffe | Players, Yorkshire | 30 | 1804 | 41.00 | 4 | 9 |
| CB Fry | Gentlemen, Sussex | 19 | 1788 | 54.18 | 6 | 10 |
| Bill Brockwell | Players, Surrey | 30 | 1686 | 38.31 | 6 | 5 |
| 1898 English cricket season – leading bowlers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team(s) | Matches | Balls bowled | Wickets taken | Average |
| J. T. Hearne | Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Middlesex, Players | 30 | 9053 | 222 | 14.05 |
| Tom Richardson | Surrey | 29 | 6119 | 161 | 19.54 |
| Wilfred Rhodes | Players, Yorkshire | 33 | 6149 | 154 | 14.60 |
| Charlie Townsend | Gentlemen, Gloucestershire | 25 | 5587 | 145 | 20.64 |
| Bill Lockwood | Players, Surrey | 26 | 5010 | 134 | 16.62 |