Between them they cover all or part of a number of counties in the south and south-east of England, including Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

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"There is an unequivocal recognition on the part of all the stake-holders in cricket, including the counties, that the success of the England team comes first, " said Lamb.

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The phrase was first used by Mee - a celebrated writer and journalist best known for his 1908 Children's Encyclopaedia - in The King's England, a 1930s series of books offering a guide to each of England's counties.

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The report will also look at the relationship between Team England and the counties, looking in particular at the amount of county cricket played by centrally-contracted England players.

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"We've all played against some of the England guys for their counties but never against them as a unit, " added Murtagh.

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The third set of vote returns come from the vote tallies done by county officials in every state. (In the six New England states, cities and townships instead of counties do vote tallies.) The countywide figures become more complete as more precincts report vote returns.

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Members of the squad will still be free to play for the counties but England have first claim on their services.

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