Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
---|---|
Cricket format | First-class cricket (4 days) |
Tournament format(s) | League system |
Champions | Middlesex |
Participants | 18 |
Most runs | Keaton Jennings (1,548) (Div 1) Ben Duckett (1,338) (Div 2) |
Most wickets | Jeetan Patel (69) (Div 1) Joe Leach (65) (Div 2) |
The 2016 County Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2016 Specsavers County Championship), [1] was the 117th cricket County Championship season. It was announced in March 2016 that the 2017 season would feature only eight teams in Division One, meaning that only one team would be promoted from Division Two in the 2016 season, whilst two teams were relegated from Division One. [2]
The season saw a significant change in playing regulations where instead of a mandatory coin toss to determine choice of batting or bowling first, the visiting team was allowed to choose to bowl first if they desired. [3] [4] This change was introduced by the ECB cricket committee in November 2015 as a response to concerns raised about the standard of pitches, particularly in Division Two of the Championship. The initiative attempted to reduce the preparation of seamer friendly wickets which had seen matches completed quickly, made batting harder early in matches and generally gave an advantage to the side bowling first. [5] By encouraging Counties to produce more balanced wickets the initiative aimed to promote the skills required in Test cricket, in particular aiding the development of spin bowling and promoting more patient batting. [3] [4] [6]
Tougher penalties for poor pitches and the use of the new regulations just in Division Two of the Championship had been considered by the ECB, but the committee opted to implement the change across both divisions in 2016. [4] On the opening day of the 2016 season, four captains opted to bowl first with the choice of batting or bowling being decided by a toss in just one match. [6]
The 2016 Championship was divided into two divisions of nine teams each. Each county played every other side in their division twice with matches lasting four days - once at home and once away. At the end of the season one county was promoted from Division Two and two relegated from Division One in order to create a smaller Division One and a bigger Division Two in 2017. [2]
Team promoted from Division Two
Team relegated from Division One
Teams receive 16 points for a win, 8 for a tie and 5 for a draw. Bonus points (a maximum of 5 batting points and 3 bowling points) may be scored during the first 110 overs of each team's first innings. [34]
Division One
Source: [34] | Division Two
Source: [36] |
The fixture list for the 2016 season was announced in December 2015. [37] [38]
10–13 April | (H) Durham | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–13 April | (H) Hampshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–13 April | (H) Nottinghamshire | v | Nottinghamshire won by 3 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 April | v | Lancashire (H) | Lancashire won by 8 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 April | (H) Middlesex | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 April | (H) Yorkshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
24–27 April | v | Durham (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
24–27 April | (H) Surrey | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
24–27 April | v | Warwickshire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1–4 May | Hampshire (H) | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1–4 May | Nottinghamshire (H) | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trent Bridge, Nottingham Umpires: Michael Gough and Richard Kettleborough Player of the match: Alex Lees (Yorkshire) | |||||
|
1–4 May | v | Somerset (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1–4 May | Surrey (H) | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | v | Lancashire (H) | Lancashire won by an innings and 94 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | v | Middlesex (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | v | Warwickshire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | v | Yorkshire (H) | Yorkshire won by an innings and 20 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | (H) Durham | v | Durham won by 73 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | v | Nottinghamshire (H) | Warwickshire won by 53 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | (H) Somerset | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | v | Surrey (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–25 May | (H) Hampshire | v | Hampshire won by 69 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–24 May | v | Lancashire (H) | Lancashire won by an innings and 96 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–25 May | v | Middlesex (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–25 May | (H) Warwickshire | v | Durham won by 4 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
28–31 May | (H) Nottinghamshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
28–30 May | v | Somerset (H) | Somerset won by 1 wicket | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
29 May–1 June | (H) Middlesex | v | Middlesex won by an innings and 116 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
29 May–1 June | (H) Yorkshire | v | Yorkshire won by 175 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
19–22 June | (H) Surrey | v | Surrey won by 228 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 June | (H) Durham | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 June | (H) Lancashire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
