# National Counties Cricket Championship

The NCCA 3 Day Championship or National County Championship is a season-long competition in England and Wales that is contested by the members of the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), the so-called national counties (previously called the minor counties) that do not have first-class status.

## History

The competition began in 1895, with the Worcestershire honorary secretary Paul Foley being influential in its creation. It has been contested annually ever since apart from the two World War periods, and cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19. From 2014 to 2019 the tournament was known as the Unicorns Championship.
Four clubs which used to play in the Minor Counties Championship have been granted first-class status – Worcestershire in 1899; Northamptonshire in 1905; Glamorgan in 1921 and Durham in 1992.
Until 1959, when the Second XI Championship was founded, most second XIs of the first-class counties used to contest the Minor Counties. A few continued to do so and the last to withdraw was Somerset 2nd XI after the 1987 season.
Since 1983, the clubs have been split into an Eastern and a Western Division. The winners of the two divisions play each other in a match at the end of the season to determine which will be the Champions. Until 1983 all clubs competed in a single league. Teams played varying numbers of matches and did not play all other counties, so the table was ranked according to average points gained per match. The team with the highest average won the championship, except in a year when the top two counties had not played each other. In this case the second-placed team in the table had the right to challenge the leaders to a match to decide the championship. The second-placed team had to win this Challenge Match to take the title, with the league leaders being declared champions if they won or the game was drawn.
At present, there are twenty clubs involved. Nineteen represent English counties and the other is a Wales team that represents all the Welsh counties except Glamorgan. For details, see Minor counties of English cricket.

## List of Minor Counties/National Counties Champions

| 1895 Shared title. - Durham, - Norfolk, - Worcestershire 1896 Worcestershire 1897 Worcestershire 1898 Worcestershire 1899 Shared title - Northamptonshire, - Buckinghamshire 1900 Shared title - Durham, - Glamorgan, - Northamptonshire 1901 Durham 1902 Wiltshire 1903 Northamptonshire 1904 Northamptonshire 1905 Norfolk 1906 Staffordshire 1907 Lancashire II 1908 Staffordshire 1909 Wiltshire 1910 Norfolk 1911 Staffordshire 1912 Shared title - Staffordshire, - Norfolk 1913 Norfolk 1914 Staffordshire 1915 – 1919 not contested 1920 Staffordshire 1921 Staffordshire 1922 Buckinghamshire 1923 Buckinghamshire 1924 Berkshire | 1925 Buckinghamshire 1926 Durham 1927 Staffordshire 1928 Berkshire 1929 Oxfordshire 1930 Durham 1931 Leicestershire II 1932 Buckinghamshire 1933 Yorkshire II 1934 Lancashire II 1935 Middlesex II 1936 Hertfordshire 1937 Lancashire II 1938 Buckinghamshire 1939 Surrey II 1940 – 1945 not contested 1946 Suffolk 1947 Yorkshire II 1948 Lancashire II 1949 Lancashire II 1950 Surrey II 1951 Kent II 1952 Buckinghamshire 1953 Berkshire 1954 Surrey II 1955 Surrey II 1956 Kent II 1957 Yorkshire II 1958 Yorkshire II 1959 Warwickshire II 1960 Lancashire II 1961 Somerset II 1962 Warwickshire II 1963 Cambridgeshire 1964 Lancashire II | 1965 Somerset II 1966 Lincolnshire 1967 Cheshire 1968 Yorkshire II 1969 Buckinghamshire 1970 Bedfordshire 1971 Yorkshire II 1972 Bedfordshire 1973 Shropshire 1974 Oxfordshire 1975 Hertfordshire 1976 Durham 1977 Suffolk 1978 Devon 1979 Suffolk 1980 Durham 1981 Durham 1982 Oxfordshire 1983 Hertfordshire 1984 Durham 1985 Cheshire 1986 Cumberland 1987 Buckinghamshire 1988 Cheshire 1989 Oxfordshire 1990 Hertfordshire 1991 Staffordshire 1992 Staffordshire 1993 Staffordshire 1994 Devon 1995 Devon 1996 Devon 1997 Devon 1998 Staffordshire 1999 Cumberland | 2000 Dorset 2001 shared title - Cheshire, - Lincolnshire 2002 shared title - Herefordshire, - Norfolk 2003 Lincolnshire 2004 shared title - Bedfordshire, - Devon 2005 shared title - Cheshire, - Suffolk 2006 Devon 2007 Cheshire 2008 Berkshire 2009 Buckinghamshire 2010 Dorset 2011 Devon 2012 Cornwall 2013 Cheshire 2014 Staffordshire 2015 Cumberland 2016 Berkshire 2017 Berkshire 2018 Berkshire 2019 Berkshire 2020 not contested 2021 Oxfordshire 2022 Berkshire 2023 Buckinghamshire 2024 shared title - Berkshire, - Staffordshire |

