2017 County Championship matches. Following a series of financial "bailout" payments made by the England and Wales Cricket Board to Durham during the 2016 season, the county, which had finished fourth in Division One at the end of the season, were relegated to Division Two in place of the eighth place team, Hampshire. Durham were also placed under a salary cap administered by the ECB until 2020 and started the 2017 Championship season with a deduction of 48 points. Ahead of the season, each team played a first-class match against a MCC University team. The 2017 Championship was divided into two divisions, Division
County Championship Shield County Championship Shield The County Championship Shield is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. It was formed in 2005 when it known as the County Championship Plate (a competition which is now played by tier 2 sides) - changing to its current name by 2010. It is contested by third tier teams in the RFU County Championship and the 2018 tournament involves two groups of six teams. From 2010 the County Championship Shield involves counties that are only able to select players from clubs at level five and below. The six teams involved are