Minor Counties Cricket Championship







































Minor Counties Cricket Championship
Administrator England and Wales Cricket Board
First Edition 1895
Tournament format two ten-team divisions
home and away in 3-day matches.
Number of teams 20
Current champion Berkshire County Cricket Club
Most successful
Staffordshire
(11 titles)

The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England that is contested by those county cricket clubs that do not have first-class status.




Contents






  • 1 History


  • 2 List of Minor Counties Champions


    • 2.1 Finals summary


    • 2.2 Performance by county




  • 3 See also


  • 4 External links





History


The competition began in 1895 and, apart from the two World War periods, has been contested annually ever since. Since 2014, the tournament has been known as the Unicorns Championship.


Four clubs which used to play in the Minor Counties Championship have been granted first-class status – Worcestershire in 1899; Northamptonshire in 1905; Glamorgan in 1921 and Durham in 1992.


Until 1959, when the Second XI Championship was founded, most second XIs of the first-class counties used to contest the Minor Counties. A few continued to do so and the last to withdraw was Somerset 2nd XI after the 1987 season.


Since 1983, the clubs have been split into an Eastern and a Western Division. The winners of the two divisions play each other in a match at the end of the season to determine which will be the Champions.


At present, there are twenty clubs involved. Nineteen represent English counties and the other is a Wales team that represents all the Welsh counties except Glamorgan. For details, see Minor counties of English cricket.




