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The County Championship is the domestic First Class Cricket competition in the United Kingdom, mainly in England. All but one of the teams are named after, and were originally representatives of, Historic English Counties , the exception being Glamorgan , which is a Welsh County . In a county championship game, each team has two innings and the match lasts four days (unless victory is achieved sooner). HISTORY The official County Championship began in 1890, before which an unofficial championship was contested. In the earliest years, this was decided not by any numerical method but rather by popular acclaim. Later, it became generally accepted that the side with fewest losses should be the champions. Various lists of "champions" have been compiled by cricket historians, but for the earlier years they are not in complete agreement. An important year was 1873, when for the first time player qualification rules came into force. Before this, it was quite common for a player to play for two or more counties during the course of a single season. The first official championship in 1890 was competed for by Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Middlesex, Nottinghamshire, Surrey, Sussex and Yorkshire, where the sides were to play 14 matches (each other twice). The positions were based on number of wins minus the number of losses. The following year Somerset also competed in the championship and in 1895 Derbyshire, Essex, Hampshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire also joined; the rules were changed so each side had to play at least 16 matches per season. Because, up until World War II , counties played differing numbers of matches, the points system was slightly modified so that the ratio of points to ''finished games'' (games minus draws) decided the Championship. In 1910 the system was modified again so that the order was based on ratio of matches won to matches played, whilst from 1911 to 1967 a variety of systems were used that generally relied on points for wins and for first innings leads in games left unfinished. Since 1968, the basis has been wins (increased from 10 points in 1968, to 12 in 1976, to 16 in 1981, then back down to 12 in 1999 and up to 14 in 2004) and "bonus points", which are earned for scoring a certain number of runs or taking a certain number of wickets in the first 130 overs of each first innings. In an effort to prevent early finishes, points have been awarded for draws since 1996. Of the current 18 sides in County Cricket the remaining joined at the following dates:
An invitation in 1921 to Buckinghamshire was declined, due to lack of proper playing facilities, and an application by Devon in 1948 to join was rejected. All matches prior to 1988 were scheduled for three days, with the exception of 1919, when there was an experiment with two day matches. From 1988 to 1992 some matches were played over four days. From 1993 onwards, all matches have been scheduled for four days. More information about the history of the County Championship can be found here . 2007 COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP The County Championship is currently sponsored by financial services company Liverpool Victoria. The teams competing in each division in 2007 are as follows: As of 2006, the bottom two teams in the first division at the end of the season are demoted to the second division for next season. Likewise, the two top finishers from the second division are promoted to the first division for next season, giving them a chance to win the county championship. STANDINGS Liverpool Victoria County Championship - Final Standings for the 2006 Season Division One Table. Division Two Table. For live scores from all domestic cricket see here POINTS SYSTEM The county championship works on a points system, the winner being the team with most points in the first division. The points are awarded as follows: Win: 14 points. Tie: 7 points. Draw: 4 points. Loss: No points awarded. Teams may also collect bonus points, for batting and bowling. These points can only be obtained from the first 130 overs of each team's first innings. The bonus points are retained regardless of the outcome of the match.
:200-249 runs: 1 point :250-299 runs: 2 points :300-349 runs: 3 points :350-399 runs: 4 points :400+ runs: 5 points
:3-5 wickets taken: 1 point :6-8 wickets taken: 2 points :9-10 wickets taken: 3 points Deductions Occasionally, a team may have points deducted. These are normally small deductions, between 0.5 and 1 point. Deductions are most commonly handed out for slow over rates or poor pitches. However, in 2005, Surrey were awarded an 8 point penalty for ball tampering. At the end of the 2005 season, this massive deduction resulted in their relegation to the second division. Also, in 2007, Glamorgan were deducted 8 points for an unprepared wicket at Swansea. COUNTY CHAMPIONS There have been two divisions since 2000.
Before 2000 there was a single division. Whereas the winners of the County Championship since 1890 have been called the ''County Champions'', the term ''Champion County'' is strictly applied to teams that were proclaimed as champion before 1890. There was no official system for selecting the Champion County before 1890 and the majority of winners were proclaimed by a consensus of media and/or historians. For information about the unofficial championships, see Champion County . NUMBER OF WINS BY COUNTY 1890-2006
The four current first class counties with no county championship titles are Durham, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire and Somerset. (Gloucestershire won some unofficial titles prior to 1890.) WOODEN SPOONS Since the expansion of the Championship from 9 counties to 14 in 1895, the Wooden Spoon for finishing bottom has been 'won' by:
Lancashire, Middlesex and Surrey have never finished bottom. Leicestershire have shared last place twice, with Hampshire and Somerset. SPONSORS
HIGHEST TEAM SCORES
LOWEST TEAM SCORES
MOST RUNS AGAINST ANOTHER TEAM IN ONE SEASON
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