County Cricket 2014: Format, Schedule, Fixtures and Odds
County cricket is ready to reclaim its position on the British sporting calendar, with the 2014 season set to commence on Sunday, April 6.
The impending season of domestic cricket will also embrace some of the biggest changes seen to county cricket in recent years, with revamped versions of the one-day and Twenty20 competitions the most prominent aspects of this year's campaign.
In addition to the wide-sweeping alterations to the format and scheduling of county cricket, the England and Wales Cricket Board have also announced an array of rule changes that will be implemented in 2014.
To give you a guide to the season ahead, we've outlined the formats, schedules, fixtures and odds across the following slides for the various competitions comprising county cricket this year.
Format
County Championship
The County Championship's format is largely unchanged for 2014, with the competition's established points system still in place.
Each county will play 16 matches across the season, meeting each side in the division at home and away.
Teams will receive 16 points for a win and eight points for a tie in addition to any bonus points accumulated during the first innings, with the only change being the increase in points for a draw from three to five.
| DIVISION 1 | DIVISION 2 |
|---|---|
| Durham | Derbyshire |
| Lancashire | Essex |
| Middlesex | Glamorgan |
| Northamptonshire | Gloucestershire |
| Nottinghamshire | Hampshire |
| Somserset | Kent |
| Sussex | Leicestershire |
| Warwickshire | Surrey |
| Yorkshire | Worcestershire |
Royal London One-Day Cup
The 50-over Royal London One-Day Cup will replace the Yorkshire Bank 40 in 2014, aligning the domestic one-day competition with international cricket's 50-over format.
The Netherlands, Scottish Saltires and Unicorns have also been removed from the competition, leaving England's domestic one-day competition to be competed between only the 18 professional counties.
Each team will play four matches at home and four matches away, meeting each team in the group once. The top four sides from each group will progress into the competition's quarter-finals.
| GROUP A | GROUP B |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire | Durham |
| Essex | Glamorgan |
| Hampshire | Kent |
| Gloucestershire | Middlesex |
| Lancashire | Nottinghamshire |
| Leicestershire | Somserset |
| Northamptonshire | Surrey |
| Worcestershire | Sussex |
| Yorkshire | Warwickshire |
T20 Blast
The T20 Blast is the re-branded version of Friends Life T20 and will follow a similar format to the Royal London One-Day Cup.
Each team will face six other sides from its group both at home and away, while facing two other sides just once to complete 14 matches.
The top four sides from each group will progress into the quarter-finals.
| NORTH DIVISION | SOUTH DIVISION |
|---|---|
| Birmingham Bears | Essex |
| Derbyshire | Glamorgan |
| Durham | Gloucestershire |
| Lancashire | Hampshire |
| Leicestershire | Kent |
| Northamptonshire | Middlesex |
| Nottinghamshire | Somserset |
| Worcestershire | Surrey |
| Yorkshire | Sussex |
Schedule
County Championship
The County Championship circuit will be boosted by Sunday starts for much of the 2014 campaign in an attempt by the ECB to increase the appeal of the four-day game to supporters.
The competition will also retain the 16-game format that has proved successful since its inception in 2000.
Royal London One-Day Cup
County cricket's new one-day competition will fit into the summer's school-holiday slot, offering a condensed one-month group schedule.
To increase the emphasis on limited-overs cricket during that period, only one round of County Championship fixtures will be played during the group stage of the 50-over competition.
T20 Blast
In contrast to previous editions of the domestic T20 competition, the 2014 T20 Blast will be conducted over an extended period of the summer to address the concerns involving weather complications in condensed time periods and the unavailability of international stars.
The competition will also ensure supporter accessibility is increased, with 87 of the 126 group matches scheduled for Friday nights over a 10-week stretch.
As has been the case in previous editions of the domestic T20 competition, Edgbaston will be the venue for the competition's final day that will include both semi-finals and the final.
Fixtures
County Championship Division 1
The top division of the County Championship will begin on Sunday, April 6, featuring clashes between Nottinghamshire and Lancashire as well as Sussex and Middlesex.
The final matches of the championship will commence on Tuesday, September 23 and will feature Lancashire versus Middlesex, Northamptonshire versus Sussex, Warwickshire versus Durham and Yorkshire versus Somerset.
Complete County Championship Division 1 Fixture List
County Championship Division 2
The second division of the County Championship mirrors the top division, with Hampshire versus Worcestershire, Surrey versus Glamorgan and Leicestershire versus Derbyshire kick-starting proceedings on Sunday, April 6.
Like the top division, the championship's second-tier will conclude with final-round matches featuring Derbyshire versus Leicestershire, Essex versus Worcestershire, Glamorgan vsersus Hampshire and Kent versus Gloucestershire beginning on Tuesday, September 23.
Complete County Championship Division 2 Fixture List
Royal London One-Day Cup
The first matches for both Group A and Group B will begin on Saturday, July 26, with the group phase of the competition running through Thursday, August 21.
The One-Day Cup's quarter-finals will be played between Tuesday, August 26 and Friday, August 29. The subsequent semi-finals will be played on Thursday, September 4 and Saturday, September 6, with the competition to be decided on Saturday, September 20.
Complete Royal London One-Day Cup Fixture List
T20 Blast
The first matches for both the North Division and the South Division will begin on Friday, May 16, with the group phase of the competition running through Friday, July 25.
The T20 Blast's quarter-finals will be played between Friday, August 1 and Sunday, August 3. The competition will conclude with the semi-finals and finals all being played on Saturday, August 23.
Odds
County Championship Division 1
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Warwickshire | 4/1 |
| Durham | 5/1 |
| Nottinghamshire | 5/1 |
| Yorkshire | 5/1 |
| Lancashire | 13/2 |
| Middlesex | 8/1 |
| Sussex | 9/1 |
| Somserset | 9/1 |
| Northamptonshire | 25/1 |
County Championship Division 2
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Hampshire | 3/1 |
| Surrey | 7/2 |
| Essex | 9/2 |
| Derbyshire | 6/1 |
| Gloucestershire | 9/1 |
| Kent | 9/1 |
| Worcestershire | 10/1 |
| Glamorgan | 14/1 |
| Leicestershire | 50/1 |
Royal London One-Day Cup
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Hampshire | 11/2 |
| Nottinghamshire | 13/2 |
| Somserset | 7/1 |
| Sussex | 11/1 |
| Warwickshire | 12/1 |
| Middlesex | 12/1 |
| Surrey | 12/1 |
| Yorkshire | 14/1 |
| Lancashire | 14/1 |
| Durham | 16/1 |
| Essex | 16/1 |
| Northamptonshire | 16/1 |
| Gloucestershire | 20/1 |
| Glamorgan | 33/1 |
| Worcestershire | 33/1 |
| Kent | 33/1 |
| Derbyshire | 40/1 |
| Leicestershire | 40/1 |
T20 Blast
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Hampshire | 5/1 |
| Nottinghamshire | 11/2 |
| Somserset | 7/1 |
| Surrey | 10/1 |
| Lancashire | 11/1 |
| Yorkshire | 11/1 |
| Essex | 12/1 |
| Northamptonshire | 12/1 |
| Sussex | 16/1 |
| Middlesex | 16/1 |
| Birmingham Bears | 20/1 |
| Durham | 20/1 |
| Glamorgan | 25/1 |
| Kent | 25/1 |
| Gloucestershire | 25/1 |
| Derbyshire | 33/1 |
| Leicestershire | 33/1 |
| Worcestershire | 33/1 |