Cricket in England
Cricket in England is one of the most popular sports in the country and is known to have been played in England since the 16th century. The Marylebone Cricket Club, based at Lords, developed the modern rules of play and conduct.There are eighteen professional county clubs, seventeen of them in England and one in Wales. All eighteen counties are named after, and were originally representative of, historic counties. These clubs are heavily dependent on subsidies from the England and Wales Cricket Board, which makes its money from television and endorsement contracts and attendances at international matches. The English cricket season traditionally starts at the beginning of April and runs though to the second half of September although in recent years counties have played pre season friendly matches at the very end of March.
2011 English cricket season
The 2011 English cricket season was the 112th in which the County Championship had been an official competition. It began on 2 April with a round of university matches, and continued until the final of the Clydesdale Bank 40 on 17 September. Three major domestic competitions were contested: the 2011 County Championship won by Lancashire, the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 won by Surrey and the 2011 Friends Life t20 won by Leicestershire.