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 Plate County Championship Plate The County Championship Plate, also known as Bill Beaumont Division 2, is an annual rugby union competition in England between teams representing English counties. It was formed in 2002 as the County Championship Shield (a competition which is now played by tier 3 sides) - changing to its current name by 2010. The Plate is contested for by second tier teams in the RFU County Championship. The top eight counties are split into two regions of four teams, north and south, and play for the Bill Beaumont Cup. The same format is used for the Plate with