The 2018 Championship was divided into two divisions, Division One with eight teams and Division Two with 10. Teams in both divisions played a total of 14 games, with all Division One teams playing each other twice, while Division Two teams played five others twice and four once.
Team promoted from Division Two in 2017 Highest score by a team: Surrey − 592 all out (119.3 overs) vs Nottinghamshire (22−25 July) , Lowest score by a team: Yorkshire − 50 all out (18.4 overs) vs Essex (4−6 May) , Top score by an individual: Dane Vilas (Lancashire − 235* (363) vs Somerset (4−7 May) , Best bowling figures by an individual: Jack Leach (Somerset) − 8/85 (48 overs) vs Essex (19−22 August)
| Team | Primary home ground | Other grounds | Coach | Captain | Overseas player(s) |
| Essex | County Ground, Chelmsford | — | Anthony McGrath | Ryan ten Doeschate | Neil Wagner Peter Siddle Murali Vijay |
| Hampshire | Rose Bowl, Southampton | — | Craig White | James Vince | Hashim Amla Dale Steyn |
| Lancashire | Old Trafford, Manchester | Trafalgar Road Ground, Southport | Glen Chapple | Liam Livingstone (Apr.–Jul.) Dane Vilas (Jul.–) | Joe Mennie Keshav Maharaj |
| Somerset | County Ground, Taunton | — | Jason Kerr | Tom Abell | Matt Renshaw Azhar Ali |
| Surrey | The Oval, London | Woodbridge Road, Guildford | Michael Di Venuto | Rory Burns | Dean Elgar Theunis de Bruyn Aaron Finch |
| Yorkshire | Headingley, Leeds | North Marine Road Ground, Scarborough | Andrew Gale | Gary Ballance (Apr.–May.) Joe Root (May) Steven Patterson (Jun.–Jul., Sep.) David Willey (Aug.–Sep.) Adam Lyth (Sep.) | Cheteshwar Pujara Kane Williamson Jeet Raval |
| Nottinghamshire | Trent Bridge, Nottingham | — | Peter Moores | Steven Mullaney | Ross Taylor Kraigg Brathwaite |
| Worcestershire | New Road, Worcester | — | Kevin Sharp | Joe Leach (Apr.–Jun.) Brett D'Oliveira (Jun.–) | Travis Head Callum Ferguson Wayne Parnell Ravichandran Ashwin |
| 13–16 April 2018 | Yorkshire (H) | v | Essex | Match abandoned |
| Scorecard | Headingley, Leeds | |||
| No toss , No play possible on all days due to rain and wet outfield. , Points: Yorkshire 5, Essex 5. |
| 13–16 April 2018 | Hampshire (H) | v | Worcestershire | Hampshire won by 196 runs |
| Scorecard | 290 (75.4 overs)Gareth Berg 75* (101)Joe Leach 4/42 (15.4 overs) | 211 (66.2 overs)Ben Cox 65 (75)Kyle Abbott 3/45 (19 overs) | Rose Bowl, SouthamptonUmpires: Jeremy Lloyds and Martin Saggers | |
| 244 (66.2 overs)Kyle Abbott 51 (74)Joe Leach 3/55 (16 overs) | 127 (49.5 overs)Travis Head 45* (61)Kyle Abbott 4/45 (17 overs) | |||
| Toss uncontested, Worcestershire elected to field first , Points: Hampshire 21, Worcestershire 4. |
| 13–16 April 2018 | Lancashire (H) | v | Nottinghamshire | Nottinghamshire won by 6 wickets |
| Scorecard | 158 (61 overs)Dane Vilas 49 (92)Jake Ball 5/43 (17 overs) | 222 (72.2 overs)Riki Wessels 44 (76)Tom Bailey 3/26 (19 overs) | Old Trafford, ManchesterUmpires: Neil Mallender and Graham Lloyd | |
| 73 (34.2 overs)Keaton Jennings 27 (82)Harry Gurney 6/25 (12.2 overs) | 10/4 (5 overs)Samit Patel 4* (4)Joe Mennie 3/4 (2 overs) | |||
| Toss uncontested, Nottinghamshire elected to field first , No play possible on Day 1 due to rain. , Points: Nottinghamshire 20, Lancashire 3. |
