That’s champion! Counties agree a new red-ball format for 2021
THE first-class counties have moved quickly to agree a new format for the red-ball game in 2021, as doubts continue over the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a move that will cheer supporters of four-day county cricket, all counties are to play 14 County Championship matches next summer in a new structure that will allow for the return of the title county champions.
The prize at stake last summer, which was restricted to a two-month window by the pandemic, was the newly-created Bob Willis Trophy. Essex won that in a five-day final at Lord’s and they will have the chance to defend the trophy under the new format.
The 18 counties have been split into three seeded groups of six. Derbyshire have been placed in Group One, alongside Essex, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and Durham.
The teams in each group will play each other home and away. The top two in each group will then progress to Division One, third and fourth into Division Two and fifth and sixth into Division Three.
Each county will then play a further four matches – though, with six teams in each division, there remains a question to be answered as to how it will be worked out who plays who.
Nevertheless, the team that finishes top of Division One will be declared county champions. The top two in Division One will go through to contest the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s.
The longer-term plan is that the County Championship will revert to its pre-covid structure in 2022, with 10 counties in Division One and eight in Division Two, though the England and Wales Cricket Board have indicated the format will be up for review again.
That leaves open the possibility that this new three conference format, which has been widely proposed for some time, will be adopted for years to come, should it prove successful and popular.
New ECB Chair Ian Watmore, who took over from Colin Graves at the beginning of September, says he was keen send out a message that the longer format stays at the forefront of the county game.
“Since starting in my new role last month one of my key priorities, as a huge supporter of red-ball cricket, has been to collaborate with the first-class counties so that we could confirm a structure for next summer’s men’s domestic season,” he said.
“I am delighted that the counties have been able to reach this agreement less than three weeks after Essex won the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s.
“The success of that competition provides reassurance that this structure can help safeguard against any impact the global pandemic may have on next season while also ensuring the integrity of the
County Championship.
“It must be stressed that this structure has been agreed for next season only and during 2021 we will review and consult with the counties and other stakeholders to decide the appropriate next steps for the men’s domestic structure in 2022 and beyond.”
Seedings for the group stage of the 2021 County Championship were based on performances in the 2019 Championship and the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy.
A provision to accommodate derby matches, where appropriate within the seeding structure, into the groups has also ensured that county members and supporters can look forward to some of county cricket’s oldest rivalries resuming next summer.
The groups are:
Group 1: Essex, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Worcestershire, Durham.
Group 2: Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Middlesex, Leicestershire.
Group 3: Kent, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Glamorgan, Sussex.