Second XI Championship
Encyclopedia
The Second XI Championship is a season-long cricket
competition in England that is competed for by the reserve teams of those county cricket clubs that have first-class
status. The competition started in 1959 and has been contested annually ever since.
All the then 17 first-class counties contested the first two competitions in 1959 and 1960; the next season when all 17 entered was 1977, though the number of teams in any one year was never lower than 14 (in 1971). Gloucestershire
and Somerset
entered a combined team for two seasons, 1967 and 1968.
Before 1959, many second XIs of the first-class counties contested the Minor Counties Cricket Championship
, winning the championship 23 times. A few continued to do so and the last to withdraw from the Minor Counties was Somerset 2nd XI after the 1987 season, though Somerset had participated in both competitions from 1959 to 1966 and since 1975.
At present, all 18 current first-class counties take part in the Second XI Championship along with the MCC Young Cricketers
team. It was not possible for all teams to play each other and different numbers of matches were played by each team. As a result, table had to be based on a percentage of points obtained to points possible. Therefore for 2009 the competition was split into North and South divisions, with ten teams in each division and each team in a division playing all the others once. The team added to make the number up to twenty was Marylebone Cricket Club Universities. The two divisional winners play each other to determine the overall champion.
In 2001, a Second XI Trophy was introduced. This is a limited overs competition with the teams forming zones in the initial stage. The zone winners progress to semi-finals and then to a final.
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
competition in England that is competed for by the reserve teams of those county cricket clubs that have first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
status. The competition started in 1959 and has been contested annually ever since.
All the then 17 first-class counties contested the first two competitions in 1959 and 1960; the next season when all 17 entered was 1977, though the number of teams in any one year was never lower than 14 (in 1971). Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Gloucestershire. Its limited overs team is called the Gloucestershire Gladiators....
and Somerset
Somerset County Cricket Club
Somerset County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Somerset...
entered a combined team for two seasons, 1967 and 1968.
Before 1959, many second XIs of the first-class counties contested the Minor Counties Cricket Championship
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...
, winning the championship 23 times. A few continued to do so and the last to withdraw from the Minor Counties was Somerset 2nd XI after the 1987 season, though Somerset had participated in both competitions from 1959 to 1966 and since 1975.
At present, all 18 current first-class counties take part in the Second XI Championship along with the MCC Young Cricketers
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
team. It was not possible for all teams to play each other and different numbers of matches were played by each team. As a result, table had to be based on a percentage of points obtained to points possible. Therefore for 2009 the competition was split into North and South divisions, with ten teams in each division and each team in a division playing all the others once. The team added to make the number up to twenty was Marylebone Cricket Club Universities. The two divisional winners play each other to determine the overall champion.
In 2001, a Second XI Trophy was introduced. This is a limited overs competition with the teams forming zones in the initial stage. The zone winners progress to semi-finals and then to a final.
List of Second XI Champions
- 1959 Gloucestershire II
- 1960 Northamptonshire II
- 1961 Kent II
- 1962 Worcestershire II
- 1963 Worcestershire II
- 1964 Lancashire II
- 1965 Glamorgan II
- 1966 Surrey II
- 1967 Hampshire II
- 1968 Surrey II
- 1969 Kent II
- 1970 Kent II
- 1971 Hampshire II
- 1972 Nottinghamshire II
- 1973 Essex IIEssex County Cricket ClubEssex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the historic county of Essex. Its limited overs team is called the Essex Eagles, their team colours this season are blue.The club plays most of its home games...
- 1974 Middlesex II
- 1975 Surrey II
- 1976 Kent II
- 1977 Yorkshire II
- 1978 Sussex IISussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
- 1979 Warwickshire II
- 1980 Glamorgan II
- 1981 Hampshire II
- 1982 Worcestershire II
- 1983 Leicestershire II
- 1984 Yorkshire II
- 1985 Nottinghamshire II
- 1986 Lancashire II
- 1987 Kent II, Yorkshire II (shared title)
- 1988 Surrey II
- 1989 Middlesex II
- 1990 Sussex IISussex County Cricket ClubSussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
- 1991 Yorkshire II
- 1992 Surrey II
- 1993 Middlesex II
- 1994 Somerset II
- 1995 Hampshire II
- 1996 Warwickshire II
- 1997 Lancashire II
- 1998 Northamptonshire II
- 1999 Middlesex II
- 2000 Middlesex II
- 2001 Hampshire II
- 2002 Kent II
- 2003 Yorkshire II
- 2004 Somerset II
- 2005 Kent II
- 2006 Kent II
- 2007 Sussex II
- 2008 Durham II
- 2009 Surrey II
List of Second XI Trophy Winners
- 2001 Surrey II
- 2002 Kent II
- 2003 Hampshire II
- 2004 Worcestershire II
- 2005 Sussex II
- 2006 Warwickshire II
- 2007 Middlesex II
- 2008 Hampshire II
- 2009 Yorkshire II
General sources
- Playfair Cricket Annual 2007
- Wisden Cricketers Almanack 2007