The CCC or the County Cricket Club is the highest-level or version of the domestic cricket that is played in England and Wales. 18 first-class CCCs take part in the annual cricket championships for supremacy. All of the County Club Cricket has 18 teams are named after famous English counties.
The exhaustive list of all the 18 teams includes Derbyshire, Durham, Essex, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire. The full names of these County Club Cricket in England county include the addition of the name along with the term County Cricket Club which is often abbreviated to CCC.
There are two championships which are a part of the County Cricket Cup Tournament, the Friends Provident Trophy, and the National League, more popularly known as the NatWest Pro20 League. Apart from the bigger and prominent counties of England and Wales, there are a host of other minor counties which compete in their county championships which take place every year.
The Minor Countries Cricket Championship has two groups, into which the counties are divided, depending on their geographical location. There is also a one-day championship for the minor counties which is played in a knock-out format.
Names of counties in the England County Cricket
County Cricket is the highest level of cricket played in England and Wales, apart from the International events. County cricket has a very long history in England. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was found in 1787 and most of the county clubs were formed in the 19th century.
There are 18 first-class County Cricket Clubs and they are all named after (and, initially, represented) well-known English countries.
The list of counties is:
• Essex
• Durham
• Derbyshire
• Gloucestershire
• Glam organ
• Kent
• Hampshire
• Leicestershire
• Middlesex
• Lancashire
• Northamptonshire
• Somerset
• Surrey
• Nottinghamshire
• Sussex
• Worcestershire
• Yorkshire
• Warwickshire
The team names end in Country Cricket Club, often abbreviated to CCC.
There are two main competitions held each year as part of the Country Cricket calendar. These are the Friends Provident Trophy and the National League.
The Friends Provident Trophy is currently contested between the 18 county cricket sides, Scotland, and Ireland. The teams are divided into four groups of five and play a home and limited over format. The top two teams of each group progress to the Quarter-Finals and then the trophy is decided in a knock-out format from there.
The National Trophy is played between all 18 first-class county cricket teams, divided into two tiers or leagues. Each year teams are relegated and promoted to between the leagues, according to their performance. The structure of the tournament is one-day, limited to 40 overs per side.
English County Cricket is integral to the success of the English cricket future and is a very popular, widely supported, and widely respected cricketing spectacle.
