The Twenty20 Cup is a cricket competition for English and 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 castles, 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.
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:
A chart showing each county's historical performance in the Twenty20 cup
Northern Division
Derbyshire Phantoms
Durham Dynamos
Leicestershire Foxes
Lancashire Lightning
Nottinghamshire Outlaws
Yorkshire Carnegie
Southern Division
Essex Eagles
Hampshire Hawks
Kent Spitfires
Middlesex Crusaders
Surrey Brown Caps
Sussex Sharks
Mid / West / Wales Division
Glamorgan Dragons
Gloucestershire Gladiators
Northamptonshire Steelbacks
Somerset Sabres
Warwickshire Bears
Worcestershire Royals
As of the 2008 season, each county will play 10 games, playing each team in the group once home and once away[1]. 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.
2008 Finals Day will take place at The Rose Bowl,Southampton on Saturday July 26th.
Final Results
Centuries in the Twenty20 Cup
See also
References
- ^ 2008 fixtures announced - Media Releases - News - ECB
External links
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