2016 County Championship Explained
The 2016 County Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2016 Specsavers County Championship),[1] was the 117th cricket County Championship season. It was announced in March 2016 that the 2017 season would feature only eight teams in Division One, meaning that only one team would be promoted from Division Two in the 2016 season, whilst two teams were relegated from Division One.[2]
The season saw a significant change in playing regulations where instead of a mandatory coin toss to determine choice of batting or bowling first, the visiting team was allowed to choose to bowl first if they desired.[3] [4] This change was introduced by the ECB cricket committee in November 2015 as a response to concerns raised about the standard of pitches, particularly in Division Two of the Championship. The initiative attempted to reduce the preparation of seamer friendly wickets which had seen matches completed quickly, made batting harder early in matches and generally gave an advantage to the side bowling first.[5] By encouraging Counties to produce more balanced wickets the initiative aimed to promote the skills required in Test cricket, in particular aiding the development of spin bowling and promoting more patient batting.[6]
Tougher penalties for poor pitches and the use of the new regulations just in Division Two of the Championship had been considered by the ECB, but the committee opted to implement the change across both divisions in 2016. On the opening day of the 2016 season, four captains opted to bowl first with the choice of batting or bowling being decided by a toss in just one match.
Teams
The 2016 Championship was divided into two divisions of nine teams each. Each county played every other side in their division twice with matches lasting four days - once at home and once away. At the end of the season one county was promoted from Division Two and two relegated from Division One in order to create a smaller Division One and a bigger Division Two in 2017.
Division One
Team promoted from Division Two
| Team | Primary home ground | Other grounds | Coach | Captain | Overseas player(s) | Refs |
|---|
| Durham | Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street | — | Jon Lewis | Paul Collingwood | — | [7] [8] |
| Hampshire | Rose Bowl, Southampton | — |  Dale Benkenstein (Apr–Jul)
Craig White (Jul–Sep) | James Vince | Ryan McLaren | [9] [10] [11] |
| Lancashire | Old Trafford, Manchester | — | Ashley Giles | Steven Croft |  Neil Wagner (May–Jul) | [12] [13] |
| Middlesex | Lord's, London | Merchant Taylors' School Ground, Northwood
Uxbridge Cricket Club Ground, Uxbridge | Richard Scott |  Adam Voges (Apr–May)
James Franklin (May–Sep) | Adam Voges (Apr–May)
George Bailey (Jul–Aug) | [14] [15] [16] |
| Nottinghamshire | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | — | Mick Newell | Chris Read | Jackson Bird (Apr–Jul)
Imran Tahir (Jul–Sep) | [17] [18] |
| Somerset | County Ground, Taunton | — | Matthew Maynard | Chris Rogers | Chris Rogers | [19] [20] [21] |
| Surrey | The Oval, London | Woodbridge Road, Guildford | Michael Di Venuto | Gareth Batty |  Kumar Sangakkara
Aaron Finch (Jul) | [22] [23] [24] |
| Warwickshire | Edgbaston, Birmingham | — | Dougie Brown | Ian Bell | Jeetan Patel | [25] [26] |
| Yorkshire | Headingley, Leeds | North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough | Jason Gillespie | Andrew Gale | Kane Williamson (Jun–Jul)
Travis Head (Aug)
Jake Lehmann (Aug–Sep) | [27] [28] [29] | |
Division Two
Team relegated from Division One
| Team | Primary home ground | Other grounds[30] | Coach | Captain | Overseas player(s) | Refs |
|---|
| Derbyshire | County Ground, Derby | Queen's Park, Chesterfield | Graeme Welch (Apr–Jun) | Billy Godleman | Hamish Rutherford | [31] [32] |
| Essex | County Ground, Chelmsford | Castle Park Cricket Ground, Colchester | Chris Silverwood |  Ryan ten Doeschate | Jesse Ryder | |
| Glamorgan | SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff | Penrhyn Avenue, Rhos-on-Sea
St Helen's, Swansea | Robert Croft | Jacques Rudolph | Jacques Rudolph | |
| Gloucestershire | County Ground, Bristol | College Ground, Cheltenham | Richard Dawson | Gareth Roderick | Cameron Bancroft (Apr–May)
Michael Klinger (May–Sep) | |
| Kent | St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury | Kent County Cricket Ground, Beckenham
Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells | Jimmy Adams | Sam Northeast | Tom Latham
Kagiso Rabada (Jul) | |
| Leicestershire | Grace Road, Leicester | — | Andrew McDonald | Mark Cosgrove | Clint McKay | |
| Northamptonshire | County Ground, Northampton | — | David Ripley | Alex Wakely | Rory Kleinveldt
Seekkuge Prasanna (May–Jul) | |
| Sussex | County Ground, Hove | Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground, Arundel | Mark Davis | Luke Wright | Ross Taylor | [33] |
| Worcestershire | New Road, Worcester | — | Steve Rhodes | Daryl Mitchell | Matt Henry (Apr–Jun)
Kyle Abbott (Jul–Sep) | | |
Standings
Teams receive 16 points for a win, 8 for a tie and 5 for a draw. Bonus points (a maximum of 5 batting points and 3 bowling points) may be scored during the first 110 overs of each team's first innings.