List of Minor Counties Champions










  • 1895 Shared title.
    - Durham,
    - Norfolk,
    - Worcestershire


  • 1896 Worcestershire


  • 1897 Worcestershire

  • 1898 Worcestershire

  • 1899 Shared title
    - Northamptonshire,
    - Buckinghamshire

  • 1900 Shared title
    - Durham,
    - Glamorgan,
    - Northamptonshire

  • 1901 Durham

  • 1902 Wiltshire

  • 1903 Northamptonshire

  • 1904 Northamptonshire

  • 1905 Norfolk

  • 1906 Staffordshire

  • 1907 Lancashire II

  • 1908 Staffordshire

  • 1909 Wiltshire

  • 1910 Norfolk

  • 1911 Staffordshire

  • 1912 in abeyance

  • 1913 Norfolk

  • 1914 undecided

  • 1915 – 1919 not contested

  • 1920 Staffordshire

  • 1921 Staffordshire

  • 1922 Buckinghamshire

  • 1923 Buckinghamshire




  • 1924 Berkshire

  • 1925 Buckinghamshire

  • 1926 Durham

  • 1927 Staffordshire

  • 1928 Berkshire

  • 1929 Oxfordshire

  • 1930 Durham

  • 1931 Leicestershire II

  • 1932 Buckinghamshire

  • 1933 undecided

  • 1934 Lancashire II

  • 1935 Middlesex II

  • 1936 Hertfordshire

  • 1937 Lancashire II

  • 1938 Buckinghamshire

  • 1939 Surrey II

  • 1940 – 1945 not contested

  • 1946 Suffolk

  • 1947 Yorkshire II

  • 1948 Lancashire II

  • 1949 Lancashire II

  • 1950 Surrey II

  • 1951 Kent II

  • 1952 Buckinghamshire

  • 1953 Berkshire

  • 1954 Surrey II

  • 1955 Surrey II

  • 1956 Kent II

  • 1957 Yorkshire II

  • 1958 Yorkshire II

  • 1959 Warwickshire II

  • 1960 Lancashire II




  • 1961 Somerset II

  • 1962 Warwickshire II

  • 1963 Cambridgeshire

  • 1964 Lancashire II

  • 1965 Somerset II

  • 1966 Lincolnshire

  • 1967 Cheshire

  • 1968 Yorkshire II

  • 1969 Buckinghamshire

  • 1970 Bedfordshire

  • 1971 Yorkshire II

  • 1972 Bedfordshire

  • 1973 Shropshire

  • 1974 Oxfordshire

  • 1975 Hertfordshire

  • 1976 Durham

  • 1977 Suffolk

  • 1978 Devon

  • 1979 Suffolk

  • 1980 Durham

  • 1981 Durham

  • 1982 Oxfordshire

  • 1983 Hertfordshire

  • 1984 Durham

  • 1985 Cheshire

  • 1986 Cumberland

  • 1987 Buckinghamshire

  • 1988 Cheshire

  • 1989 Oxfordshire

  • 1990 Hertfordshire

  • 1991 Staffordshire

  • 1992 Staffordshire




  • 1993 Staffordshire

  • 1994 Devon

  • 1995 Devon

  • 1996 Devon

  • 1997 Devon

  • 1998 Staffordshire

  • 1999 Cumberland

  • 2000 Dorset

  • 2001 shared title
    - Cheshire,
    - Lincolnshire

  • 2002 shared title
    - Herefordshire,
    - Norfolk

  • 2003 Lincolnshire

  • 2004 shared title
    - Bedfordshire,
    - Devon

  • 2005 shared title
    - Cheshire,
    - Suffolk

  • 2006 Devon

  • 2007 Cheshire

  • 2008 Berkshire

  • 2009 Buckinghamshire

  • 2010 Dorset

  • 2011 Devon


  • 2012 Cornwall


  • 2013 Cheshire


  • 2014 Staffordshire


  • 2015 Cumberland


  • 2016 Berkshire


  • 2017 Berkshire




Finals summary


In 1983, the minor counties were divided into a Western Division and an Eastern Division, the winners of each division meeting in a final to decide the overall winner. From 1983 to 1993, the Championship was decided by a 55-over limited over match. From 1994, the final was decided by a two-day, two-innings match with certain restrictions on the first innings, and from 1999 the final has been a three-day, two-innings match and only an outright result has decided the Championship.
























































































































































































































































Year
Western Division
Eastern Division
Venue
Result
2016 Berkshire Lincolnshire Sir Paul Getty's Ground, Wormsley
Berkshire won by 28 runs
2015 Oxfordshire Cumberland
Edenside, Carlisle

Cumberland won by 10 wickets
2014 Wiltshire Staffordshire
Salisbury and South Wiltshire Sports Club, Salisbury

Staffordshire won by 28 runs
2013 Cheshire Cambridgeshire
Harecroft Road, Wisbech

Cheshire won by 129 runs
2012 Cornwall Buckinghamshire
Boscawen Park, Truro

Cornwall won by 150 runs
2011 Devon Cambridgeshire
The Avenue Sports Club Ground, March

Devon won by 169 runs
2010 Dorset Lincolnshire
Dean Park, Bournemouth

Dorset won by 135 runs
2009 Cheshire Buckinghamshire Upton Court Road, Slough
Buckinghamshire won by 117 runs
2008 Berkshire Lincolnshire Enborne Lodge, Newbury
Berkshire won by 8 wickets
2007 Cheshire Northumberland
Osborne Avenue, Jesmond

Cheshire won by an innings and 4 runs
2006 Devon Buckinghamshire
The Maer Ground, Exmouth

Devon won by 180 runs
2005 Cheshire Suffolk
Ransomes and Reavell Sports Club Ground, Ipswich

Drawn (title shared)
2004 Devon Bedfordshire
The Maer Ground, Exmouth

Drawn (title shared)
2003 Devon Lincolnshire
Sports Ground, Cleethorpes

Lincolnshire won by 8 wickets
2002 Herefordshire Norfolk
Mortimer Park, Kingsland

Drawn (title shared)
2001 Cheshire Lincolnshire
Gorse Lane, Grantham

Drawn (title shared)
2000 Dorset Cumberland Kinson Park Road, Bournemouth
Dorset won by 5 wickets
1999 Dorset Cumberland
Parkside Road, Kendal

Cumberland won by 6 wickets
1998 Dorset Staffordshire
Dean Park, Bournemouth

Drawn (Staffordshire won on qualifying record)
1997 Devon Bedfordshire
Wardown Park, Luton

Drawn (Devon won on faster scoring rate)
1996 Devon Norfolk
The Maer Ground, Exmouth

