- Friends Life t20
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Friends Life t20 Countries England
Wales
Administrator ECB Format Twenty20 First tournament 2010 Tournament format Group stage and Knockout Number of teams 18 Current champion Leicestershire 2011 Friends Life t20
The Friends Life t20 (previously known as the Friends Provident t20) is a Twenty20 cricket league in England and Wales run by the ECB since 2010. The league consists of the 18 first-class counties teams divided into two divisions of nine teams each (north-south). This plan, announced by the ECB in February 2009, replaced the more ambitious EPL project which would have included two overseas teams. The proposal was substantially modified following the credit crunch, and the change in circumstances of Allen Stanford himself. Friends Provident were announced as sponsors of the competition, having previously sponsored the 50-over competition.[1]
This tournament replaced the Twenty20 Cup as the premier domestic Twenty20 competition of England and Wales.
Contents
History
Twenty20 Cup
The first official Twenty20 matches were played on 13 June 2003, between the English counties in the Twenty20 Cup. The first season of Twenty20 in England was a relative success, with the Surrey Lions defeating the Warwickshire Bears by nine wickets in the final to claim the Twenty20 Cup. On 15 July 2004 Middlesex versus Surrey (the first Twenty20 game to be held at Lord's) attracted a crowd of 26,500, the largest attendance for any county cricket game other than a one-day final since 1953.[citation needed]
By the end of the 2009 Twenty Cup, the ECB had decided to implement a larger competition for the Twenty20 format of the game. The Twenty20 English Premier League was a proposed cricket league to be run by the ECB. The league was to consist of 18 county teams and two overseas teams divided into two divisions of ten teams each. It was rumoured that the two overseas teams were to be a side fielded by Allen Stanford of the West Indies and the winners of the Indian Premier League.[2] After the disgrace of Stanford, this tournament was scrapped. The establishment of the Friends Life t20 contributed to the discontinuation of the Pro40 League,[2] and a second Twenty20 League (a revamped version of the outgoing Twenty20 Cup) to be held in July, August and September, played on Friday evenings.[3][4] This did not happen, and instead a modified 40 over league, the Clydesdale Bank 40 was implemented.
t20
The t20 format of the game was introduced in 2010 (see 2010 Friends Provident t20). The competition ran from 1 June 2010 until the finals day at The Rose Bowl on 14 August 2010. The eighteen counties were split into two regions, North and South, with the top four teams from each group progressing to the quarter-final knockout stage. The competition was won by Hampshire Royals, who beat Essex Eagles in the semi-finals, and Somerset in the final, by virtue of losing fewer wickets in a tied match.
Teams
Competition format
There are 18 clubs competing for the t20 title. The 18 clubs are initially split into 2 (North and South) groups, containing 9 teams in each. This forms the "group stage" of the tournament. [6] During the group stage (from June to August) each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 16 games. Teams receive two points for a win, one point for a tie and one point if the match is abandoned. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then net run rate. At the end of the group stage, the top four teams from each group enter the knockout stage.[7]
The counties are able to register Twenty20 specialist players for the competition, and 2 overseas ("unqualified") players.[8]
North and south groups
Previous champions
T20 Champions Season Champions 2010 Hampshire Royals 2011 Leicestershire Foxes Media coverage
Sky Sports showed many games throughout the 2010 season and is continuing to show them in 2011. S4C also offers some coverage with a few Glamorgan matches available with Welsh commentary.
