1998 County Championship

• 16 points for a win • 8 points to each team for a tie • 8 points to team still batting in a match in which scores finish level • 3 points for a draw • Bonus points awarded in first 120 overs of first innings • Batting: • 200 runs – 1 point • 250 runs – 2 points • 300 runs – 3 points • 350 runs – 4 points • Bowling: • 3 or 4 wickets – 1 point, • 5 or 6 wickets – 2 points • 7 or 8 wickets – 3 points • 9 or 10 wickets – 4 points • No bonus points awarded in a match starting with less than 8 hours' play remaining. A one-innings match is played, with the winner gaining 12 points. • Position determined by points gained. • If equal, then decided by the following tiebreakers in order: • Most wins • Fewest losses • Most points in head-to-head contests • Most wickets taken over whole season • Most runs scored over whole season ==Notable events==

• May 23–24: Northamptonshire's second innings total of 712 against Glamorgan at Northampton was the highest second-innings total in English first-class cricket, surpassing Cambridge University's 703 for 9 against Sussex in 1890. • Malachy Loye's 322 during this innings was the highest innings played by any batsman during a second innings in English first-class cricket, surpassing Emrys Davies' 287 for Glamorgan against Gloucestershire in 1939. • June 21: Andrew Flintoff of Lancashire takes 38 runs off an over by Surrey's Alex Tudor, breaking the English first-class record of 36 by Garfield Sobers from 1968. == Notes ==