| 20–22 April 2018 | Essex (H) | v | Lancashire | Essex won by 31 runs |
| Scorecard | 150 (50 overs)Peter Siddle 33* (38)Joe Mennie 3/52 (13 overs) | 144 (47.1 overs)Liam Livingstone 33 (40)Jamie Porter 5/26 (12 overs) | County Ground, ChelmsfordUmpires: Neil Bainton and Rob Bailey | |
| 313 (90.1 overs)James Foster 69 (125)Joe Mennie 3/47 (18 overs) | 288 (82.2 overs)Jordan Clark 59 (80)Jamie Porter 4/54 (19.2 overs) | |||
| Toss uncontested, Lancashire elected to field first , Points: Essex 19, Lancashire 3. |
| 20–22 April 2018 | Somerset (H) | v | Worcestershire | Somerset won by 83 runs |
| Scorecard | 202 (56.1 overs)Matt Renshaw 101* (139)Ed Barnard 5/52 (16 overs) | 179 (44 overs)Ed Barnard 50 (66)Lewis Gregory 4/51 (14 overs) | County Ground, TauntonUmpires: Ian Gould and Steve O'Shaughnessy | |
| 255 (69.2 overs)James Hildreth 111* (157)Ed Barnard 6/37 (19.2 overs) | 195 (51.4 overs)Ed Barnard 45* (72)Lewis Gregory 3/35 (13 overs) | |||
| Toss uncontested, Worcestershire elected to field first , Points: Somerset 20, Worcestershire 3. |
| 20–23 April 2018 | Surrey (H) | v | Hampshire | Surrey won by 139 runs |
| Scorecard | 211 (73.1 overs)Ben Foakes 46 (73)Liam Dawson 4/30 (11.1 overs) | 147 (50.2 overs)Hashim Amla 55 (83)Rikki Clarke 4/39 (15.2 overs) | Kensington Oval, LondonUmpires: Richard Illingworth and David Millns | |
| 407/9d (109.3 overs)Ollie Pope 145 (191)Kyle Abbott 3/72 (19 overs) | 332 (115.3 overs)Sam Northeast 129 (254)Amar Virdi 4/79 (33 overs) | |||
| Surrey won the toss and elected to bat , Points: Surrey 20, Hampshire 3. |
| 20–23 April 2018 | Yorkshire (H) | v | Nottinghamshire | Yorkshire won by 164 runs |
| Scorecard | 256 (74.1 overs)Andrew Hodd 62 (116)Luke Fletcher 4/47 (18.1 overs) | 188 (46.2 overs)Ross Taylor 57 (70)Ben Coad 4/49 (13.2 overs) | Headingley, LeedsUmpires: Nick Cook and Michael Gough | |
| 334 (108.2 overs)Gary Ballance 82 (166)Jake Ball 3/69 (22 overs) | 238 (58.4 overs)Tom Moores 40* (69)Ben Coad 6/81 (19.4 overs) | |||
| Toss uncontested, Nottinghamshire elected to field first , Points: Yorkshire 21, Nottinghamshire 3. |
| 27–30 April 2018 | Hampshire (H) | v | Essex | Match drawn |
| Scorecard | 351/7d (108.4 overs)James Adams 87 (264)Peter Siddle 3/62 (29 overs) | 300/6 (70.5 overs)Ravi Bopara 84* (125)Brad Wheal 2/63 (12.5 overs) | Rose Bowl, SouthamptonUmpires: Paul Baldwin, Tim Robinson, Neil Bainton | |
| Toss uncontested, Essex elected to field first , Points: Hampshire 11, Essex 10. |
| 27–30 April 2018 | Lancashire (H) | v | Surrey | Match drawn |
| Scorecard | 439/9d (118.5 overs)Jordan Clark 78 (101)Amar Virdi 4/80 (23.5 overs) | 235 (89.4 overs)Scott Borthwick 79 (137)Graham Onions 4/49 (19.4 overs) | Old Trafford, ManchesterUmpires: Richard Kettleborough and Peter Hartley | |
| 199/6 (90.3 overs) (f/o)Ben Foakes 57 (119)Tom Bailey 4/13 (19 overs) | ||||
| Toss uncontested, Surrey elected to field first , No play possible on Day 1 due to rain. , Points: Lancashire 12, Surrey 8. |
| 27–30 April 2018 | Somerset (H) | v | Yorkshire | Somerset won by 118 runs |