26–29 June | (H) Hampshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
26–29 June | v | Middlesex (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
26–29 June | v | Warwickshire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2–4 July | (H) Surrey | v | Warwickshire won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3–6 July | v | Durham (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3–6 July | v | Nottinghamshire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3–6 July | (H) Yorkshire | v | Middlesex won by an innings and 4 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–13 July | (H) Somerset | v | Middlesex won by 2 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–13 July | v | (H) Warwickshire | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
11–14 July | (H) Surrey | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
16–19 July | (H) Lancashire | v | Durham won by 2 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 July | v | (H) Hampshire | Surrey won by an innings and 13 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 July | (H) Nottinghamshire | v | Somerset won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4–7 August | (H) Hampshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4–7 August | v | (H) Middlesex | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4–6 August | (H) Somerset | v | Somerset won by 39 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4–6 August | (H) Yorkshire | v | Yorkshire won by 48 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 August | (H) Lancashire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–15 August | v | (H) Middlesex | Middlesex won by an innings and 80 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 August | v | (H) Nottinghamshire | Hampshire won by 176 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 August | v | (H) Warwickshire | Surrey won by 226 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–26 August | (H) Durham | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–26 August | v | (H) Somerset | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–26 August | v | (H) Surrey | Surrey won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–26 August | (H) Yorkshire | v | Yorkshire won by 305 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August–3 September | (H) Durham | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August–3 September | v | (H) Hampshire | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August–3 September | v | (H) Lancashire | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August–3 September | v | (H) Warwickshire | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6–9 September | (H) Nottinghamshire | v | Middlesex won by 5 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6–8 September | (H) Somerset | v | Somerset won by 31 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6–9 September | (H) Surrey | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6–9 September | (H) Yorkshire | v | Yorkshire won by 228 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12–15 September | (H) Durham | v | Durham won by 21 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12–15 September | v | (H) Lancashire | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12–14 September | (H) Yorkshire | v | Somerset won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 September | (H) Hampshire | v | Durham won by 6 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 September | (H) Middlesex | v | Middlesex won by 61 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–22 September | (H) Somerset | v | Somerset won by 325 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 September | (H) Warwickshire | v | Warwickshire won by 237 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–13 April | v | Essex (H) | Essex won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–13 April | (H) Northamptonshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–13 April | (H) Worcestershire | v | Match abandoned | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 April | (H) Glamorgan | v | Leicestershire won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 April | v | Gloucestershire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 April | (H) Sussex | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
24–27 April | v | Derbyshire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
24–27 April | (H) Essex | v | Essex won by an innings and 92 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
24–27 April | (H) Gloucestershire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
24–27 April | v | Leicestershire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1–4 May | v | Kent (H) | Kent won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1–4 May | v | Northamptonshire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1–4 May | Sussex (H) | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1–4 May | v | Worcestershire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | Derbyshire (H) | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | v | Glamorgan (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | v | Kent (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8–11 May | Leicestershire (H) | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | (H) Essex | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | (H) Gloucestershire | v | Gloucestershire won by 125 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | v | Northamptonshire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
