ECB plan the summer

A TWO- TROPHY championship summer for counties has been set out by the ECB.

The County Championship will return with a groupstage format, followed by a five- day final.

The 18 counties will be placed into three seeded groups of six, each playing five home and five away matches.

The top two counties in each group then move into Division One while the rest are placed in Divisions Two and Three, where each team plays four matches.

The Division One winner will lift the championship title and will play the runners- up in the five- day Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s.

The ECB said this structure has been agreed only for the 2021 season.