| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | First-class cricket (4 days) |
| Tournament format(s) | League system |
| Champions | Warwickshire (8th title) |
| Participants | 18 |
| Most runs | Tom Haines (1,176) |
| Most wickets | Luke Fletcher (66) |
| Cricket format | First-class cricket (5 days) |
|---|---|
| Champions | Warwickshire (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Lancashire |
| Most runs | Will Rhodes (156) |
| Most wickets | Craig Miles (6) |
The 2021 County Championship (referred to as the LV= Insurance County Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the 121st cricket County Championship season in England and Wales.[1] For the first phase of the tournament, the teams were split into three groups of six, with each side playing ten matches.[2] The top two teams from each group progressed into Division One for the second phase of the competition, with the other teams progressing to Divisions Two and Three.[3] The team that finished top of Division One became the county champions; and the top two teams from Division One contested a five-day match at Lord's for the Bob Willis Trophy.[4] On 17 December 2020, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed all the fixtures for the tournament.[5][6] After completion of the group stage on 14 July 2021, the ECB confirmed the fixtures for the division stage on 22 July 2021.[7]
In July 2021, in Lancashire's match against Kent, James Anderson took his 1,000th first-class wicket.[8] In September 2021, Tom Haines became the first batsman to score 1,000 runs in this edition of the Championship.[9]
For their final match in Group 3, Kent were forced to replace their entire side for their match against Sussex,[10] after a positive test for COVID-19 in their first XI.[11] On the second day of Kent's match, Nathan Gilchrist was forced to withdraw from the game, after being told to self-isolate.[12] The final Group 1 match between Derbyshire and Essex was called off prior to the start of the second day,[13] after a member of Derbyshire's team tested positive for COVID-19.[14] The ECB confirmed that the result of the match would be treated as a draw.[15] On 28 August 2021, the ECB announced that the Division 2 match between Durham and Surrey had been cancelled, after a member of the Surrey team had tested positive for COVID-19.[16]
Warwickshire won the Division One group to win their first County Championship title since 2012, with Lancashire finishing in second place.[17] Warwickshire won the five-day match against Lancashire, to become the second winners of the Bob Willis Trophy.[18] The Division Two title was won by Essex,[19] with Kent winning the Division Three title.[20]