15–18 May | (H) Worcestershire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–25 May | (H) Derbyshire | v | Kent won by 7 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–25 May | (H) Glamorgan | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–25 May | v | Gloucestershire (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–24 May | (H) Leicestershire | v | Worcestershire won by 7 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
28–31 May | (H) Northamptonshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
28–31 May | v | Sussex (H) | Sussex won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 May–1 June | v | Kent (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
29 May–1 June | (H) Worcestershire | v | Gloucestershire won by 5 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
19–22 June | (H) Essex | v | Leicestershire won by 4 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
19–22 June | (H) Glamorgan | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 June | (H) Derbyshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
22–25 June | (H) Sussex | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
26–29 June | (H) Kent | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
27–30 June | (H) Leicestershire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2–5 July | v | Sussex (H) | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3–6 July | v | Essex (H) | Essex won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3–6 July | v | Worcestershire (H) | Worcestershire won by 3 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4–7 July | (H) Derbyshire | v | Match abandoned | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
10–12 July | v | (H) Northamptonshire | Worcestershire won by 311 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 July | (H) Gloucestershire | v | Gloucestershire won by 61 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 July | (H) Glamorgan | v | Glamorgan won by 4 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
17–20 July | (H) Kent | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–22 July | (H) Gloucestershire | v | Leicestershire won by 6 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3–6 August | v | (H) Glamorgan | Northamptonshire won by 251 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
3–6 August | v | (H) Kent | Kent won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4–7 August | (H) Essex | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4–7 August | (H) Leicestershire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 August | v | (H) Derbyshire | Essex won by an innings and 62 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 August | v | (H) Northamptonshire | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 August | v | (H) Sussex | Sussex won by an innings and 2 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
13–16 August | (H) Worcestershire | v | Glamorgan won by 5 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–26 August | (H) Glamorgan | v | Sussex won by 2 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–26 August | (H) Gloucestershire | v | Kent won by an innings and 69 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–25 August | (H) Leicestershire | v | Essex won by an innings and 10 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
23–26 August | v | (H) Worcestershire | Worcestershire won by 2 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August-3 September | (H) Derbyshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August-2 September | v | (H) Essex | Essex won by an innings and 161 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August-2 September | (H) Northamptonshire | v | Northamptonshire won by 318 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
31 August-2 September | (H) Sussex | v | Kent won by an innings and 127 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6–8 September | (H) Glamorgan | v | Gloucestershire won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6–8 September | (H) Kent | v | Northamptonshire won by 10 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6–7 September | (H) Leicestershire | v | Sussex won by an innings and 59 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12–15 September | (H) Derbyshire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12–15 September | v | (H) Essex | Glamorgan won by 11 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12–15 September | (H) Northamptonshire | v | Northamptonshire won by 114 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
12–14 September | v | (H) Sussex | Worcestershire won by 11 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 September | (H) Gloucestershire | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 September | (H) Kent | v | Match drawn | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–22 September | (H) Leicestershire | v | Leicestershire won by 26 runs | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
20–23 September | (H) Worcestershire | v | Worcestershire won by 9 wickets | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Player | Team | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | HS | 100s | 50s |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Keaton Jennings | Durham | 16 | 28 | 1,548 | 64.50 | 221* | 7 | 2 |
Nick Gubbins | Middlesex | 16 | 24 | 1,409 | 61.26 | 201* | 4 | 9 |
Marcus Trescothick | Somerset | 16 | 27 | 1,239 | 51.62 | 218 | 4 | 4 |
Mark Stoneman | Durham | 16 | 28 | 1,234 | 45.70 | 141* | 2 | 5 |
