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.
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 on the north east outskirts of Southampton. The club has twice won the County Championship, in the 1961 and 1973 seasons.
James Southerton was an English professional cricketer who played Test cricket for England in 1877, and first-class cricket between 1854 and 1879. His domestic career was spent largely with three counties: Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex. He would sometimes play for multiple counties in a season, earning him the moniker the 'Man of Many Counties'. Having began his career as a batsman, it was not until later in his career that he developed into a formidable roundarm slow bowler, becoming, alongside Alfred Shaw, the greatest slow bowler of the 1870s. He was the first man to take 200 first-class wickets in a season, a feat he achieved in 1870. In his first-class career, he would take nearly 1,700 wickets from 286 matches, at an impressive bowling average of 14.43. Southerton toured Australia in 1876–77 with James Lillywhite's side, playing in the first-ever Test match between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. At 49 years and 119 days old when he made his Test debut, he is the oldest Test debutant ever; his Test career comprised the two Tests played on the 1876–77 tour, with Southerton taking 7 wickets.
In the 1772 English cricket season, it became normal practice to complete match scorecards and there are surviving examples from every subsequent season. Scorecards from 1772 have been found for three eleven-a-side matches in which the Hampshire county team played against an England team, and for one top-class single wicket match between Kent and Hampshire. The three Hampshire v England matches have been unofficially recognised by certain sources as first-class, although no such standard existed at the time. Prior to 1772, only four scorecards have survived, the last from a minor match in 1769.
David William "Butch" White was an English cricketer who played in two Test matches for England against Pakistan in 1961 and 1962. A fast bowler, he played most of his first-class cricket at domestic level for Hampshire from 1957 to 1971, forming a formidable bowling partnership with Derek Shackleton. In his fifteen seasons with the county, he took nearly 1,100 wickets and was a member of the Hampshire side which won their first County Championship in 1961. At the end of his career, he spent a season playing for Glamorgan in 1972. White was considered to be one of the fastest bowlers in England.
The 2006 English cricket season was the 107th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It included home international series for England against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. England came off a winter with more Test losses than wins, for the first time since 2002-03, but still attained their best series result in India since 1985. The One Day International series against Pakistan and India both ended in losses.
In the 1773 English cricket season, there was a downturn in the fortunes of the Hambledon Club as their Hampshire team lost every match they are known to have played, and some of their defeats were heavy. Their poor results owed much to star bowler Thomas Brett having been injured. Three other county teams were active: Kent, Middlesex and Surrey. Teams called England took part in five matches, all against Hampshire, and won all five.
The 1774 English cricket season was the third in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of five first-class matches have survived.
The 1777 English cricket season was the sixth in which matches have been awarded retrospective first-class cricket status. The scorecards of six first-class matches have survived. James Aylward made a record score of 167 runs that stood until 1820.
Frederick William Lillywhite was an English first-class cricketer during the game's roundarm era. One of the main protagonists in the legalisation of roundarm, he was one of the most successful bowlers of his era. His status is borne out by his nickname: The Nonpareil.
Harry Baldwin was an English first-class cricketer and umpire. Playing first-class cricket for Hampshire as an off break bowler between 1877 and 1905, he took 580 wickets in 150 matches for the county, forming a prolific partnership with Thomas Soar. As an umpire, he stood in 62 matches between 1892 and 1909.
William Whitcher was an English first-class cricketer.
Justin Jonathon Bates is a former English cricketer. Bates was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm off break. He was born in Farnborough, Hampshire.
Charles Johnstone Willock was an English cricketer. Willock was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium pace. He was born at Shahjehanpore in India.
Thomas Philip Alsop is an English first-class cricketer. Born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, Alsop is a left-handed batsman who plays as a wicket-keeper, and plays for Sussex.
The Rose Bowl, known for sponsorship reasons as Utilita 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.
Jack Oliver Ian Campbell is an English professional cricketer who plays for Sussex.
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.
