Administrator: | England and Wales Cricket Board |
Cricket Format: | First-class cricket (4 days) |
Tournament Format: | League system |
Champions: | Warwickshire |
Count: | 8 |
Participants: | 18 |
Most Runs: | Tom Haines (1,176) |
Most Wickets: | Luke Fletcher (66) |
Previous Year: | 2019 |
Previous Tournament: | 2019 County Championship |
Next Year: | 2022 |
Next Tournament: | 2022 County Championship |
2021 Bob Willis Trophy | |
Cricket Format: | First-class cricket (5 days) |
Champions: | Warwickshire |
Count: | 1 |
Runner Up: | Lancashire |
Most Runs: | Will Rhodes (156) |
Most Wickets: | Craig Miles (6) |
Previous Year: | 2020 |
Previous Tournament: | 2020 Bob Willis Trophy |
The 2021 County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 121st cricket County Championship season in England and Wales.[1] For the first phase of the tournament, the teams were split into three groups of six, with each side playing ten matches.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4] On 17 December 2020, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed all the fixtures for the tournament.[5] [6] After completion of the group stage on 14 July 2021, the ECB confirmed the fixtures for the division stage on 22 July 2021.[7]
In July 2021, in Lancashire's match against Kent, James Anderson took his 1,000th first-class wicket.[8] In September 2021, Tom Haines became the first batsman to score 1,000 runs in this edition of the Championship.[9]
For their final match in Group 3, Kent were forced to replace their entire side for their match against Sussex,[10] after a positive test for COVID-19 in their first XI.[11] On the second day of Kent's match, Nathan Gilchrist was forced to withdraw from the game, after being told to self-isolate.[12] The final Group 1 match between Derbyshire and Essex was called off prior to the start of the second day,[13] after a member of Derbyshire's team tested positive for COVID-19.[14] The ECB confirmed that the result of the match would be treated as a draw.[15] On 28 August 2021, the ECB announced that the Division 2 match between Durham and Surrey had been cancelled, after a member of the Surrey team had tested positive for COVID-19.[16]
Warwickshire won the Division One group to win their first County Championship title since 2012, with Lancashire finishing in second place.[17] Warwickshire won the five-day match against Lancashire, to become the second winners of the Bob Willis Trophy.[18] The Division Two title was won by Essex,[19] with Kent winning the Division Three title.[20]
The following teams took part in the County Championship:[21]
The teams were placed into the following groups for the group stage:[22]
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Teams receive 16 points for a win and 8 for a draw or tie. Bonus points (a maximum of 5 batting points and 3 bowling points) could be scored during the first 110 overs of each team's first innings.
The teams qualified into the following divisions for the Division Stage:[23] [24]
Each county played four games in the Division stage. They did not play against the team in their Division that was in their Group for the group stage.[23] Instead, they carried forward into the Division stage half the total points they scored in the two matches played against that team in the group stage,[3] that is, the average points they scored from their two matches against that opponent.[25]
Group | Team | Team from the same group | Points scored against during | Match Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st group match | 2nd group match | |||||
1 | Nottinghamshire | Warwickshire | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15–18 Apr 2021 27–30 May 2021 |
Warwickshire | Nottinghamshire | 20 | 22 | 21 | ||
2 | Somerset | Hampshire | 22 | 15 | 18.5 | 6–9 May 2021 3–6 July 2021 |
Hampshire | Somerset | 3 | 14 | 8.5 | ||
3 | Lancashire | Yorkshire | 22 | 11 | 16.5 | 27–30 May 2021 11–14 July 2021 |
Yorkshire | Lancashire | 1 | 8 | 4.5 | ||
Group | Team | Team from the same group | Points scored against during | Match Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st group match | 2nd group match | |||||
1 | Durham | Essex | 5 | 3 | 4 | 15–18 Apr 2021 27–30 May 2021 |
Essex | Durham | 19 | 19 | 19 | ||
2 | Gloucestershire | Surrey | 22 | 2 | 12 | 8–11 Apr 2021 27–30 May 2021 |
Surrey | Gloucestershire | 4 | 22 | 13 | ||
3 | Glamorgan | Northamptonshire | 7 | 16 | 11.5 | 22–25 Apr 2021 11–14 July 2021 |
Northamptonshire | Glamorgan | 22 | 10 | 16 | ||
Group | Team | Team from the same group | Points scored against during | Match Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st group match | 2nd group match | |||||
1 | Worcestershire | Derbyshire | 14 | 23 | 18.5 | 15–18 Apr 2021 27–30 May 2021 |
Derbyshire | Worcestershire | 15 | 4 | 9.5 | ||
2 | Leicestershire | Middlesex | 19 | 4 | 11.5 | 27–30 May 2021 11–14 Jul 2021 |
Middlesex | Leicestershire | 5 | 21 | 13 | ||
3 | Kent | Sussex | 11 | 11 | 11 | 13–16 May 2021 11–14 July 2021 |
Sussex | Kent | 13 | 11 | 12 | ||
Source:[26]
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Warwickshire and Lancashire finished first and second of County Championship Division One respectively, to play for the Bob Willis Trophy at Lord's.[27]