<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Hampshire County Cricket Club in 2017 </Td> </Tr> <P> Hampshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first - class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales . It represents the historic county of Hampshire . Hampshire teams formed by earlier organisations, principally the Hambledon Club, always had important match status and so the county club was rated accordingly from its inception in 1863 until 1885 . Because of poor performances for several seasons, Hampshire then lost its status for nine seasons until it was invited into the County Championship in 1895 . Hampshire is classified as an official first - class team from 1895 by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the County Championship clubs; classified as a List A team since the beginning of limited overs cricket in 1963; and classified as a senior Twenty20 team since 2003 . </P> <P> The club was founded in 1863 and played at the Antelope Ground, Southampton until 1885 . They relocated to the County Ground, Southampton until 2000, before moving to the purpose - built Rose Bowl in West End, which is in the Borough of Eastleigh . Hampshire played its first important match in 1864, losing to Sussex at the Antelope Ground . Hampshire had poor results for many seasons and lost its important match status in 1885 . They achieved official first - class status in 1895 when they were invited to join the County Championship . The club has twice won the County Championship, in the 1961 and 1973 seasons . </P> <P> Hampshire played their first one - day match in the 1963 Gillette Cup, but did not win their first one - day silverware until 1975 when they won the Sunday League which it won twice more, in 1978 and 1986 . It has twice won the Benson & Hedges Cup, in 1988 and 1991; the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy once in 2005 and the Friends Provident Trophy once in 2009 . Having first played Twenty20 cricket in 2003, Hampshire won the Friends Provident t20 in 2010 . The County Championship was restructured in 2000, and at the end of the 2002 Hampshire was relegated for the first time . The club remained in the second division for three seasons and since 2004 had competed in the top tier . However, the club was relegated once more in 2011 . The club won both the Friends Life t20 and ECB 40 in 2012, but it wasn't until 2014 before they were promoted to the first division again . They narrowly avoided relegation in 2015 before being relegated again in 2016, only to be reprieved after Durham were relegated after taking ECB sanctions to secure their future . </P>

How many time have hampshire won the county championship