1986 County Championship Explained

Tournament Format:	League system
Champions:	Essex
Previous Year:	1985
Previous Tournament:	1985 County Championship
Next Year:	1987
Next Tournament:	1987 County Championship

The 1986 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 87th officially organised running of the County Championship. Essex won the Championship title.^[1]

The Championship was sponsored by Britannic Assurance for the third time and a £1 million, three-year deal was announced.^[2]

Table

• 16 points for a win
• 8 points to each side for a tie
• 8 points to side still batting in a match in which scores finish level
• Bonus points awarded in the first 100 overs of the first innings
  • Batting: 150 runs - 1 point, 200 runs - 2 points 250 runs - 3 points, 300 runs - 4 points
  • Bowling: 3-4 wickets - 1 point, 5-6 wickets - 2 points 7-8 wickets - 3 points, 9-10 wickets - 4 points
• No bonus points awarded in a match starting with less than 8 hours' play remaining. A one-innings match is played, with the winner gaining 12 points.
• Position determined by points gained. If equal, then decided on most wins.
• Each team plays 24 matches.

County Championship table

width=175	Team	width=20 abbr="Played"	Pld	width=20 abbr="Won"	Won	width=20 abbr="Lost"	Lost	width=20 abbr="Drawn"	Drawn	width=20 abbr="Bonus points"	Batting bonus	width=20 abbr="Bonus points"	Bowling bonus	width=20 abbr="Points"	Points
Essex	24	10	6	8	51	76	287
	24	9	3	12	50	65	259
Surrey	24	8	6	10	54	66	248
	24	7	2	15	55	80	247
	24	7	5	12	58	72	242
Hampshire	24	7	4	12	54	69	235
	24	5	7	12	55	67	202
Kent	24	5	7	12	42	75	197
	24	5	3	16	53	60	193
Yorkshire	24	4	5	15	62	59	193
Derbyshire	24	5	5	14	42	70	188
Middlesex	24	4	5	11	47	65	176
	24	4	9	15	61	51	176
Sussex	24	4	5	12	46	56	166
Lancashire	24	4	7	14	41	51	156
Somerset	24	3	5	13	52	52	152
Glamorgan	24	2	7	15	39	47	118

Notes and References

1. Book: Engel, Matthew. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2004, pages 493-494. 2004. John Wisden & Company Ltd. 0-947766-83-9.
2. Web site: Richard Streeton. "Championship's ?1m boost." Times [London, England] 24 Apr. 1986]. The Times.