Twenty20 Cup
771758
224430003
2008-07-08T20:26:36Z
Cs-wolves
513060
{{Infobox cricket tournament main
| tournament name = Twenty20 Cup
| image = Twenty20 cricket.jpg
| size = 300px
| caption = Warwickshire v Worcestershire, July 7 2006
| country = {{Flagicon|England}} England, {{Flagicon|Wales}} Wales
| administrator = [[England and Wales Cricket Board|ECB]]
| cricket format = [[Twenty20]]
| first = 2003
| last =
| tournament format = Group stages, then knockout
| participants = 18
| champions = [[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent Spitfires]]
|qualification= [[Twenty20 Champions League]] <br> <small>(Possible tournament still in planning stages)</small>
| most successful = [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire Foxes]] (2 titles)
| most runs = {{flagicon|England}} [[Darren Maddy]] (1,236)
| most wickets = {{flagicon|England}} [[Nayan Doshi]] (59)
}}
{{current sport-related|image=Cricket current event.png|mini=1|2008 Twenty20 Cup}}
The '''Twenty20 Cup''' is a [[cricket]] competition for [[Cricket in England|English]] and [[Cricket in Wales|Welsh]] county clubs.
The [[Twenty20]] format, twenty [[overs]] for each team, means a game can be completed in under three hours, making it more palatable for children and families than longer matches. Many games also feature additional activities for the spectators in order to provide more entertainment, such as paddling pools, [[bouncy castle]]s, themed areas, bowling speed-guns, and prizes for catching a 6 ball. On Finals Day, there is also a performance by a major pop act - [[Atomic Kitten]], [[Liberty X]], [[Girls Aloud]] and [[Sugababes]] have performed on past Finals Days, and [[Mutya Buena]] performed on the 2007 Finals Day at [[Edgbaston Cricket Ground|Edgbaston]].
Most of the standard rules of cricket are retained, but the emphasis is on fast scoring and fast moving cricket. There are limits on fielding positions, and the boundaries are shorter, to encourage aggressive batting. Batsmen get a Free Hit if the bowler bowls a "No Ball" by overstepping the popping crease. There is also a strict 1 minute 30 second time limit on the amount of time a new batsman has to reach the crease. In the event of the scores being equal at the end of the overs of knockout matches, there is a "bowl-off", similar to a penalty shoot out, except the bowlers have to bowl at unguarded stumps. The winners are the team with the most hits.
Many games are played in twilight, again to enhance family spectator appeal and to allow attendance after work and school. They also feature numerous musical 'stings' for exciting events, such as the dismissal of a batsman, or the hitting of a boundary.
==Competition Format==
The first stage involves the eighteen counties being split into three "divisions", based on their location in Britain, each with six counties. These divisions are:
[[Image:T20HistoricalPerformance.png|thumb|300px|right|A chart showing each county's historical performance in the Twenty20 cup]]
===Northern Division===
[[Derbyshire County Cricket Club|Derbyshire Phantoms]] <br />
[[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham Dynamos]] <br />
[[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire Foxes]] <br />
[[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire Lightning]] <br />
[[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire Outlaws]] <br />
[[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire Carnegie]]
===Southern Division===
[[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex Eagles]] <br />
[[Hampshire County Cricket Club|Hampshire Hawks]] <br />
[[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent Spitfires]] <br />
[[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex Crusaders]] <br />
[[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey Brown Caps]] <br />
[[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex Sharks]]
===Mid / West / Wales Division===
[[Glamorgan County Cricket Club|Glamorgan Dragons]] <br />
[[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire Gladiators]] <br />
[[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire Steelbacks]] <br />
[[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset Sabres]] <br />
[[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire Bears]] <br />
[[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]]
As of the 2008 season, each county will play 10 games, playing each team in the group once home and once away<ref>[http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/media-releases/2008-fixtures-published,15546,EN.html 2008 fixtures announced - Media Releases - News - ECB<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Teams receive two points for a win, none for a defeat and one for a tie or a no result if the game can't be completed. This stage takes around three weeks to complete, with teams playing several ties each week. The top two from each division along with the two best third place finishers qualify with for the quarter-finals, with the group winners and best second place team having home ties. The winners of the quarter-finals go through to "Finals Day", a bumper day of Twenty20 when the semi-finals and final of the competition take place on the same day at the same venue, for 2007 it was Edgbaston on August 4.<br>