### Finals summary

In 1983, the then minor counties were divided into a Western Division and an Eastern Division, the winners of each division meeting in a final to decide the overall winner. From 1983 to 1993, the Championship was decided by a 55-over limited overs match. From 1994, the final was decided by a two-day, two-innings match with certain restrictions on the first innings, and from 1999 the final has been a three-day, two-innings match and only an outright result has decided the Championship.
| Year | Western Division | Eastern Division | Venue | Result |
| 1983 | Buckinghamshire | Hertfordshire | New Road, Worcester | Hertfordshire won by 2 wickets |
| 1984 | Cheshire | Durham | New Road, Worcester | Durham won by 6 wickets |
| 1985 | Cheshire | Suffolk | New Road, Worcester | Cheshire won by 58 runs |
| 1986 | Oxfordshire | Cumberland | New Road, Worcester | Cumberland won by 2 wickets |
| 1987 | Buckinghamshire | Cambridgeshire | New Road, Worcester | Buckinghamshire won by losing fewer wickets |
| 1988 | Cheshire | Cambridgeshire | New Road, Worcester | Cheshire won by 13 runs |
| 1989 | Oxfordshire | Hertfordshire | New Road, Worcester | Oxfordshire won by 7 wickets |
| 1990 | Berkshire | Hertfordshire | Wardown Park, Luton | Hertfordshire won by 7 wickets |
| 1991 | Oxfordshire | Staffordshire | Wardown Park, Luton | Staffordshire won by 10 wickets |
| 1992 | Devon | Staffordshire | New Road, Worcester | Staffordshire won by 79 runs |
| 1993 | Cheshire | Staffordshire | New Road, Worcester | Staffordshire won by 5 wickets |
| 1994 | Devon | Cambridgeshire | New Road, Worcester | Drawn (Devon won on 1st innings points) |
| 1995 | Devon | Lincolnshire | New Road, Worcester | Devon won by 57 runs (single-innings match) |
| 1996 | Devon | Norfolk | The Maer Ground, Exmouth | Devon by 168 runs |
| 1997 | Devon | Bedfordshire | Wardown Park, Luton | Drawn (Devon won on faster scoring rate) |
| 1998 | Dorset | Staffordshire | Dean Park, Bournemouth | Drawn (Staffordshire won on qualifying record) |
| 1999 | Dorset | Cumberland | Parkside Road, Kendal | Cumberland won by 6 wickets |
| 2000 | Dorset | Cumberland | Kinson Park Road, Bournemouth | Dorset won by 5 wickets |
| 2001 | Cheshire | Lincolnshire | Gorse Lane, Grantham | Drawn (title shared) |
| 2002 | Herefordshire | Norfolk | Mortimer Park, Kingsland | Drawn (title shared) |
| 2003 | Devon | Lincolnshire | Sports Ground, Cleethorpes | Lincolnshire won by 8 wickets |
| 2004 | Devon | Bedfordshire | The Maer Ground, Exmouth | Drawn (title shared) |
| 2005 | Cheshire | Suffolk | Ransomes and Reavell Sports Club Ground, Ipswich | Drawn (title shared) |
| 2006 | Devon | Buckinghamshire | The Maer Ground, Exmouth | Devon won by 180 runs |
| 2007 | Cheshire | Northumberland | Osborne Avenue, Jesmond | Cheshire won by an innings and 4 runs |
| 2008 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Enborne Lodge, Newbury | Berkshire won by 8 wickets |
| 2009 | Cheshire | Buckinghamshire | Upton Court Road, Slough | Buckinghamshire won by 117 runs |
| 2010 | Dorset | Lincolnshire | Dean Park, Bournemouth | Dorset won by 135 runs |
| 2011 | Devon | Cambridgeshire | The Avenue Sports Club Ground, March | Devon won by 169 runs |
| 2012 | Cornwall | Buckinghamshire | Boscawen Park, Truro | Cornwall won by 150 runs |
| 2013 | Cheshire | Cambridgeshire | Harecroft Road, Wisbech | Cheshire won by 129 runs |
| 2014 | Wiltshire | Staffordshire | Salisbury and South Wiltshire Sports Club, Salisbury | Staffordshire won by 28 runs |
| 2015 | Oxfordshire | Cumberland | Edenside, Carlisle | Cumberland won by 10 wickets |
| 2016 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Sir Paul Getty's Ground, Wormsley | Berkshire won by 28 runs |
| 2017 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Banbury Cricket Club Ground, Bodicote | Berkshire won by 6 wickets |
| 2018 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Banbury Cricket Club Ground, Bodicote | Berkshire won by an innings and 32 runs |
| 2019 | Berkshire | Staffordshire | Banbury Cricket Club Ground, Bodicote | Berkshire won by 1 wicket |
| 2021 | Oxfordshire | Suffolk | Tring Park Cricket Club Ground | Oxfordshire won by 178 runs |
| 2022 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club Ground, West Bromwich | Berkshire won on first innings lead |
| 2023 | Buckinghamshire | Devon | West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club Ground, West Bromwich | Buckinghamshire won by 550 runs |
| 2024 | Berkshire | Staffordshire | West Bromwich Dartmouth Cricket Club Ground, West Bromwich | Drawn (title shared) |

