The 1898 County Championship marked the ninth time the competition took place. Fourteen teams competed across the summer, playing first-class cricket matches that lasted for three days. The tournament followed a league system where teams played to accumulate points throughout the season.
Yorkshire secured the title, marking their third championship win since the competition began. Middlesex finished the year in the runner-up position, their first time reaching that status in the standings. The league table was determined by dividing points earned by completed matches and multiplying by 100, with one point awarded for a victory and one point deducted for every loss.
Across the 138 matches played in the tournament, players put up significant individual numbers. Bobby Abel of Surrey led the run-scoring charts, finishing the season with 1,832 runs. On the bowling side, Charlie Townsend of Gloucestershire claimed the most wickets, finishing the season with a total of 130.
| Team | Pld | W | L | D | A | Pts | Fin | %Fin |
| Yorkshire | 26 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 68.42 |
| Middlesex | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 53.85 |
| Gloucestershire | 20 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 50.00 |
| Surrey | 26 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 15 | 46.67 |
| Essex | 20 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 25.00 |
| Lancashire | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 20.00 |
| Kent | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 0 | –1 | 11 | –9.09 |
| Nottinghamshire | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | –1 | 3 | –33.33 |
| Derbyshire | 16 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 1 | –4 | 8 | –50.00 |
| Sussex | 20 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 0 | –6 | 12 | –50.00 |
| Warwickshire | 18 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | –4 | 8 | –50.00 |
| Hampshire | 18 | 2 | 8 | 8 | 0 | –6 | 10 | –60.00 |
| Leicestershire | 16 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | –9 | 11 | –81.82 |
| Somerset | 16 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 0 | –9 | 11 | –81.82 |
| Source: CricketArchive |
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