{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox cricket tournament | administrator = England and Wales Cricket Board | cricket format = (3 days, 4 day final) | tournament format = League system | champions = Staffordshire | count = 11 | participants = 20 | matches = 61 | most runs = Rick Moore {{-}}(633 for Cheshire) | most wickets = Gurman Randhawa {{-}}(37 for Shropshire) | previous_year = 2013 | previous_tournament = 2013 Minor Counties Championship | next_year = 2015 | next_tournament = 2015 Minor Counties Championship }}
The '''2014 Minor Counties Championship''' was the 110th Minor Counties Cricket Championship season, and the first under the name 'Unicorn Counties Championship'. It was contested through two divisions: Eastern and Western. Staffordshire were the champions for the eleventh time, remaining the most successful club in the history of the competition.
==Standings== * ''Pld = Played, W = Wins, W1 = Win in match reduced to single innings, L = Losses, L1 = Loss in match reduced to single innings, T = Ties, D = Draws, D1 = Draw in match reduced to single innings, A = Abandonments, Bat = Batting points, Bowl = Bowling points, Ded = Deducted points, Pts = Points, Net RPW = Net runs per wicket (runs per wicket for less runs per wicket against).''
Teams receive 16 points for a win, 8 for a tie and 4 for a draw. Teams also received 12 points for a win, 6 for a draw and 4 points for losing a match reduced to a single innings. Bonus points (a maximum of 4 batting points and 4 bowling points) may be scored during the first 90 overs of each team's first innings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://static.ecb.co.uk/files/unicorns-counties-championship-12792.pdf|title=Unicorn Counties Championship Competition Rules|publisher=England and Wales Cricket Board|accessdate=26 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305164121/http://static.ecb.co.uk/files/unicorns-counties-championship-12792.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Eastern Division=== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! Team !! Pld !! W !! W1 !! L !! L1 !! T !! D !! D1 !! A !! Bat !! Bowl !! Ded !! Pts !! Net RPW |- style="background:#fbd009;" |align=left|Staffordshire '''(C)''' || 6 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 22 || 24 || 0 || '''118''' || +13.514 |- |align=left|Cumberland || 6 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 16 || 20 || 0 || '''108''' || +11.707 |- |align=left|Cambridgeshire || 6 || 3 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 15 || 22 || -2 || '''91''' || +9.375 |- |align=left|Lincolnshire || 6 || 3 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 17 || 22 || 0 || '''91''' || +4.171 |- |align=left|Suffolk || 6 || 2 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 14 || 20 || 0 || '''78''' || +7.156 |- |align=left|Buckinghamshire || 6 || 2 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 12 || 20 || 0 || '''68''' || -7.764 |- |align=left|Norfolk || 6 || 1 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 11 || 23 || 0 || '''62''' || -5.530 |- |align=left|Hertfordshire || 6 || 1 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 12 || 22 || 0 || '''58''' || -8.133 |- |align=left|Bedfordshire || 6 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 12 || 19 || -2 || '''41''' || -9.856 |- |align=left|Northumberland || 6 || 0 || 0 || 5 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 11 || 21 || 0 || '''36''' || -13.570 |- |colspan=15 align="left"|Source:<ref name=table>{{cite web |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/Tables/21/Unicorns_Championship_2014.html|title=Unicorn Championship 2014 Points Table|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=26 July 2015}}</ref> |}
