County Championship Structure Proposal

Below is a proposal for a revamped County Championship which aims to be a solution to some of the common gripes with the current format, and an enhancement to make the competition more attractive.

This proposal will:

• Make the Championship more competitive, fairer and easier to administer.
• Eradicate ‘off’ weeks for counties (all counties will play every game week).
• Remove the advantage/disadvantage for certain counties who previously played twice against some counties but only once against others. Everyone will be playing each county in their division twice, levelling the playing field in this respect.
• Split the counties in to three tiers in a manner that will further enhance competition.
• Include a showpiece final played between the top two counties ensuring the league remains competitive until the final game week.
• Include play-offs as further showpiece events, determining extra promotion and relegation, ensuring fluidity between the tiers.
• Reduce the amount of games played from 14 to either 11 or 12 matches dependent upon play-off results.

The Format

Positions from end of 2024 season used for purpose of illustration.

There are 10 standard game weeks in which teams play all other teams in their division both home and away. At the end of which:

• Teams bottom of Division One & Division Two are relegated.
• Teams top of Division Two & Division Three are promoted.
• Teams who place in play off positions compete in two further play off weeks (POWs) while others play friendlies.

POW 1 (game week 11)

• THE GRAND FINAL:
  POW 1.1: 1st v 2nd in Division One play a 5-day GRAND FINAL. The winner* is the County Champion. The additional day serves as a Test Match taster for the players in these two elite teams.
• PLAY-OFF SEMIFINALS:
  POW 1.2: 4th v 5th in Division One
  POW 1.3: 2nd v 3rd in Division Two
  POW 1.4: 4th v 5th in Division Two
  POW 1.5: 2nd v 3rd in Division Three
• SPOON PLAY-OFF:
  POW 1.6: 5th v 6th in Division Three play a wooden spoon play-off to determine the bottom team.

POW 2 (game week 12)

• GRAND FINAL BACKUP:
  POW 2.0: A back up for the GRAND FINAL should the previous week be completely washed out by weather.
• PLAY-OFF FINALS:
  POW 2.1: Loser* of POW 1.2 v winner* of POW 1.3. The winner is in Division One next year and the loser in Division Two.
  POW 2.2: Loser* of POW 1.4 v winner* of POW 1.5. The winner is in Division Two next year and the loser in Division Three.
• FRIENDLIES:
  POW 2.3: The top team in Division Two and Division Three play a ‘Winners Friendly’.
  POW 2.4: The bottom team in Division Two and Division Three play a ‘Losers Friendly’.
  POW 2.5: 3rd in Division One v 4th in Division Three. (The remaining two teams who are not involved in any other play-off.)

*In case of draws/ties/wash outs the winner is decided first by the team obtaining the most bonus points in the match (if both first innings have been completed), or by the team who finished higher in league (if the first innings was incomplete or if the bonus points were equal).

Schedule

Game weeks 1-5: April – May
Game weeks 6-10: June-July
Game weeks 11-12 (POWs): September

Venues

Across the first 10 game weeks each team plays every other team in their division once at home and once away.

POW 1.1
The Grand Final venue is allocated to the home ground of the highest ranked team who were relegated from Division One the previous season.
(4th, 5th or 6th in the overall pyramid.)

POW 1.2
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished fourth in Division Two in the previous season. 
(10th in overall pyramid.)

POW 1.3
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished fifth in Division Three in the previous season. 
(17th in overall pyramid.)

POW 1.4
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished sixth in Division Two in the previous season. 
(12th in overall pyramid.)

POW 1.5
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished first in Division Three in the previous season. 
(13th in overall pyramid.)

POW 1.6
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished third in Division Two in the previous season.
(9th in overall pyramid.)

POW 2.1
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished fourth in Division Three in the previous season. 
(16th in overall pyramid.)

POW 2.2
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished third in Division One in the previous season. 
(3rd in overall pyramid.)

POW 2.3
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished fifth in Division Two in the previous season. 
(11th in overall pyramid.)

POW 2.4
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished second in Division Three in the previous season. 
(14th in overall pyramid.)

POW 2.5
Allocated to the ground of the team who finished third in Division Three in the previous season. 
(15th in overall pyramid.)

Test Match Venue Clash Alteration

In the case of a Test match venue clash then the venue of the game in question is changed to the ground of the team who finished in the next place in the league. Each subsequent venue is bumped down as required. Wherever this is the case the team who finished bottom of the pyramid the previous season would see their ground used as the back up for the lowest ranked match.

e.g. If the ground of the team who finished 3rd in Division One the previous season is hosting a September Test Match then instead of:
POW 2.2 at 3rd; POW 2.3 at 11th; POW 2.4 at 14th; POW 2.5 at 15th,
it would instead become:
POW 2.2 at 11th; POW 2.3 at 14th; POW 2.4 at 15th; POW 2.5 at 18th.

Proposal by Sam Attard: An autistic County Championship fan.