| Scorecard | 216 (47.1 overs)Matt Renshaw 112 (99)Jack Brooks 5/57 (15 overs) | 96 (49.4 overs)Harry Brook 32 (78)Tim Groenewald 3/12 (9 overs) | County Ground, TauntonUmpires: Alex Wharf and Mike Burns | |
| 200 (57.3 overs)Tom Abell 82 (137)Ben Coad 4/61 (20.3 overs) | 202 (86.1 overs)Jack Leaning 68 (172)Craig Overton 3/43 (21.1 overs) | |||
| Toss uncontested, Yorkshire elected to field first , No play possible on Day 1 due to rain. , Points: Somerset 20, Yorkshire 3. |
| 27–30 April 2018 | Worcestershire (H) | v | Nottinghamshire | Nottinghamshire won by an innings and 41 runs |
| Scorecard | 110 (26.3 overs)Joe Clarke 42 (35)Luke Fletcher 5/27 (9 overs) | 300/9d (70.5 overs)Ross Taylor 50 (78)Josh Tongue 4/81 (19.5 overs) | New Road, WorcesterUmpires: David Millns and Richard Illingworth | |
| 149 (38.2 overs)Tom Fell 37 (73)Jake Ball 5/59 (13 overs) | ||||
| Toss uncontested, Nottinghamshire elected to field first. , No play possible on Days 1 and 2 due to rain. , Points: Nottinghamshire 22, Worcestershire 3. |
| 4–6 May 2018 | Yorkshire | v | Essex (H) | Yorkshire won by 91 runs |
| Scorecard | 50 (18.4 overs)Gary Ballance 22 (41)Sam Cook 5/28 (9 overs) | 142 (43.5 overs)Dan Lawrence 48 (77)Tim Bresnan 3/26 (7 overs) | County Ground, ChelmsfordUmpires: Richard Kettleborough and Steve O'Shaughnessy | |
| 329 (94.3 overs)Harry Brook 124 (187)Peter Siddle 4/65 (25 overs) | 146 (53 overs)Ryan ten Doeschate 34 (61)Steven Patterson 6/40 (18 overs) | |||
| Yorkshire won the toss and elected to bat first. , Steven Patterson bowled his career-best first class figures , Points: Yorkshire 19, Essex 3. |
| 4–7 May 2018 | Somerset | v | Lancashire (H) | Match drawn |
| Scorecard | 429 (121.2 overs)George Bartlett 110 (210)Matt Parkinson 3/80 (26.2 overs) | 492 (144 overs)Dane Vilas 235* (363)Tom Abell 4/43 (10 overs) | Old Trafford, ManchesterUmpires: Nick Cook and Ben Debenham | |
| 269/8d (93 overs)Jack Leach 66 (131)Matt Parkinson 5/101 (31 overs) | ||||
| Somerset won the toss and elected to bat first. , Points: Lancashire 11, Somerset 10. |
| 4–7 May 2018 | Nottinghamshire (H) | v | Hampshire | Nottinghamshire won by 203 runs |
| Scorecard | 302 (69.3 overs)Samit Patel 73 (92)Fidel Edwards 4/84 (21 overs) | 223 (86.1 overs)Hashim Amla 69 (122)Samit Patel 3/25 (17 overs) | Trent Bridge, NottinghamUmpires: Rob Bailey and Peter Hartley | |
| 389/9d (85.3 overs)Steven Mullaney 130 (189)Fidel Edwards 3/60 (16.3 overs) | 265 (108.5 overs)Hashim Amla 112 (203)Stuart Broad 3/57 (21 overs) | |||
| Nottinghamshire won the toss and elected to bat first. , Points: Nottinghamshire 22, Hampshire 4. |
| 4–7 May 2018 | Surrey (H) | v | Worcestershire | Match drawn |
| Scorecard | 434 (144.2 overs)Rory Burns 193 (408)Joe Leach 4/96 (36 overs) | 526 (158.4 overs)Joe Clarke 157 (280)Amar Virdi 6/105 (41.4 overs) | Kensington Oval, LondonUmpires: Alex Wharf and Jeff Evans | |
| 173/3d (60 overs)Scott Borthwick 82* (154)Charles Morris 2/21 (6 overs) | ||||
| Surrey won the toss and elected to bat , Ben Twohig (Worcestershire) made his First-class debut. , Points: Worcestershire 11, Surrey 9. |
| 11–13 May 2018 | Nottinghamshire (H) | v | Lancashire | Lancashire won by an innings and 67 runs |