Devon by 168 runs
1995 Devon Lincolnshire
New Road, Worcester

Devon won by 57 runs (single innings match)
1994 Devon Cambridgeshire
New Road, Worcester

Drawn (Devon won on 1st innings points)
1993 Cheshire Staffordshire
New Road, Worcester

Staffordshire won by 5 wickets
1992 Devon Staffordshire
New Road, Worcester

Staffordshire won by 79 runs
1991 Oxfordshire Staffordshire
Wardown Park, Luton

Staffordshire won by 10 wickets
1990 Berkshire Hertfordshire
Wardown Park, Luton

Hertfordshire won by 7 wickets
1989 Oxfordshire Hertfordshire
New Road, Worcester

Oxfordshire won by 7 wickets
1988 Cheshire Cambridgeshire
New Road, Worcester

Cheshire won by 13 runs
1987 Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire
New Road, Worcester

Buckinghamshire won by losing fewer wickets
1986 Oxfordshire Cumberland
New Road, Worcester

Cumberland won by 2 wickets
1985 Cheshire Suffolk
New Road, Worcester

Cheshire won by 58 runs
1984 Cheshire Durham
New Road, Worcester

Durham won by 6 wickets
1983 Buckinghamshire Hertfordshire
New Road, Worcester

Hertfordshire won by 2 wickets


Performance by county



  • Bold denotes the current 20 Minor Counties.



































































































































































































































Club
Titles
Minor Counties Championship-winning seasons

Staffordshire

11
1906, 1908, 1911, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2014

Buckinghamshire

9 + 1 shared

1899 (shared), 1922, 1923, 1925, 1932, 1938, 1952, 1969, 1987, 2009

Durham

7 + 2 shared

1895 (shared), 1900 (shared), 1901, 1926, 1930, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1984

Devon

7 + 1 shared
1978, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 (shared), 2006, 2011

Lancashire II

7
1907, 1934, 1937, 1948, 1949, 1960, 1964

Cheshire

5 + 2 shared
1967, 1985, 1988, 2001 (shared), 2005 (shared), 2007, 2013

Berkshire

5
1924, 1928, 1953, 2008, 2016

Yorkshire II

5
1947, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1971

Hertfordshire

4
1936, 1975, 1983, 1990

Oxfordshire

4
1929, 1974, 1982, 1989

Surrey II

4
1939, 1950, 1954, 1955

Norfolk

3 + 2 shared

1895 (shared), 1905, 1910, 1913, 2002 (shared)

Suffolk

3 + 1 shared
1946, 1977, 1979, 2005 (shared)

Worcestershire

3 + 1 shared

1895 (shared), 1896, 1897, 1898

Cumberland

3
1986, 1999, 2015

Northamptonshire

2 + 2 shared

1899 (shared), 1900 (shared), 1903, 1904

Bedfordshire

2 + 1 shared
1970, 1972 2004 (shared)

Lincolnshire

2 + 1 shared
1966, 2001 (shared), 2003

Dorset

2
2000, 2010

Kent II

2
1951, 1956

Somerset II

2
1961, 1965

Warwickshire II

2
1959, 1962

Wiltshire

2
1902, 1909

Cambridgeshire

1
1963

Cornwall

1
2012

Leicestershire II

1
1931

Middlesex II

1
1935

Shropshire

1
1973

Glamorgan

0 + 1 shared

1900 (shared)

Herefordshire

0 + 1 shared

2002 (shared)

Carmarthenshire

0


Denbighshire

0


Derbyshire II

0


Essex II

0


Glamorgan II

0


Gloucestershire II

0


Hampshire II

0


Monmouthshire

0


Northamptonshire II

0


Northumberland

0


Nottinghamshire II

0


Sussex II

0


Wales Minor Counties

0


Worcestershire II

0



See also



  • Minor counties of English and Welsh cricket


  • Rowland Bowen, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970

  • Playfair Cricket Annual

  • Wisden Cricketers' Almanack



External links


  • Minor Counties Cricket Association Official Site









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