Devon captain Jamie Stephens whips the bails off<br>credit: www.ppauk.com

DEVON County Cricket Club competes in Western Division One of the National Counties Championship, a competition administered by the National Counties Cricket Association.

Devon's division is made up of five county teams who play each other once during a four-game programme fixtured in July and August. In 2022 the other members of the division are Cheshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Herefordshire.

The Championship is based on matches of two innings per side played out over three days. Counties are arranged into two geographical groups of ten – Eastern and Western divisions. From 2021 there has been promotion and relegation between Divisions One and Divisons Two in both geographical sections. Devon won promotion from Western Division Two in 2022

At the end of the season the team with the best record from the Eastern Division plays the winner of the Western Division for the outright championship. This is a four-day fixture.

Devon also play in the 50-overs a side National Counties Trophy. The county has an outstanding record in both the Championship and the one-day knockout trophy. Devon has won four Lord's finals in the competiton. In recent years finals have been played at either Banbury or the Getty ground at Wormsley.

Since 2018 there has been a Twenty20 tournament, now known as the National Counties Twenty20 Competition. Qualifying games are played locally in four pools – two games in one day against the same opposition – which produces four semi-finalists. The four winners go through to a finals day at a neutral venue, which in 2023 is Tring CC in Hertfordshire. The competition was suspended for the 2021 season owing to Coronavirus concerns.

National Counties is the new name for what used to be known as Minor Counties cricket. The change was made in 2020.

Photo: @ppauk