2008 Finals Day will take place at The [[Rose Bowl, Hampshire|Rose Bowl]],Southampton on Saturday July 26th.
==Final Results==
{| border=1 style="border-collapse:collapse; font-size:90%;" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=100%
|- bgcolor=#C1D8FF
!rowspan=2 width=5%|Year
|width=1% rowspan=14 bgcolor=ffffff|
!colspan=3|Final
|- bgcolor=#EFEFEF
!width=24%|Winner
!width=16%|Result
!width=24%|Runner-up
|- align=center bgcolor=#F5FAFF
|2003<br>
|[[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey Lions]]<br><small>119 for 1 (10.5 overs)</small>
|'''Surrey won by 9 wickets''' [http://uk.cricinfo.com/link_to_database/ARCHIVE/2003/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/KNOCK-OUTS/SURREY_WARWICKS_TWENTY-20-FINAL_19JUL2003.html]
|[[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire Bears]]<br><small>115 (18.1 overs)</small>
|- align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF
|2004<br>
|[[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire Foxes]]<br><small>169 for 3 (19.1 overs)</small>
|'''Leicestershire won by 7 wickets''' [http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/KNOCK-OUTS/LEICS_SURREY_TWENTY-20-FINAL_07AUG2004.html]
|[[Surrey County Cricket Club|Surrey Lions]]<br><small>168 for 6 (20 overs)</small>
|- align=center bgcolor=#F5FAFF
|2005<br>''[[Twenty20 in England in 2005|Details]]''
|[[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset Sabres]]<br><small>118 for 3 (14.1 overs)</small>
|'''Somerset won by 7 wickets''' [http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005/ENG_LOCAL/TWENTY-20/SCORECARDS/KNOCK-OUTS/LANCS_SOMERSET_TWENTY-20-FINAL_30JUL2005.html]<br><small>Match reduced to 16 overs per innings due to rain</small>
|[[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire Lightning]]<br><small>114 for 8 (16 overs)</small>
|- align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF
|2006<br>''
|[[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire Foxes]]<br><small>177 for 2 (20 overs)</small>
|'''Leicestershire won by 4 runs''' [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket/engine/match/225345.html]
|[[Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club|Nottinghamshire Outlaws]]<br><small>173 for 8 (20 overs)</small>
|- align=center bgcolor=#F5FAFF
|2007<br>''[[Twenty20 Cup 2007|Details]]''
|[[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent Spitfires]]<br><small>147 for 6 (19.3 overs)</small>
|'''Kent won by 4 wickets''' [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2007/engine/current/match/268469.html]
|[[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire Gladiators]]<br><small>146 for 8 (20 overs)</small>
|- align=center bgcolor=#D0E7FF
|2008<br>''[[2008 Twenty20 Cup|Details]]
|
|
|
|}
==Centuries in the Twenty20 Cup==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- align="center"
! Rank
! Player
! Team
! Runs
! Balls
! Year
! Against
! 4s
! 6s
|- align="center"
| 1 || [[Graham Napier]] || [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex Eagles]] || 152[[not out|*]] || 58 || [[2008 Twenty20 Cup|2008]] || [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex Sharks]] || 10 || 16
|- align="center"
| 2 || [[Cameron White]] || [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset Sabres]] || 141[[not out|*]] || 70 || [[2006]] || [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]] || 14 || 6
|- align="center"
| 3 || [[Cameron White]] || [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset Sabres]] || 116[[not out|*]] || 53 || [[2006]] || [[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire Gladiators]] || 7 || 9
|- align="center"
| 4 || [[Ian Thomas (cricketer)|Ian Thomas]] || [[Glamorgan County Cricket Club|Glamorgan Dragons]] || 116[[not out|*]] || 57 || [[2004]] || [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset Sabres]] || 11 || 7
|- align="center"
| 5 || [[Graeme Hick]] || [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]] || 116[[not out|*]] || 65 || [[2004]] || [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire Steelbacks]] || 11 || 6
|- align="center"
| 6 || [[Andrew Symonds]] || [[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent Spitfires]] || 112 || 43 || [[2004]] || [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex Crusaders]] || 18 || 3
|- align="center"