| Scorecard | 133 (47.1 overs)Jake Libby 34 (85)Graham Onions 3/22 (11 overs) | 338 (86 overs)Keaton Jennings 126 (247)Stuart Broad 4/41 (20 overs) | Trent Bridge, NottinghamUmpires: Tim Robinson and Michael Gough | |
| 138 (52.4 overs)Jake Libby 46 (144)Graham Onions 6/55 (17.4 overs) | ||||
| Toss uncontested, Lancashire elected to field first. , Points: Lancashire 22, Nottinghamshire 3. |
| 11–14 May 2018 | Somerset (H) | v | Hampshire | Match drawn |
| Scorecard | 231 (66.3 overs)James Vince 44 (43)Tom Abell 3/36 (11 overs) | 506 (113.1 overs)James Hildreth 184 (253)Gareth Berg 5/130 (34.1 overs) | Cooper Associates County Ground, TauntonUmpires: Jeff Evans and Jeremy Lloyds | |
| 432/4d (150 overs)James Vince 201* (437)Lewis Gregory 2/60 (22 overs) | ||||
| Somerset won the toss and elected to field. , Points: Somerset 13, Hampshire 9. |
| 11–14 May 2018 | Surrey (H) | v | Yorkshire | Surrey won by an innings and 17 runs |
| Scorecard | 414 (101.1 overs)Ollie Pope 158* (224)Tim Bresnan 3/98 (26.1 overs) | 229 (57.2 overs)Jonny Bairstow 95 (94)Sam Curran 6/54 (16.2 overs) | Kensington Oval, LondonUmpires: David Millns and Martin Saggers | |
| 168 (66.1 overs) (f/o)Adam Lyth 58 (130)Sam Curran 4/47 (17 overs) | ||||
| Toss uncontested, Yorkshire elected to field first. , Points: Surrey 24, Yorkshire 4. |
| 11–13 May 2018 | Essex | v | Worcestershire (H) | Essex won by 32 runs |
| Scorecard | 177 (65.1 overs)Alastair Cook 37 (97)Josh Tongue 4/45 (15 overs) | 238 (72.4 overs)Joe Clarke 105 (168)Ravi Bopara 3/30 (6.4 overs) | New Road, WorcesterUmpires: Neil Mallender and Nick Cook | |
| 275 (82.5 overs)Dan Lawrence 71 (135)Josh Tongue 5/53 (23.5 overs) | 182 (60.1 overs)Travis Head 62 (118)Peter Siddle 5/37 (18 overs) | |||
| Essex won the toss and elected to bat first. , Points: Essex 19, Worcestershire 4. |
| 9–11 June 2018 | Surrey | v | Hampshire (H) | Surrey won by an innings and 58 runs |
| Scorecard | 368 (97 overs)Rory Burns 151 (204)Fidel Edwards 5/93 (26 overs) | 135 (49.2 overs)Rilee Rossouw 46 (60)Rikki Clarke 5/29 (11.2 overs) | Rose Bowl, SouthamptonUmpires: Billy Taylor and Neil Mallender | |
| 175 (58.4 overs) (f/o)Joe Weatherley 50 (!26)Amar Virdi 3/23 (9 overs) | ||||
| Surrey won the toss and chose to bat first. , Points: Surrey 23, Hampshire 3. |
| 9–11 June 2018 | Lancashire (H) | v | Essex | Essex won by 5 wickets |
| Scorecard | 301 (98.2 overs)Shivnarine Chanderpaul 58 (181)Simon Harmer 3/35 (22.2 overs) | 302 (84.1 overs)Alastair Cook 58 (102)Tom Bailey 4/54 (20.1 overs) | Old Trafford, ManchesterUmpires: Steve O'Shaughnessy and Jeremy Lloyds | |
| 105 (32.4 overs)Joe Mennie 32* (61)Jamie Porter 5/30 (12.4 overs) | 108/5 (28.5 overs)Ravi Bopara 36* (69)Graham Onions 3/29 (7 overs) | |||
| Toss uncontested, Essex elected to field first. , Points: Essex 22, Lancashire 6. |
| 9–12 June 2018 | Somerset (H) | v | Nottinghamshire | Somerset won by 6 wickets |
| Scorecard | 392 (122.4 overs)Matt Renshaw 106 (171)Matthew Carter 5/113 (37 overs) | 134 (37.1 overs)Ross Taylor 74 (89)Craig Overton 4/53 (12.1 overs) | County Ground, TauntonUmpires: Neil Bainton and Richard Illingworth | |
| 250/4 (67.2 overs)Matt Renshaw 61 (132)Matthew Carter 3/82 (21 overs) | 505 (146.1 overs) (f/o)Tom Moores 103 (117)Josh Davey 4/76 (22.1 overs) | |||
