The County Championship Division One 2026 runs from April to September, with ten counties playing 14 four-day matches each across England and Wales. Defending champions Nottinghamshire lead the hunt for the title in English cricket’s longest-running first-class competition.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warwickshire (WARKS) | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 225 | +0.307 |
| 2 | Somerset (SOM) | 14 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 205 | +0.440 |
| 3 | Sussex (SUS) | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 195 | -0.040 |
| 4 | Nottinghamshire (NOTTS) | 14 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 192 | +0.109 |
| 5 | Yorkshire (YORKS) | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 180 | +0.361 |
| 6 | Glamorgan (GLAM) | 14 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 159 | -0.593 |
| 7 | Surrey (SUR) | 14 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 152 | -0.134 |
| 8 | Essex (ESS) | 14 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 136 | -0.077 |
| 9 | Leicestershire (LEIC) | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 111 | +0.022 |
| 10 | Hampshire (HAM) | 14 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 98 | -0.383 |
*Sussex began the season with a 12-point deduction under an ECB financial support agreement.
(Source: Cricbuzz)
How the County Championship Division One Points System Works
The County Championship uses a unique combination of match result points and first-innings bonus points, making it one of cricket’s most layered scoring systems.
- Win: 16 points
- Draw: 8 points to each side
- Tie: 8 points to each side
- Abandoned without a ball bowled: 8 points to each side
- Loss: 0 match result points
Batting bonus points (awarded in the first 110 overs of each team’s first innings, up to 5 per match):
- 250 to 299 runs: 1 point
- 300 to 349 runs: 2 points
- 350 to 399 runs: 3 points
- 400 to 449 runs: 4 points
- 450 runs or more: 5 points
Bowling bonus points (awarded in the first 110 overs of the opponent’s first innings, up to 3 per match):
- 3 to 5 wickets: 1 point
- 6 to 8 wickets: 2 points
- 9 to 10 wickets: 3 points
A team can earn a maximum of 8 bonus points per match (5 batting, 3 bowling), regardless of the result. Points can also be deducted for slow over rates, poor pitch conditions, or non-regulation equipment.
How the County Championship Division One Winner Is Decided
The county with the highest aggregate of points at the end of the 14-match season is crowned Champion County. If teams finish level, tiebreakers are applied in this order: most wins, fewest losses, head-to-head record, most wickets taken, and most runs scored.
The bottom two counties in the Division One table are relegated to Division Two for the following season, while the top two from Division Two earn promotion. That two-way pressure, chasing a title from the top and avoiding the drop from the bottom, keeps the table competitive from the first round to the last.
Conclusion: Essex, Sussex and Somerset Separated by Three Points With Seven Rounds to Play
The top of the table is as tight as it gets halfway through the season, with Essex, Sussex and Somerset locked within three points of one another. Sussex’s position at second is all the more remarkable given the 12-point deduction they carry from their ECB financial agreement: without it, they would sit clear at the top.
Nottinghamshire’s title defence remains alive from fourth, but the gap to the leaders is growing. At the bottom, Hampshire and Leicestershire face a serious relegation battle, and both need wins soon if they are to stay in the top division.
