The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) as a two-league system. The tournament is contested by eighteen clubs representing the historic counties of England and Wales. The reigning champions are Surrey.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in England, and has been played since the 16th century. Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lord's, developed the modern rules of play and conduct. The sport is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board and represented at an international level by the England men's team and England women's team. At a domestic level, teams are organised by county, competing in tournaments such as the County Championship, Metro Bank One-Day Cup, T20 Blast and the Women's Twenty20 Cup. Recent developments include the introduction of a regional structure for women's cricket and the establishment of The Hundred for both men's and women's cricket. Recreational matches are organised on a regional basis, with the top level being the ECB Premier Leagues.
The One-Day Cup, currently known as the Metro Bank One Day Cup, is a fifty-over limited overs cricket competition for the England and Wales first-class counties. It began in 2014 as a replacement for the ECB 40 tournament, which ran from 2010 to 2013. In contrast to its 40-over predecessor, the number of overs per innings was set at 50 to bring the competition in line with One-Day Internationals.
The 2017 English cricket season was the 118th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. The season, which began on 28 March and ended on 29 September, featured two global one-day competitions played in England and Wales, the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup. England Women's team won the World Cup, defeating India in the final at Lord's. Pakistan beat India in the Champions Trophy final.
The 2017 Royal London One-Day Cup tournament was a limited overs cricket competition that forms part of the 2017 domestic cricket season in England and Wales. Matches were contested over 50 overs per side and had List A cricket status. All eighteen First-class counties competed in the tournament which ran from the end of April with the final taking place at Lord's on 1 July. Nottinghamshire won the tournament, defeating Surrey in the final. The defending champions were Warwickshire.
The 2019 Vitality Blast was the seventeenth edition of the T20 Blast currently known as the Vitality Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league that was played in England and Wales which was run by the ECB, has been branded as the Vitality Blast due to a new sponsorship deal. The league consisted of the 18 first-class county teams divided into two divisions of nine teams each with fixtures played, slightly later than usual, between July and September. Finals Day took place at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on 21 September 2019. Worcestershire Rapids were the defending champions.
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 2020 Vitality Blast was the eighteenth edition of the T20 Blast currently known as the Vitality Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league being played in England and Wales. run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which was branded as the Vitality Blast due to the tournament's sponsorship deal. On 12 August 2020, following a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ECB confirmed the fixtures for the tournament.
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.
The 2021 Vitality Blast was the nineteenth edition of the T20 Blast currently known as the Vitality Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league played in England and Wales. run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), that was branded as the Vitality Blast due to the tournament's sponsorship deal. The Notts Outlaws were the defending champions.
The 2021 Royal London One-Day Cup tournament was a limited overs cricket competition that formed part of the 2021 English cricket season in England and Wales. Matches were contested over 50 overs per side, having List A cricket status, with all eighteen first-class counties competing in the tournament. The tournament started on 22 July 2021, with the final taking place on 19 August 2021 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Somerset were the defending champions winning the 2019 tournament, with no tournament taking place in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
The 2022 Royal London One-Day Cup tournament was a limited overs cricket competition that formed part of the 2022 domestic cricket season in England and Wales. Matches were contested over 50 overs per side, having List A cricket status, with all eighteen first-class counties competing in the tournament. The tournament began on 2 August 2022, with the final taking place on 17 September 2022 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Glamorgan were the defending champions, having won the 2021 tournament. Kent won the tournament, beating Lancashire by 21 runs in the final.
The 2022 Vitality Blast was the twentieth edition of the T20 Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league played in England and Wales. The tournament was held from 25 May to 16 July 2022. The tournament was run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was branded as the Vitality Blast due to the tournament's sponsorship reason. The Kent Spitfires were the defending champions, having won their second title during previous season. On 20 January 2022, the ECB announced the fixtures for the tournament.
The 2023 One-Day Cup was a limited overs cricket competition that formed part of the 2023 domestic cricket season in England and Wales. Matches were contested over 50 overs per side, having List A cricket status, with all eighteen first-class counties competing in the tournament. The tournament started on 1 August 2023, with the final taking place on 16 September 2023 at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Kent were the defending champions, having won the 2022 tournament.
The 2023 English cricket season began on 6 April 2023 and finished on 29 September 2023.
The 2024 One-Day Cup was a limited overs cricket competition in England and Wales. Matches were contested over 50 overs per side, having List A cricket status, with all eighteen first-class counties competed in the tournament. The tournament started on 24 July 2024, with the final scheduled to take place on 22 September 2024. However, heavy rain forced it to be moved to the reserve day, 23 September 2024. In November 2023, England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed the fixtures for the tournament, as a part of the 2024 English domestic cricket season. Leicestershire were the defending champions, having won the 2023 tournament.
The Women's T20 Blast, officially known as the Women's Vitality Blast for sponsorship reasons, will be a professional women's Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales, run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). It will serve as the successor to the Charlotte Edwards Cup.
The 2025 T20 Blast will be the 23rd edition of the T20 Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league played in England and Wales. The tournament will take place from 29 May to 13 September 2025. The domestic T20 competition was run by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and was branded as the Vitality Blast due to the tournament's sponsorship. Gloucestershire are the defending champions, having won their maiden title during the previous season.
The 2025 Women's T20 Blast will be the inaugural season of the Women's T20 Blast, a professional Twenty20 cricket league that will be played in England. The tournament will begin from 29 May to 27 July 2025 with local teams taking part.
