1981 County Championship
The 1981 Schweppes County Championship was the 82nd officially organised running of the County Championship. Nottinghamshire won the Championship title.
The number of points awarded for a win was increased to 16. The Championship was sponsored by Schweppes for the fourth time.
Table
- 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
- Bonus points awarded in the first 100 overs of the first innings
- *Batting: 150 runs - 1 point, 200 runs - 2 points 250 runs - 3 points, 300 runs - 4 points
- *Bowling: 3-4 wickets - 1 point, 5-6 wickets - 2 points 7-8 wickets - 3 points, 9-10 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 on most wins.
- Each team plays 22 matches.
| Team | Pld | Won | Lost | Drawn | Batting bonus | Bowling bonus | Points |
| Nottinghamshire | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 72 | 304 |
| Sussex | 22 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 58 | 68 | 302 |
| Somerset | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 54 | 65 | 279 |
| Middlesex | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 49 | 64 | 257 |
| Essex | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 62 | 64 | 254 |
| Surrey | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 52 | 72 | 236 |
| Hampshire | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 45 | 65 | 206 |
| Leicestershire | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 45 | 58 | 199 |
| Kent | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 51 | 58 | 189 |
| Yorkshire | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 41 | 66 | 187 |
| Worcestershire | 22 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 44 | 52 | 172 |
| Derbyshire | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 51 | 57 | 172 |
| Gloucestershire | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 51 | 55 | 170 |
| Glamorgan | 22 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 50 | 69 | 167 |
| Northamptonshire | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 51 | 67 | 166 |
| Lancashire | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 47 | 57 | 164 |
| Warwickshire | 22 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 56 | 47 | 135 |