2017 County Championship Plate Stadium. Due to changes to the County Championship format (more detail of this below) four new teams were added to the competition, with Hampshire (winners) and Staffordshire (runners up) coming up due to reaching the final of the 2016 County Championship Shield, while Warwickshire and Cumbria were also promoted by virtue of their performances in the competition during the past two seasons. The changes also meant that there were no teams relegated into the division. Leicestershire and Hampshire won their respective groups to qualify for the Twickenham final, with Leicestershire being the more impressive with three easy victories. The first
1890 County Championship became the first official champions by winning nine of their fourteen matches. One point was awarded for a win, and one point was taken away for each loss, therefore: 1890 County Championship The 1890 County Championship was the first County Championship held as an "official" competition, following agreement between Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the leading county clubs at a meeting in December 1889. Surrey became the first official county champions after winning nine out of fourteen games. The "official" County Championship was constituted in a meeting at Lord's on 10 December 1889 which was called to enable club secretaries