Haseeb Hameed | Lancashire | 16 | 27 | 1,198 | 49.91 | 122 | 4 | 7 |
Source: [39] |
Player | Team | Matches | Overs | Wickets | Average | BBI | 5W | 10W |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jeetan Patel | Warwickshire | 16 | 616.4 | 69 | 24.02 | 5/32 | 4 | 1 |
Jack Leach | Somerset | 15 | 526.3 | 65 | 21.87 | 6/42 | 5 | 0 |
Jack Brooks | Yorkshire | 14 | 432.2 | 60 | 25.01 | 6/65 | 3 | 0 |
Keith Barker | Warwickshire | 16 | 522.1 | 59 | 23.13 | 5/53 | 1 | 0 |
Toby Roland-Jones | Middlesex | 15 | 482.2 | 54 | 28.22 | 6/54 | 2 | 1 |
Graham Onions | Durham | 16 | 544.0 | 54 | 31.25 | 5/90 | 1 | 0 |
Source: [40] |
Player | Team | Matches | Innings | Runs | Average | HS | 100s | 50s |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ben Duckett | Northamptonshire | 14 | 24 | 1,338 | 60.81 | 282* | 4 | 5 |
Sam Northeast | Kent | 15 | 22 | 1,337 | 83.56 | 191 | 5 | 3 |
Wayne Madsen | Derbyshire | 15 | 26 | 1,292 | 58.72 | 163 | 6 | 3 |
Mark Cosgrove | Leicestershire | 16 | 27 | 1,279 | 49.19 | 146 | 5 | 5 |
Chris Nash | Sussex | 15 | 24 | 1,256 | 54.60 | 144 | 3 | 9 |
Source: [41] |
Player | Team | Matches | Overs | Wickets | Average | BBI | 5W | 10W |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Joe Leach | Worcestershire | 15 | 495.4 | 65 | 27.47 | 5/60 | 5 | 0 |
Graham Napier | Essex | 14 | 451.3 | 63 | 23.17 | 5/59 | 4 | 0 |
Steve Magoffin | Sussex | 16 | 523.1 | 62 | 20.14 | 5/32 | 5 | 1 |
Clint McKay | Leicestershire | 15 | 411.1 | 56 | 22.50 | 6/73 | 1 | 0 |
Timm van der Gugten | Glamorgan | 13 | 450.0 | 56 | 26.03 | 5/52 | 5 | 0 |
Source: [42] |
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales and is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It became an official title in 1890. The competition consists of eighteen clubs named after, and representing historic counties, seventeen from England and one from Wales.
Hampshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Hampshire. Hampshire teams formed by earlier organisations, principally the Hambledon Club, always had first-class status and the same applied to the county club when it was founded in 1863. Because of poor performances for several seasons until 1885, Hampshire then lost its status for nine seasons until it was invited into the County Championship in 1895, since when the team have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England. Hampshire originally played at the Antelope Ground, Southampton until 1885 when they relocated to the County Ground, Southampton until 2000, before moving to the purpose-built Rose Bowl in West End, which is in the Borough of Eastleigh. The club has twice won the County Championship, in the 1961 and 1973 seasons.
Roy Kilner was an English professional cricketer who played nine Test matches for England between 1924 and 1926. An all-rounder, he played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 1911 and 1927. In all first-class matches, he scored 14,707 runs at an average of 30.01 and took 1,003 wickets at an average of 18.45. Kilner scored 1,000 runs in a season ten times and took 100 wickets in a season five times. On four occasions, he completed the double: scoring 1,000 runs and taking 100 wickets in the same season, recognised as a sign of a quality all-rounder.
Joseph Liam Denly is an English professional cricketer who plays for Kent County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional leg break bowler who plays as a top-order batsman. Denly played age group cricket for Kent and began his professional career with the county before moving to Middlesex for three seasons between 2012 and 2014. He won the Professional Cricketers' Association Player of the Year award in 2018 and was named the season's Most Valuable Player.
1919 was the 26th season of County Championship cricket in England and the first since 1914. The authorities had doubted if cricket would remain popular after a four-year break and the strain of war. It was decided that County Championship matches should be reduced from three days' duration to two, but cricket had not lost its popularity and the two-day experiment was a failure. Yorkshire finished the season as champions, topping the table by four percentage points. No Test cricket was played but an Australian Imperial Forces team toured England, playing matches from mid-May until mid-September. Andy Ducat, Patsy Hendren, Percy Holmes, Herbert Sutcliffe and Ernest Tyldesley were named in the 1920 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack as the Five Cricketers of the Year for their 1919 performances.
The 2010 County Championship season, known as the LVCounty Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 111th County Championship season. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away. The top two teams from Division Two were promoted to the first division for the 2011 season, while the bottom two sides from Division One were relegated.
The 2012 County Championship season, known as the LV= County Championship for sponsorship reasons, was the 113th cricket County Championship season. Warwickshire won their seventh County Championship title. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team plays all the others in their division both home and away. The top two teams from Division Two were promoted to the first division for the 2013 season, while the bottom two sides from Division One were relegated.
The Rose Bowl, known for sponsorship reasons as Ageas Bowl is a cricket ground and hotel complex in West End, Hampshire. It is the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club, who have played there since 2001.
