Hey there fantasy cricket fans,
It’s that time of year again when the English & Wales County Championship starts (on Friday April 4th) so I have created my usual two (Classic Open and Head-to-Head) County Championship fantasy leagues on CricketXI. Both are very small stakes money leagues (£5 each to enter) on their County Championship game and truly hope with just over one week to go until the start of the season I can find some interested parties to partake.
There is no spin off leagues (runs/wickets/starting XI) which is a shame, so no breakdown of runs scored or wickets taken but what they do have is a choice of league styles - classic open or a head-to-head. So, what I do is create a league of each type. The open league can have as many teams as wish to join it and your overall fantasy points total decides your position on the league table whereas the head-to-head league can have a maximum of 16 teams and you just play one other team head-to-head each week and get 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 0 for a loss on the league table. To give a small interest for the season I’ve decided to keep the entry fee the same as I did last year - £5 entry each league and both are ‘Winner Takes All’. The head-to-head league will have knock-out finals for those that qualify towards the end of the season. Full rules can be read on the CricketXI website. How many teams make the finals and how many rounds we have for the finals will be dependent on how many teams enter my head-to-head league but if we get a full 16 teams in the head-to-head style league then 8 teams will make the finals with the higher finishers in the regular season being rewarded for that.
New: I have decided to only allow 1 entry per person in my Head-to-Head CricketXI leagues as I feel it’s fairer.
If I do not get a full 16 teams in the Head-to-Head league then I will manually adjust the finals set up we have based on entry numbers, (looking to have a 50% split of the league make the finals).
People are welcome to join one or both leagues. I do hope people will feel £5 is not that much at all and give these leagues a go. It’s always more serious when people play for money no matter how small the stakes, it makes games more competitive and worth the time investment to do the best you can. The season starts (Round 1) 11:00am, 4th April so there is just over 1 week from my launching this game information to join up/recruit folk.
The head-to-head league requires me to designate how many teams so I’ve opted for a 16-team league though it will run with a minimum of 4 teams - also if we end up with an odd number of teams CricketXI will automatically put one team on a bye each week. It’s not something I can choose so just have to roll with it.
Furthermore, the Head-to-Head league can have a maximum of 16 teams so if/when it fills that’s it - no more can join. Any new entrants in either leagues I do not recognise and who have zero history with me doing my money games need to pay before season starts because on Friday morning (4th April), I will delete any unknow unpaid for entries from my league(s).
Anyone reading this who does not know the score regards paying me your entry fees just PM (Private Message) me from here (the TFP forum) - or hit me up on Discord and let me know you’ve joined, include your e-mail address and I’ll e-mail you back the information.
Please spread the word as in both leagues the more the merrier - forward this info on to friends, family, work mates or anyone you know that might be up for taking part - post links to this info on social media (the link is at the bottom of this post - below right). It would be so good to have a full 16 team Head-to-Head league for once and I appreciate all the help I can get in recruiting a big league entry pool. The Head-to-Head league locks at start of the season and no one can join after that time, so deadline to join is 11:00am, 4th April.
Best regards as always and I do hope to see your team in my league(s) soon,
bluelionman (aka Noel Symonds)
Fan Pub Founding Member
Classic Open League
League Name: WINNER TAKES ALL
Join Code: UBLPHFWE
Head to Head League
League Name: Winner Takes All
Join Code: MKBOAVOY
Link to games website: CricketXI.com
All game rules etc are the websites and can be found under the HELP tab on site but to aid you here is a link to their points scoring, league rules, transfers, FAQ’s etc: CricketXI County Championship 2025 HELP
PS - Please use this posts link to share with anyone you know who might like to take part and post it on your social media platforms. New players are always welcome, and as such makes for bigger entry pools which means more competitive leagues (plus more prize money in the kitty)!
you when I have received payment for your entry: