Two trophies up for grabs for Northants as 2021 County Championship schedule is revealed

The 18 counties have agreed on a revised format for the men’s first-class season in 2021, and it will see the County Championship be played over a group stage and then divisional format, with the season ending with a showpiece five-day final at Lord's to play for the Bob Willis Trophy.

The County have been placed in group three in the new three-group structure and will initially compete against Glamorgan, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex, playing each side home and away.

An ECB statement read: "The agreed revised structure is for the 2021 men’s first-class season only, with the format for 2022 and beyond still under discussion.

"Next summer, the 18 first-class counties are set to play 14 County Championship matches each across group and then divisional stages.

"Each first-class county has initially been placed into one of three seeded groups of six and will be scheduled to play five home, and five away, matches during the group stage.

"The top two counties in each group, at the end of the group stage, will progress to division one, with the other counties moving into divisions two and three, where they will each play a further four matches.

"The winner of division one will be crowned the 2021 County Championship winners, while the top two teams in division one will also earn the right to play in the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s."

The announcement follows discussions between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the first-class counties to help restart the County Championship, whilst mitigating against the impact of Covid-19 next summer.

ECB chairman Ian Watmore said: “Since starting in my new role last month one of my key priorities, as a huge supporter of red-ball cricket, has been to collaborate with the first-class counties so that we could confirm a structure for next summer’s men’s first-class season.

“I am delighted that the counties have been able to reach that agreement less than three weeks after Essex won the Bob Willis Trophy final at Lord’s.

“The success of that competition provides reassurance that this structure can help safeguard against any impact the global pandemic may have on next season while also ensuring the integrity of the County Championship.

“It must be stressed that this structure has been agreed for next season only, and during 2021 we will review and consult with the counties and other stakeholders to decide the appropriate next steps for the men’s domestic structure in 2022 and beyond.

"Seedings for the group stage of the 2021 County Championship have been determined based on performances of the first-class counties during the 2019 County Championship and the 2020 Bob Willis Trophy.

Northants finished second in division two in 2019 to win promotion to the top flight, while they finished fourth in the Central Group of this year's Bob Willis Trophy, winning just one game.

The ECB statement continued: "A provision to accommodate derby matches, only where appropriate within the seeding structure, into the groups has also ensured that county members and supporters can look forward to some of county cricket’s oldest rivalries resuming home and away next summer."

That certainly hasn't worked out for Northants, who will face a lot of travelling in the group stage as their nearest fixture on the road will be going to Hove to play Sussex - 130 miles away.

2021 County Championship Groups:

Group 1: Essex, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Worcestershire, Durham

Group 2: Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Gloucestershire, Middlesex, Leicestershire

Group 3: Kent, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Glamorgan, Sussex

Playing conditions for the 2021 County Championship and the 2021 Bob Willis Trophy final remain under discussion and will be announced in due course.