Division Two
Fixtures
The fixture list for the 2016 season was announced in December 2015.[34] [35]
Division One
September
Division Two
September
Statistics
Division One
Most runs
Most wickets
Division Two
Most runs
Most wickets
Notes and References
- Web site: Specsavers sign four-year deal to sponsor County Championship. 10 April 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160327203350/http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/articles/specsavers-sponsor-county-championship. 2016-03-27. dead.
- News: County Championship: Only one promotion spot in Division Two this summer. BBC Sport. 7 March 2016.
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/34937939 Coin toss to be scrapped in County Championship cricket
- http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2016/content/story/944565.html No mandatory toss in the County Championship
- Hopps D, Dobell G (2015)The toss debate: aiding spin v home advantage, CricInfo, 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
- http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2016/content/story/996293.html Win the toss and...actually don't bother
- Web site: Stoneman Named New Limited-Overs Captain. 7 March 2016. 8 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308072947/http://www.durhamccc.co.uk/news/stoneman-skipper/. dead.
- Web site: Player Profiles. 9 March 2016. 4 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140404012709/http://www.durhamccc.co.uk/pages/player-profiles/. dead.
- Web site: Vince nets new deal and Hants captaincy. 7 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308052300/http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/articles/vince-nets-new-deal-and-hants-captaincy. 2016-03-08. dead.
- Web site: Hampshire's First Team - The Ageas Bowl. The Ageas Bowl.
- Web site: Fixtures. The Ageas Bowl. https://web.archive.org/web/20160311083227/http://www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/fixtures-and-results/fixtures/. 2016-03-11. dead.
- Web site: Steven Croft named new Lancashire captain as Tom Smith steps down. Chris Ostick. 27 November 2015. men. 7 March 2016.
- Web site: Lancashire Players. Lancashire County Cricket Club. 2016-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160301032519/http://www.lccc.co.uk/lccc/player-list/. 2016-03-01. dead.
- Web site: Middlesex County Cricket Club: Voges returns as overseas player & captains announced. 7 March 2016.
- Web site: Middlesex County Cricket Club: 1st XI.
- Web site: Middlesex County Cricket Club: Professional.
- Web site: NCCC News : Christian, Read To Lead Notts In 2016. 7 March 2016.
- Web site: Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club - Official website.
- News: Marcus Trescothick stands down as Somerset captain after six years. Vic Marks. The Guardian. 21 January 2016 . 7 March 2016.
- Web site: Fixtures.
- Web site: Teams Playing Staff - Somerset County Cricket Club. 2016-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160229205835/http://www.somersetcountycc.co.uk/players/squad/. 2016-02-29. dead.
- Web site: Gareth Batty Appointed Surrey Captain. Kia Oval. 7 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160308072101/https://www.kiaoval.com/gareth-batty-appointed-surrey-captain/. 2016-03-08. dead.
- Web site: Surrey 1st XI Fixtures 2016. Kia Oval.
- Web site: Surrey Playing Squad. Kia Oval. 10 June 2021 .
- News: Ian Bell replaces Varun Chopra as Warwickshire captain. BBC Sport. 7 March 2016.
- Web site: Bears Squad. 2016-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20140317010915/http://www.edgbaston.com/team-bears-squad/. 2014-03-17. dead.
- Web site: Yorkshire CCC unveil new strips for 2016 campaign. 7 March 2016.
- Web site: Fixtures. Yorkshire County Cricket Club. 2016-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160313052742/http://yorkshireccc.com/fixtures-and-results/fixtures/team/1st-xi. 2016-03-13. dead.
- Web site: Teams - Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
- http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/series/946651.html?template=fixtures Fixtures - County Championship Division Two
- Dobell G, Hopps D (2016) Tight race for one promotion spot, CricInfo, 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
- http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Derbyshire-CCC-Fixtures-released-Welch-looks/story-28277558-detail/story.html Derbyshire CCC: Fixtures released and Welch looks for a flying start
- http://www.sussexcricket.co.uk/news-1/fixtures-2016-fixture-list-released 2016 Fixture list released
- Web site: County Cricket fixtures for 2016 announced. 2016-03-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160310070612/http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/articles/county-cricket-fixtures-2016-announced. 2016-03-10. dead.
- News: County Championship: Yorkshire start season against Hampshire. BBC Sport.
- Web site: Specsavers County Championship Division One, 2016 / Records / Most runs. ESPNcricinfo. 9 September 2016.
- Web site: Specsavers County Championship Division One, 2016 / Records / Most wickets. ESPNcricinfo. 9 September 2016.
- Web site: Specsavers County Championship Division Two, 2016 / Records / Most runs. ESPNcricinfo. 9 September 2016.
- Web site: Specsavers County Championship Division Two, 2016 / Records / Most wickets. ESPNcricinfo. 9 September 2016.