Statistics
Leading runscorers
Player Team Runs Highest Score Jimmy Adams Hampshire 668 101* Marcus Trescothick Somerset 572 83 Mark Cosgrove Glamorgan 562 89 Tom Smith Lancashire 543 92* David Hussey Nottinghamshire 524 81* Ravi Bopara Essex 473 105* James Franklin Gloucestershire 470 90 Sean Ervine Hampshire 470 74 Alex Hales Nottinghamshire 466 83 Samit Patel Nottinghamshire 459 63 Source: Cricinfo[9] Leading six hitters
Player Team Sixes Strike rate Kieron Pollard Somerset 29 175.24 Scott Styris Essex 24 161.98 Ross Taylor Durham 23 173.07 Marcus Trescothick Somerset 22 157.14 Tom Maynard Surrey 20 150.19 Ryan ten Doeschate Essex 19 177.24 David Hussey Nottinghamshire 19 142.00 Matt Prior Sussex 18 169.08 Darren Maddy Warwickshire 18 132.55 Jimmy Adams Hampshire 17 132.27 Source: Cricinfo[10] Leading wicket takers
Player Team Wickets Average Alfonso Thomas Somerset 33 13.93 Danny Briggs Hampshire 31 14.35 Kieron Pollard Somerset 29 15.10 Stephen Parry Lancashire 26 16.42 Adil Rashid Yorkshire 26 16.46 Chris Tremlett Surrey 24 17.12 Chaminda Vaas Northamptonshire 23 15.82 Sajid Mahmood Lancashire 23 18.69 Robert Croft Glamorgan 22 15.59 Keith Barker Warwickshire 21 16.66 Source: Cricinfo[11] References
- ^ Friends Provident sponsor Twenty20, 15 October 2009, www.ecb.co.uk. Retrieved on 27 May 2010.
- ^ a b "ECB unveil new Twenty20 tournament". Cricinfo. 2008-07-16. http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/361423.html. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
- ^ "New-look English Twenty20 agreed". BBC. 2008-07-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/7510080.stm. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
- ^ ECB To Replace Pro40 With EPL Twenty20 Competition
- ^ Dobell, George (2011-04-14). "Chopra dominates Somerset with career-best ton". ESPNcricinfo. http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2011/content/current/story/511083.html. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ Twenty20 groups confirmed, 18 October 2009, www.ecb.co.uk. Retrieved on 27 May 2010.
- ^ Friends Provident t20 - format, www.ecb.co.uk. Retrieved on 27 May 2010.
- ^ First Class Regulations and Playing Conditions 2010 - Regulations Governing the Qualification and Registration of Cricketers, www.ecb.co.uk. Retrieved on 27 May 2010.
- ^ "Friends Provident t20, 2010 / Records / Most runs". Cricinfo. http://stats.cricinfo.com/fpt20/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?id=5610;type=tournament. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ^ "Friends Provident t20, 2010 / Records / Most sixes". Cricinfo. http://stats.cricinfo.com/fpt20/engine/records/batting/most_sixes_career.html?id=5610;type=tournament. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
- ^ "Friends Provident t20, 2010 / Records / Most wickets". Cricinfo. http://stats.espncricinfo.com/fpt20/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=5610;type=tournament. Retrieved 2010-1-12.
Cricket in England National teams National Football Centre First-class competitions One-day competitions ECB 40 · National League (cricket) (defunct) · Benson & Hedges Cup (defunct) · Friends Provident Trophy (defunct)Twenty20 competitions Lists Venues · Competitions · HistoryDomestic Twenty20 cricket in England Seasons Teams North Group: Derbyshire Phantoms • Durham Dynamos • Leicestershire Foxes • Lancashire Lightning • Northamptonshire Steelbacks • Nottinghamshire Outlaws • Warwickshire Bears • Worcestershire Royals • Yorkshire Carnegie
South Group: Essex Eagles • Glamorgan Dragons • Gloucestershire Gladiators • Hampshire Hawks • Kent Spitfires • Middlesex Crusaders • Somerset Sabres • Surrey Brown Caps • Sussex SharksTwenty20 Cricket Leagues International Regional Domestic Indian Premier League • Big Bash League • Scotiabank National T20 Championship • Friends Life t20 • National Elite League Twenty20 • HRV Twenty20 Cup • Standard Bank Pro20 Series • Sri Lankan T20 Premier League • Stanbic Bank 20 Series • Bangladesh NCL Twenty20Private Leagues Port City Cricket LeagueProposed Leagues Southern Hemisphere T20 Tournament (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa) • Pakistan Premier League (Pakistan)Defunct Indian Cricket League (India) • Inter-State T20 Championship (India) • Twenty20 Tournament (Sri Lanka) • P20 (England) • Pro Cricket (United States) • Stanford 20/20 (W.Indies) • Stanford Super Series (W.Indies/England) • Twenty20 Cup (England) • American Premier League (United States) • KFC Twenty20 Big Bash (Australia)Categories:- Professional sports leagues
- Organizations established in 2010
- Sports leagues
- English domestic cricket competitions
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