| 7 || [[Lance Klusener]] || [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire Steelbacks]] || 111[[not out|*]] || 59 || [[2007 Twenty20 Cup|2007]] || [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]] || 10 || 6
|- align="center"
| 8 || [[Darren Maddy]] || [[Leicestershire County Cricket Club|Leicestershire Foxes]] || 111 || 60 || [[2004]] || [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire Phoenix]] || 8 || 6
|- align="center"
| 9 || [[Graeme Hick]] || [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]] || 110 || 49 || [[2007 Twenty20 Cup|2007]] || [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire Steelbacks]] || 10 || 8
|- align="center"
| 10 || [[Ian Harvey]] || [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire Phoenix]] || 109 || 55 || [[Twenty20 in England in 2005|2005]] || [[Derbyshire County Cricket Club|Derbyshire Phantoms]] || 9 || 7
|- align="center"
| 11 || [[Ian Harvey]] || [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire Phoenix]] || 108[[not out|*]] || 59 || [[2004]] || [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire Lightning]] || 16 || 2
|- align="center"
| 12 || [[Marcus Trescothick]] || [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset Sabres]] || 107 || 57 || [[2008 Twenty20 Cup|2008]] || [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]] || 15 || 3
|- align="center"
| 13 || [[Ben Smith (cricketer)|Ben Smith]] || [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]] || 105 || 45 || [[Twenty20 in England in 2005|2005]] || [[Glamorgan County Cricket Club|Glamorgan Dragons]] || 12 || 6
|- align="center"
| 14 || [[Graeme Smith]] || [[Somerset County Cricket Club|Somerset Sabres]] || 105 || 56 || [[Twenty20 in England in 2005|2005]] || [[Northamptonshire County Cricket Club|Northamptonshire Steelbacks]] || 9 || 5
|- align="center"
| 15 || [[Luke Wright (cricketer)|Luke Wright]] || [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex Sharks]] || 103 || 45 || [[2007 Twenty20 Cup|2007]] || [[Kent County Cricket Club|Kent Spitfires]] || 11 || 6
|- align="center"
| 16 || [[Dawid Malan]] || [[Middlesex County Cricket Club|Middlesex Crusaders]] || 103 || 54 || [[2008 Twenty20 Cup|2008]] || [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire Lightning]] || 10 || 6
|- align="center"
| 17 || [[Lou Vincent]] || [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire Lightning]] || 102[[not out|*]] || 63 || [[2008 Twenty20 Cup|2008]] || [[Derbyshire County Cricket Club|Derbyshire Phantoms]] || 11 || 3
|- align="center"
| 18 || [[Murray Goodwin]] || [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex Sharks]] || 102[[not out|*]] || 65 || [[2007 Twenty20 Cup|2007]] || [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex Eagles]] || 9 || 5
|- align="center"
| 19 || [[Stuart Law]] || [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire Lightning]] || 101 || 58 || [[Twenty20 in England in 2005|2005]] || [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire Phoenix]] || 12 || 3
|- align="center"
| 20 || [[Ian Harvey]] || [[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire Gladiators]] || 100[[not out|*]] || 50 || [[2003]] || [[Warwickshire County Cricket Club|Warwickshire Bears]] || 13 || 4
|- align="center"
| 21 || [[Mal Loye]] || [[Lancashire County Cricket Club|Lancashire Lightning]] || 100 || 55 || [[Twenty20 in England in 2005|2005]] || [[Durham County Cricket Club|Durham Dynamos]] || 10 || 5
|- align="center"
| 22 || [[Hamish Marshall]] || [[Gloucestershire County Cricket Club|Gloucestershire Gladiators]] || 100 || 55 || [[2007 Twenty20 Cup|2007]] || [[Worcestershire County Cricket Club|Worcestershire Royals]] || 10 || 6
|- align="center"
| 23 || [[Ronnie Irani]] || [[Essex County Cricket Club|Essex Eagles]] || 100[[not out|*]] || 61 || [[2006]] || [[Sussex County Cricket Club|Sussex Sharks]] || 13 || 2
|- align="center"
| 24 || [[Greg Smith (cricketer, born 1983)|Greg Smith]] || [[Derbyshire County Cricket Club|Derbyshire Phantoms]] || 100[[not out|*]] || 62 || [[2008 Twenty20 Cup|2008]] || [[Yorkshire County Cricket Club|Yorkshire Carnegie]] || 12 || 2
|}
==See also==
*[[Sports league attendances]]
==References==
<references />
==External links==
*[http://www.ecb.co.uk/domestic/twenty20-cup/ ECB site]
*[http://www.thetwenty20cup.co.uk/ cricket20]
*[http://www.twentytwentyworldcup.com twenty20 matches,series,tournaments coverage]
[[Category:English domestic cricket competitions]]
[[Category:Twenty20 cricket]]
[[de:Twenty20 Cup]]