| Somerset won the toss and chose to bat first. , Points: Somerset 22, Nottinghamshire 2. |
| 20–23 June 2018 | Nottinghamshire | v | Essex (H) | Nottinghamshire won by 301 runs |
| Scorecard | 380 (115.1 overs)Ross Taylor 146 (208)Simon Harmer 4/78 (32.1 overs) | 206 (59.3 overs)Ravi Bopara 69 (89)Matthew Carter 4/34 (15.3 overs) | County Ground, ChelmsfordUmpires: Nigel Llong and Billy Taylor | |
| 266 (72.1 overs)Tom Moores 87 (80)Matthew Quinn 3/23 (12 overs) | 139 (58.5 overs)Ravi Bopara 39 (62)Matt Milnes 4/44 (20 overs) | |||
| Nottinghamshire won the toss and elected to bat first. , Points: Nottinghamshire 23, Essex 3. |
Team relegated from Division One in 2017 Highest score by a team: Kent − 582/9d (160.4 overs) vs Gloucestershire (9−12 June) , Lowest score by a team: Middlesex − 56 all out (24 overs) vs Kent (25−27 June) , Top score by an individual: Chris Dent (Gloucestershire) − 214* (290) vs Leicestershire (29 August−1 September) , Best bowling figures by an individual: Brett Hutton (Northamptonshire) − 8/57 (18.5 overs) vs Gloucestershire (20−22 June)
| Team | Primary home ground | Other grounds | Coach | Captain | Overseas player(s) |
| Middlesex | Lord's, London | Merchant Taylors' School Ground, NorthwoodUxbridge Cricket Club Ground, Uxbridge | Richard Scott (Apr.–Jul.) Richard Johnson (Jul.–) | Dawid Malan Sam Robson (Apr.) | Hilton Cartwright |
| Warwickshire | Edgbaston, Birmingham | — | Jim Troughton | Jeetan Patel | Jeetan Patel |
| Derbyshire | County Ground, Derby | Queen's Park, Chesterfield | Kim Barnett (Apr.–Jul.) Vacant (Jul.–Aug.) Dave Houghton (Aug.–) | Billy Godleman | Duanne Olivier Lockie Ferguson |
| Durham | Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street | — | Jon Lewis | Paul Collingwood | Aiden Markram Tom Latham Axar Patel |
| Glamorgan | Sophia Gardens, Cardiff | Penrhyn Avenue, Rhos-on-SeaSt Helen's, Swansea | Robert Croft | Michael Hogan | Shaun Marsh Usman Khawaja Stephen Cook |
| Gloucestershire | County Ground, Bristol | College Ground, Cheltenham | Richard Dawson | Chris Dent | Daniel Worrall |
| Kent | St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury | Nevill Ground, Royal Tunbridge Wells | Matt Walker | Sam Billings Joe Denly (Apr.–May) | Matt Henry |
| Leicestershire | Grace Road, Leicester | — | Paul Nixon | Michael Carberry (Apr.–May) Paul Horton (May–) | Varun Aaron Mohammad Abbas |
| Northamptonshire | County Ground, Northampton | — | David Ripley | Alex Wakely | Rory Kleinveldt Doug Bracewell Seekkuge Prasanna |
| Sussex | County Ground, Hove | Arundel Castle Cricket Club Ground, Arundel | Jason Gillespie | Ben Brown | Ishant Sharma |
Fixtures for the 2018 County Championship were announced on 29 November 2017, with the previous season's champions Essex beginning the defence of their title against Yorkshire at Headingley. In total, 56 matches were played in Division One, with 70 played in Division Two.
Teams receive 16 points for a win, 8 for a tie and 5 for a draw. Bonus points (a maximum of 5 batting points and 3 bowling points) may be scored during the first 110 overs of each team's first innings.
Source: Wikipedia