In 2017, Kent County Cricket Club competed in Division Two of the County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the NatWest t20 Blast. In addition, before the start of the English cricket season, Kent competed in the 2016–17 Regional Super50, the List A competition of the West Indian domestic season. This was the first time that any English county had competed in an overseas domestic competition. The invitation to take part in the tournament was largely due to the influence of former West Indian captain Jimmy Adams who had been Kent's Head Coach until September 2016.
The 2017 County Championship, was the 118th cricket County Championship season. It was announced in March 2016 that the season would feature eight teams in Division One and ten teams in Division Two, meaning that at the end of the 2016 season only one team was promoted from Division Two whilst two were relegated from Division One. The first round of fixtures began on 7 April, with the final matches completed on 28 September. All of the fixtures starting on 26 June 2017 were played as day/night matches.
The 2018 County Championship, known as the 2018 Specsavers County Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the 119th cricket County Championship season. As in 2017, Division One has eight teams and Division Two has ten teams, with two teams relegated and two promoted at the end of the season.
Linsey Claire Neale Smith is an English cricketer who plays for Sussex, Southern Vipers and Northern Superchargers. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, she originally played for Berkshire before moving to Sussex ahead of the 2017 season. In October 2018, she was named in the England women's cricket team squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament, and made her Women's Twenty20 International cricket (WT20I) debut in the tournament against Bangladesh.
The 2019 County Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2019 Specsavers County Championship, was the 120th cricket County Championship season. As in 2018, Division One had eight teams and Division Two had ten teams. The first round of matches began on 5 April and the final round of matches ended on 26 September. Surrey were the defending champions. At the end of the 2019 season only one team was relegated with three promoted. Therefore, from 2020 onwards, Division One would feature ten teams and Division Two would feature eight.
The 2019 Marylebone Cricket Club University Matches were a series of cricket matches that were played between the eighteen County Championship teams and the six Marylebone Cricket Club University teams (MCCU) of England and Wales. The first two rounds of fixtures were classed as first-class matches. Each county side played one fixture against an MCCU side ahead of the start of the 2019 County Championship.
In 2019 Kent County Cricket Club competed in Division One of the County Championship after gaining promotion in the 2018 season, the Royal London One-Day Cup and the 2019 t20 Blast.
The 2020 Bob Willis Trophy was a first-class cricket tournament held in the 2020 English cricket season, and the inaugural edition of the Bob Willis Trophy. It was separate from the County Championship, which was not held in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. The eighteen county cricket teams were split into three regional groups of six, with the two group winners with the most points advancing to a final held at Lord's. The maximum number of overs bowled in a day was reduced from 96 to 90, and the team's first innings could be no longer than 120 overs.
The 2021 County Championship was the 121st cricket County Championship season in England and Wales. For the first phase of the tournament, the teams were split into three groups of six, with each side playing ten matches. The top two teams from each group progressed into Division One for the second phase of the competition, with the other teams progressing to Divisions Two and Three. The team that finished top of Division One became the county champions; and the top two teams from Division One contested a five-day match at Lord's for the Bob Willis Trophy. On 17 December 2020, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed all the fixtures for the tournament. After completion of the group stage on 14 July 2021, the ECB confirmed the fixtures for the division stage on 22 July 2021.
Alice Zoe Monaghan is an English cricketer who currently plays for Hampshire, Southern Vipers and London Spirit. An all-rounder, she is a right-handed batter and right-arm medium bowler. She previously played for Oxfordshire, as well as Yorkshire Diamonds and Loughborough Lightning in the Women's Cricket Super League.
The 2016 season was Southern Vipers' first season, in which they competed in the Women's Cricket Super League, a Twenty20 competition. The side finished top of the initial group stage, therefore progressing straight to the final, where they played against Western Storm. They went on to win the final by 7 wickets with 7 balls to spare to become the inaugural winners of the WCSL.
The 2022 County Championship was the 122nd cricket County Championship season in England and Wales. The season began on 7 April and ended on 29 September 2022. Warwickshire were the defending champions.