Minor Counties Cricket Championship
The Minor Counties Cricket Championship is a season-long competition in England that is contested by those county cricket clubs that do not have first-class status.
History
The competition began in 1895 and, apart from the two World War periods, has been contested annually ever since. Since 2014, the tournament has been 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.
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 Champions
Finals summary
In 1983, the 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 over 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 |
| 2019 | Berkshire | Staffordshire | Banbury Cricket Club Ground, Bodicote | |
| 2018 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Banbury Cricket Club Ground, Bodicote | |
| 2017 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Banbury Cricket Club Ground, Bodicote | |
| 2016 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Sir Paul Getty's Ground, Wormsley | |
| 2015 | Oxfordshire | Cumberland | Edenside, Carlisle | |
| 2014 | Wiltshire | Staffordshire | Salisbury and South Wiltshire Sports Club, Salisbury | |
| 2013 | Cheshire | Cambridgeshire | Harecroft Road, Wisbech | |
| 2012 | Cornwall | Buckinghamshire | Boscawen Park, Truro | |
| 2011 | Devon | Cambridgeshire | The Avenue Sports Club Ground, March | |
| 2010 | Dorset | Lincolnshire | Dean Park, Bournemouth | |
| 2009 | Cheshire | Buckinghamshire | Upton Court Road, Slough | |
| 2008 | Berkshire | Lincolnshire | Enborne Lodge, Newbury | |
| 2007 | Cheshire | Northumberland | Osborne Avenue, Jesmond | |
| 2006 | Devon | Buckinghamshire | The Maer Ground, Exmouth | |
| 2005 | Cheshire | Suffolk | Ransomes and Reavell Sports Club Ground, Ipswich | |
| 2004 | Devon | Bedfordshire | The Maer Ground, Exmouth | |
| 2003 | Devon | Lincolnshire | Sports Ground, Cleethorpes | |
| 2002 | Herefordshire | Norfolk | Mortimer Park, Kingsland | |
| 2001 | Cheshire | Lincolnshire | Gorse Lane, Grantham | |
| 2000 | Dorset | Cumberland | Kinson Park Road, Bournemouth | |
| 1999 | Dorset | Cumberland | Parkside Road, Kendal | |
| 1998 | Dorset | Staffordshire | Dean Park, Bournemouth | |
| 1997 | Devon | Bedfordshire | Wardown Park, Luton | |
| 1996 | Devon | Norfolk | The Maer Ground, Exmouth | |
| 1995 | Devon | Lincolnshire | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1994 | Devon | Cambridgeshire | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1993 | Cheshire | Staffordshire | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1992 | Devon | Staffordshire | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1991 | Oxfordshire | Staffordshire | Wardown Park, Luton | |
| 1990 | Berkshire | Hertfordshire | Wardown Park, Luton | |
| 1989 | Oxfordshire | Hertfordshire | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1988 | Cheshire | Cambridgeshire | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1987 | Buckinghamshire | Cambridgeshire | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1986 | Oxfordshire | Cumberland | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1985 | Cheshire | Suffolk | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1984 | Cheshire | Durham | New Road, Worcester | |
| 1983 | Buckinghamshire | Hertfordshire | New Road, Worcester |
Performance by county
- Bold denotes the current 20 Minor Counties.
| Club | Titles | Minor Counties Championship-winning seasons |
| Staffordshire | 1906, 1908, 1911, 1912 , 1914, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2014 | |
| Buckinghamshire | 1899 , 1922, 1923, 1925, 1932, 1938, 1952, 1969, 1987, 2009 | |
| Durham | 1895 , 1900 , 1901, 1926, 1930, 1976, 1980, 1981, 1984 | |
| Berkshire | 1924, 1928, 1953, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 | |
| Devon | 1978, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004 , 2006, 2011 | |
| Lancashire II | 1907, 1934, 1937, 1948, 1949, 1960, 1964 | |
| Cheshire | 1967, 1985, 1988, 2001 , 2005 , 2007, 2013 | |
| Yorkshire II | 1933, 1947, 1957, 1958, 1968, 1971 | |
| Norfolk | 1895 , 1905, 1910, 1912 , 1913, 2002 | |
| Hertfordshire | 1936, 1975, 1983, 1990 | |
| Oxfordshire | 1929, 1974, 1982, 1989 | |
| Surrey II | 1939, 1950, 1954, 1955 | |
| Suffolk | 1946, 1977, 1979, 2005 | |
| Worcestershire | 1895 , 1896, 1897, 1898 | |
| Northamptonshire | 1899 , 1900 , 1903, 1904 | |
| Cumberland | 1986, 1999, 2015 | |
| Bedfordshire | 1970, 1972 2004 | |
| Lincolnshire | 1966, 2001 , 2003 | |
| Dorset | 2000, 2010 | |
| Kent II | 1951, 1956 | |
| Somerset II | 1961, 1965 | |
| Warwickshire II | 1959, 1962 | |
| Wiltshire | 1902, 1909 | |
| Cambridgeshire | 1963 | |
| Cornwall | 2012 | |
| Leicestershire II | 1931 | |
| Middlesex II | 1935 | |
| Shropshire | 1973 | |
| Glamorgan | 1900 | |
| Herefordshire | 2002 | |
| Carmarthenshire | ||
| Denbighshire | ||
| Derbyshire II | ||
| Essex II | ||
| Glamorgan II | ||
| Gloucestershire II | ||
| Hampshire II | ||
| Monmouthshire | ||
| Northamptonshire II | ||
| Northumberland | ||
| Nottinghamshire II | ||
| Sussex II | ||
| Wales Minor Counties | ||
| Worcestershire II |