The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes under the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). There are currently twenty teams in National Counties cricket: nineteen representing historic counties of England, plus the Wales National County Cricket Club.
Worcestershire 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 Worcestershire. Its Vitality Blast T20 team has been rebranded the Worcestershire Rapids, but the county is known by most fans as 'the Pears'. The club is based at New Road, Worcester. Founded in 1865, Worcestershire held minor status at first and was a prominent member of the early Minor Counties Championship in the 1890s, winning the competition three times. In 1899, the club joined the County Championship and the team was elevated to first-class status. Since then, Worcestershire have played in every top-level domestic cricket competition in England.
Durham 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 Durham. Founded in 1882, Durham held minor status for over a century and was a prominent member of the Minor Counties Championship, winning the competition seven times. In 1992, the club joined the County Championship and the team was elevated to senior status as an official first-class team. Durham has been classified as an occasional List A team from 1964, then as a full List A team from 1992; and as a senior Twenty20 team since the format's introduction in 2003.
Buckinghamshire County Cricket Club is one of twenty minor county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Buckinghamshire.
Wales National County Cricket Club is one of twenty National county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents all of the historic counties of Wales except Glamorgan and is currently the only non-English member of the National Counties Cricket Championship.
The Racecourse Ground is a cricket ground in Hereford. The ground is located inside Hereford Racecourse and is the only remaining former first-class cricket venue in England which lies inside a racecourse. It played host to first-class and List A cricket matches for Worcestershire County Cricket Club between 1919 and 1988, and minor counties matches for Herefordshire County Cricket Club from 1992 to 1996.
Michael Burns is an English first-class list cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer who played county cricket for Warwickshire and Somerset in a first-class career which spanned from 1992 until 2005. He also played Minor Counties cricket for Cumberland and Cornwall. An adaptable cricketer, he appeared for Cumberland and Warwickshire as a wicket-keeper, but when he moved to Somerset he developed into an aggressive batsman who bowled at medium-pace when needed.
Rectory Field is a sports ground in Blackheath in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. It was developed in the 1880s by Blackheath Cricket, Football and Lawn Tennis Company and became the home ground of rugby union team Blackheath F.C. between 1883 and 2016. The ground has hosted international rugby matches and at one time, along with the Richmond Athletic Ground, it was the unofficial home of the England national rugby union team before the development of Twickenham Stadium. The ground was also used for first-class and List A cricket by Kent County Cricket Club between 1887 and 1972. The field is named after the Charlton Rectory that once stood at the site. It is used today by Blackheath Sports Club for cricket, rugby, tennis and squash.
Cricketfield Lane is a cricket ground in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. The earliest recorded match on the ground was in 1862 between Bishop's Stortford and an All-England Eleven. In 1895 Hertfordshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match on the ground, which came against Norfolk. From 1895 to the present day, the ground has played host to 54 Minor Counties Championship matches and 6 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches.
North Perrott Cricket Club Ground is a former List A cricket ground located in North Perrott, Somerset. It hosted a single Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy match in 2001 between Somerset Cricket Board and Wales Minor Counties. The ground has also been used by Somerset County Cricket Club and Board for numerous other matches. It has also hosted the Somerset women's cricket team occasionally since 2005. The ground is home to North Perrott Cricket Club, and has been since its creation in 1946.
Church Road was a cricket ground located along Church Road in Earley, Berkshire, England. The ground was bordered to the east by woodland and to the north, south and west by residential housing. It contained one pavilion, located in the north western corner of the ground.
London Road is a cricket ground in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1914, when Shrewsbury Cricket Club played Wem. Shropshire played their first Minor Counties Championship match at the ground against the Nottinghamshire Second XI in 1957. From 1957 to present, the ground has hosted 40 Minor Counties Championship matches. and 9 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches.
Harecroft Road is a cricket ground in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1926, when Cambridgeshire played the Leicestershire Second XI in the Minor Counties Championship. Cambridgeshire have used the ground periodically and until 2009 the ground has hosted 58 Minor Counties Championship matches and 5 MCCA Knockout Trophy matches.
Campbell Park is a cricket ground in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, located in Campbell Park. The first recorded match on the ground in 1981, when the Northamptonshire Second XI played the Leicestershire Second XI in the Second Eleven Championship.
Leamington Cricket Club Ground is a cricket ground in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1900, when Leamington played Stratford-upon-Avon. The ground hosted its first first-class match in 1905, when Warwickshire played Hampshire. In 1908, the ground held its second first-class match, which was between Warwickshire and Somerset. The third first-class match held on the ground came in 1909 between Warwickshire and Hampshire, with the final first-class match at the ground between Warwickshire and Sussex in 1910.
The Imperial Athletic Ground was a cricket ground in south Bristol owned by the Imperial Tobacco group and used by Somerset. The first first-class match on the ground was in 1957, when Somerset played Sussex in the County Championship. From 1957 to 1966, the ground played host to 9 first-class matches, with the final first-class match held at the ground between Somerset and Hampshire.
Elm Avenue is a cricket ground in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1930 when it was opened by the Ransome & Marles Company. During its history, the ground has played host to 23 Nottinghamshire Second XI matches in both the Minor Counties Championship and Second Eleven Championship.
Manor Fields is a cricket ground in Bletchley, Buckinghamshire. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1973, when Young England women played International XI women in the ground's only Women's One Day International.
Trafalgar Road Ground is a cricket ground in Southport, Merseyside. The first recorded match on the ground was in 1956, when the Lancashire Second XI played Cheshire in the Minor Counties Championship.