### Performance by county

* Bold denotes the current 20 National Counties.
| Club | Titles | National Counties Championship-winning seasons |
| Staffordshire | 12 + 2 shared | 1906, 1908, 1911, 1912 (shared), 1914, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2014, 2024 (shared) |
| Buckinghamshire | 10 + 1 shared | 1899 (shared), 1922, 1923, 1925, 1932, 1938, 1952, 1969, 1987, 2009, 2023 |
| Berkshire | 9 + 1 shared | 1924, 1928, 1953, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024 (shared) |
| Durham | 7 + 2 shared | 1895 (shared), 1900 (shared), 1901, 1926, 1930, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1984 |
| Devon | 7 + 1 shared | 1978, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 (shared), 2006, 2011 |
| Lancashire II | 7 | 1907, 1934, 1937, 1948, 1949, 1960, 1964 |
| Cheshire | 5 + 2 shared | 1967, 1985, 1988, 2001 (shared), 2005 (shared), 2007, 2013 |
| Yorkshire II | 6 | 1933, 1947, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1971 |
| Norfolk | 3 + 3 shared | 1895 (shared), 1905, 1910, 1912 (shared), 1913, 2002 (shared) |
| Oxfordshire | 5 | 1929, 1974, 1982, 1989, 2021 |
| Hertfordshire | 4 | 1936, 1975, 1983, 1990 |
| Surrey II | 4 | 1939, 1950, 1954, 1955 |
| Suffolk | 3 + 1 shared | 1946, 1977, 1979, 2005 (shared) |
| Worcestershire | 3 + 1 shared | 1895 (shared), 1896, 1897, 1898 |
| Northamptonshire | 2 + 2 shared | 1899 (shared), 1900 (shared), 1903, 1904 |
| Cumberland | 3 | 1986, 1999, 2015 |
| Bedfordshire | 2 + 1 shared | 1970, 1972 2004 (shared) |
| Lincolnshire | 2 + 1 shared | 1966, 2001 (shared), 2003 |
| Dorset | 2 | 2000, 2010 |
| Kent II | 2 | 1951, 1956 |
| Somerset II | 2 | 1961, 1965 |
| Warwickshire II | 2 | 1959, 1962 |
| Wiltshire | 2 | 1902, 1909 |
| Cambridgeshire | 1 | 1963 |
| Cornwall | 1 | 2012 |
| Leicestershire II | 1 | 1931 |
| Middlesex II | 1 | 1935 |
| Shropshire | 1 | 1973 |
| Glamorgan | 0 + 1 shared | 1900 (shared) |
| Herefordshire | 0 + 1 shared | 2002 (shared) |
| Carmarthenshire | 0 | |
| Denbighshire | 0 | |
| Derbyshire II | 0 | |
| Essex II | 0 | |
| Glamorgan II | 0 | |
| Gloucestershire II | 0 | |
| Hampshire II | 0 | |
| Monmouthshire | 0 | |
| Northamptonshire II | 0 | |
| Northumberland | 0 | |
| Nottinghamshire II | 0 | |
| Sussex II | 0 | |
| Wales Minor Counties | 0 | |
| Worcestershire II | 0 | |