Surrey and Hampshire receive County trophies

Surrey lifted the Specsavers County Championship trophy for the 20th time, their first since 2002, on the back of an incredible year which saw enjoy a spell nine consecutive victories – their best run of first-class form since 1999.

The Hampshire women's side won their first Royal London Women’s One-Day Championship after a campaign that saw them win six of their seven games in the competition – a remarkable achievement for a side that was in division three as recently as 2015.

The Lord's Taverners ECB Trophy is the official name of the silverware awarded to the winners of the men's County Championship, while the women's One-Day champions receive the Lady Taverners ECB Trophy. 

This is the 45th year that the county champions have enjoyed a reception with the Lord's Taverners since the trophy was introduced for the first time by the charity's Patron and Twelfth Man, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh in 1973. He recognised that until that time, the champions had never received a physical trophy so decided to introduce one.

Rory Burns, captain of Surrey, said: "It's been an honour to be re-presented with the Division One trophy at the House of Lords. It's been an unbelievable year and I can’t speak highly enough of the hard work and dedication from the players, backroom staff and everyone connected with the club that was needed to win the trophy – it was a real team effort. 

“The club has waited a long time to lift this trophy again and it was a very proud moment for all of us. We needed to win games from different positions which showed a lot of character and we are fully aware of the hard work ahead as we look to defend the title.”

Hampshire women's 2018 captain and now Director of Cricket, Charlotte Edwards, added: "It's great to be here today to be presented with our Royal London Women’s One-Day Championship at such an historic building. It’s been a fantastic day for the players and staff and caps a great year. Winning the trophy was a great achievement and it was the culmination of many years of hard work by a lot of people. It’s a fantastic feeling looking back on 2018, but we’re also relishing the opportunity to defend the trophy in the year ahead.”

Watch the below video of the day, and hear from Charlotte Edwards and Rory Burns: