| 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 |
| Website | Website |
| 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 three divisions of six teams each. 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.
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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.
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.
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. The 2012 season saw a reduction in pool matches from 16 to 10 as the 18 first class counties were divided into three geographical divisions.
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. [5] 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.[6] The 2012 season will see the return of three regional groups of six teams reducing the amount of group stage games to ten to be played with the top two teams in each group plus the two third-placed teams with the best records progress to the quarter-final stage.[7]
The counties are able to register Twenty20 specialist players for the competition, and 2 overseas ("unqualified") players.[8]
| Year | Final | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Held at | Winners | Runners-up | Result | |
| 2010 Details |
Rose Bowl, Southampton, on 14 August 2010 | Hampshire Royals 173 for 5 (20 overs) |
Somerset 173 for 6 (20 overs) |
Hampshire won by losing fewer wickets Scorecard |
| 2011 Details |
Edgbaston, Birmingham, on 27 August 2011 | Leicestershire Foxes 145 for 6 (20 overs) |
Somerset 127 for 9 (20 overs) |
Leicestershire won by 18 runs Scorecard |
| 2012 Details |
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, on 25 August 2012 | TBD | ||
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.
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