===Western Division=== {|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- ! Team !! Pld !! W !! W1 !! L !! L1 !! T !! D !! D1 !! A !! Bat !! Bowl !! Ded !! Pts !! Net RPW |- style="background:#fbd009;" |- |align=left|Wiltshire || 6 || 4 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 12 || 24 || 0 || '''104''' || +5.977 |- |align=left|Herefordshire || 6 || 4 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 10 || 24 || 0 || '''102''' || +13.292 |- |align=left|Devon || 6 || 3 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 13 || 24 || 0 || '''93''' || +5.650 |- |align=left|Cheshire || 6 || 3 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 11 || 24 || 0 || '''91''' || +1.339 |- |align=left|Dorset || 6 || 3 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 7 || 23 || 0 || '''82''' || -0.934 |- |align=left|Shropshire || 6 || 3 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 12 || 18 || 0 || '''78''' || -2.103 |- |align=left|Oxfordshire || 6 || 1 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 12 || 22 || 0 || '''58''' || -3.118 |- |align=left|Wales Minor Counties || 6 || 1 || 0 || 3 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 8 || 24 || 0 || '''56''' || -1.897 |- |align=left|Cornwall || 6 || 1 || 0 || 4 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 24 || 0 || '''46''' || -5.699 |- |align=left|Berkshire || 6 || 4 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 11 || 24 || 0 || '''43''' || -9.805 |- |colspan=15 align="left"|Source:<ref name=table /> |}
==Final==
{{Test match | date = 7–9 September | team1 = Staffordshire | team2 = (H) Wiltshire
| score-team1-inns1 = 227 (63.1 overs) | runs-team1-inns1 = Peter Wilshaw 52 (79) | wickets-team1-inns1 = Ed Young 6/72 (17.1 overs)
| score-team2-inns1 = 231 (75.4 overs) | runs-team2-inns1 = Uzair Qureshi 90 (216) | wickets-team2-inns1 = Matthew Parkinson 3/62 (17.4 overs)
| score-team1-inns2 = 254 (80.4 overs) | runs-team1-inns2 = Peter Wilshaw 107 (183) | wickets-team1-inns2 = Tahir Afridi 5/44 (24.4 overs)
| score-team2-inns2 = 222 (81.5 overs) | runs-team2-inns2 = Michael Coles 87 (198) | wickets-team2-inns2 = Greg Willott 4/28 (12 overs)
| result = Staffordshire won by 28 runs | venue = Salisbury and South Wiltshire Sports Club | umpires = Anthony Harris and Steve Malone | report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/minorcounties/engine/match/701063.html Scorecard] | toss = Staffordshire won the toss and elected to bat }}
==Averages== {| |- valign="top" || {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" !colspan=4| Most runs |- ! Aggregate ! Average ! Player ! County |- |style="text-align:center;"| 633 ||style="text-align:center;"| 52.75 || Rick Moore || Cheshire |- |style="text-align:center;"| 627 ||style="text-align:center;"| 104.50 || Ben Howgego || Cambridgeshire |- |style="text-align:center;"| 602 ||style="text-align:center;"| 46.30 || Jayden Levitt || Wiltshire |- |style="text-align:center;"| 591 ||style="text-align:center;"| 84.42 || Michael Hill || Staffordshire |- |style="text-align:center;"| 565 ||style="text-align:center;"| 47.08 || Karanjit Bansal || Lincolnshire |- |colspan=4 align="left"|Source:<ref name=batting>{{cite web |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/21/Unicorns_Championship_2014/Batting_by_Runs.html|title=Minor Counties Championship 2014 Batting (Ordered by runs)|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=26 July 2015}}</ref> |}
|| {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" !colspan=4| Most wickets |- ! Aggregate ! Average ! Player ! County |- |style="text-align:center;"| 37 ||style="text-align:center;"| 17.97 || Gurman Randhawa || Shropshire |- |style="text-align:center;"| 36 ||style="text-align:center;"| 16.63 || Paul Byrne || Shropshire |- |style="text-align:center;"| 35 ||style="text-align:center;"| 20.25 || Tahir Afridi || Wiltshire |- |style="text-align:center;"| 35 ||style="text-align:center;"| 23.82 || Tom Huggins || Suffolk |- |style="text-align:center;"| 33 ||style="text-align:center;"| 10.69 || Bradley Wadlan || Herefordshire |- |colspan=4 align="left"|Source:<ref name=bowling>{{cite web |url-access=subscription |url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Events/21/Unicorns_Championship_2014/Bowling_by_Wickets.html|title=Minor Counties Championship 2014 Bowling (Ordered by wickets)|publisher=CricketArchive|accessdate=26 June 2015}}</ref> |} |}
==References== {{reflist|2}}
{{2014 English cricket season}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minor Counties Championship, 2014}} Category:2014 in English cricket 2014 Category:Domestic cricket competitions in 2013–14
{{English-domestic-cricket-competition-stub}}