The County Championship,currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Vitality 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.
Donald Bryce Carr OBE was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire from 1946 to 1967,for Oxford University from 1948 to 1951,and twice for England in 1951/52. He captained Derbyshire between 1955 and 1962 and scored over 10,000 runs for the county.
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.
Stuart Grant Law is an Australian-born cricket coach and former cricketer. He was a part of the Australian squad which finished as runners-up at the 1996 Cricket World Cup. Law currently serves as the coach of the United States’men’s senior team.
Ian David Blackwell is an English umpire and retired professional cricketer. A left-arm orthodox spinner and powerful middle-order batsman,he played for England at One Day International (ODI) and Test level,and most recently played county cricket for Warwickshire in the second half of the 2012 season. He was born at Chesterfield in Derbyshire.
Mark Richard Benson is an English former cricketer and umpire. A left-handed batter,Benson played for Kent for 17 years and represented England in one Test match and one One Day International in 1986. He later took up umpiring and remained on the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. In January 2016 he retired as an umpire.
Charles Standish Elliott was an English first-class cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1932 and 1953,an international umpire and a part-time footballer.
Wesley John Durston is an English cricketer who most recently played for Derbyshire,having represented Somerset between 1999 and 2009,and the Unicorns during the 2010 season. He learnt his cricket at Millfield School and is a right-handed batsman and off break bowler.
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.
David James Millns is a first class cricket umpire and English former professional cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club,Leicestershire County Cricket Club,Tasmania and Boland. Millns was a fast bowler,and a lower order batsman who was part of two championship winning sides with Leicestershire,in 1996 and 1998.
Richard Allan Kettleborough is an English international cricket umpire,and former first-class cricketer who appeared in 33 first-class matches for Yorkshire and Middlesex. He was a left-handed top order batsman and occasional right-arm medium pace bowler. He attended Worksop College and was a member of the college cricket XI for a number of years.
Paul Raymond Pollard is an English cricket umpire and former first-class cricketer. As a player,he was an opening batsman who played over 300 games in first-class and List A cricket for Nottinghamshire before a shorter stay with Worcestershire. After retiring from top-line county cricket in 2002,he had one season with Lincolnshire and appeared twice for them in List A matches. His medium-pace bowling was of the occasional variety,and with it he captured four first-class wickets. He has also coached,including in Zimbabwe.
Ben Christopher Brown is an English cricketer who plays for Hampshire County Cricket Club as a wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman. He had previously played for Sussex County Cricket Club serving as captain from 2017 to 2021.
John Wakefield Holder is a Barbadian-born English former first-class cricketer and international cricket umpire. Holder was born in Saint George,Barbados. Following the completion of his education,he emigrated to England in search of work with London Transport. After impressing in club cricket in London,Holder began playing county cricket for Hampshire as a fast-medium bowler,in a first-class county career which lasted from 1968 to 1972. Injury forced Holder to retire from professional cricket,though he later returned to play professionally in the Lancashire League and for Western Province in South Africa. After the conclusion of his playing career,Holder became an umpire at domestic and international level. He would stand as an umpire in both Test and One Day International cricket from 1988 to 2001. Holder retired from umpiring in 2009,having stood in over 400 first-class and List A one-day matches apiece. As of 2021,he remained the only non-white English umpire in nearly 150 years of Test cricket.
Henry Holmes was an English first-class cricketer and cricket umpire. He was a member of Hampshire County Cricket Club's eleven for its inaugural first-class match against Sussex in 1864.
David John Halfyard was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket for Kent County Cricket Club and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club between 1956 and 1970. He was primarily a bowler and took nearly 1,000 wickets during his first-class career. He also played Minor County cricket for Northumberland,Durham and Cornwall. Following a road traffic accident in 1962,Halfyard retired from cricket to become an umpire but was able to return to the game in 1968.
Nathan Theodore Wood is a former English cricketer. Wood was a left-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium. He was born at Thornhill Edge,Yorkshire.
Joe Michael Clarke is an English cricketer who plays for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club. He is a right-handed batsman who also plays as a wicket-keeper.
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 2024 County Championship is the 124th County Championship cricket season in England and Wales. As in 2023,Division One had ten teams and Division Two had eight teams. The season started on 5 April and is scheduled to finish on 29 September 2024. Surrey are the defending champions,having repeated their success in securing the 2022 title.
