Birmingham Bears

Origin of the club

Warwickshire was familiar with cricket by the end of the 17th century. The earliest reference to the sport in the county was recorded on July 15, 1751, through a match announcement in Aris’ Gazette. The club originated in Coventry towards the end of the 18th century and played two matches against Leicester in 1787 and 1788.

Warwickshire CCC officially came into existence on April 8, 1882, at a meeting in The Regent Hotel, Leamington Spa. They had already started competing against first-class clubs such as Surrey and Yorkshire during the time of the first official County Championship in 1890. After becoming first-class in 1894, they defeated Surrey at The Oval and Nottinghamshire, a feat of major significance. 

Birmingham Bears in Vitality Blast 

Warwickshire made their first appearance in Twenty20 cricket against Somerset at Taunton, winning the match by 19 runs. However, they lost the first season of Vitality Blast to the Surrey Lions by nine wickets in the final. The Bears made a comeback by winning the 2014 title making it the first time a county trophy went to a team using a city name. 

Achievements

After being promoted to first-class, they sacked a whopping number of County trophies that renders them one of the best clubs in the English domestic circuit. Here are more titles they have been credited for. 

• County Championship in 1911, 1951, 1972, 1994, 1995, 2004, 2012, and 2021
• Division Two in 2008, 2018
• Gillette/NatWest/C&G/Friends Provident Trophy in 1966, 1968, 1989, 1993, and 1995
• Sunday/Pro 40 League/CB40/Royal London One-Day Cup (5) in 1980, 1994, 1997, 2010, and 2016
• Division Two in 2009
• Benson & Hedges Cup in 1994 and 2002
• NatWest t20 Blast in 2014
• Bob Willis Trophy in 2021