2017 Minor Counties Championship
The 2017 Minor Counties Championship was the 113th Minor Counties Cricket Championship season, and the fourth under the name 'Unicorn Counties Championship'. It was contested in two divisions. Berkshire were the defending champions[1] and retained their title by defeating Lincolnshire in a repeat of the 2016 final. The final was played in Bodicote, Oxfordshire, with Berkshire winning by 6 wickets.[2]
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | 3 days (4 day final) |
| Tournament format(s) | League system and a final |
| Champions | Berkshire (6th title) |
| Participants | 20 |
| Matches | 61 |
Standings
Format
Teams receive 16 points for a win, 8 for a tie and 4 for a draw. In a match reduced to a single innings, teams receive 12 points for a win, 8 for a draw (6 if less than 20 overs per side) and 4 points for losing. For matches abandoned without play, both sides receive 8 points. Bonus points (a maximum of 4 batting points and 4 bowling points) may be scored during the first 90 overs of each team's first innings.[3]
Eastern Division
| Team | Pld | W | W1 | L | L1 | T | D | D1D | D1< | A | Bat | Bowl | Ded | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincolnshire | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 24 | 0 | 117 |
| Suffolk | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 24 | 0 | 92 |
| Staffordshire | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 0 | 85 |
| Cumberland | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 22 | 0 | 83 |
| Norfolk | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 23 | 2 | 80 |
| Cambridgeshire | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 22 | 2 | 67 |
| Hertfordshire | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 20 | 0 | 66 |
| Buckinghamshire | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 20 | 0 | 45 |
| Bedfordshire | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 22 | 8 | 33 |
| Northumberland | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 29 |
| Source:[4] | ||||||||||||||
Western Division
| Team | Pld | W | W1 | L | L1 | T | D | D1D | D1< | A | Bat | Bowl | Ded | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 24 | 0 | 114 |
| Cheshire | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 23 | 2 | 91 |
| Dorset | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 22 | 0 | 89 |
| Shropshire | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 20 | 0 | 81 |
| Devon | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 22 | 0 | 73 |
| Oxfordshire | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 71 |
| Herefordshire | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 18 | 8 | 62 |
| Cornwall | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 24 | 0 | 59 |
| Wiltshire | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 24 | 0 | 53 |
| Wales Minor Counties | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 2 | 32 |
| Source:[5] | ||||||||||||||
Final
The final featured the teams which finished with the most points in each Division, Berkshire and Lincolnshire – A repeat of the 2016 final. It began on 27 August 2016 at Banbury with the result being a victory for Berkshire by 6 wickets. Berkshire retained the title whilst Lincolnshire's most recent victory was in 2003.
References
- "Berkshire captain James Morris praises deep batting line-up for Minor Counties win". BBC. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- "Lincolnshire lose second final as Berkshire claim Unicorns Championship title". Lincolnshire Live. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- "Unicorn Counties Championship Competition Rules" (PDF). England and Wales Cricket Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
- Unicorns Championship Eastern Division - 2017, MCCA. Retrieved 2018-05-21.
- Unicorns Championship Western Division - 2017, MCCA. Retrieved 2018-05-21.