1979 Benson & Hedges Cup

1979 Benson & Hedges Cup
Administrator(s) Test and County Cricket Board
Cricket format Limited overs cricket
(55 overs per innings)
Champions Essex (1st title)
Participants 20
Matches played 47
Most runs 591 Graham Gooch (Essex)
Most wickets 19 John Lever (Essex)

The 1979 Benson & Hedges Cup was the eighth competing of cricket's Benson & Hedges Cup. The competition was won by Essex County Cricket Club.

Controversy

Going into the final round of matches in Group A, Somerset held a three-point lead over both Glamorgan and Worcestershire. Worcestershire were due to play Somerset at New Road while Glamorgan had an easy fixture against Minor Counties South at Watford.

It was mathematically possible for both Glamorgan and Worcestershire to overhaul Somerset in the table, and qualify for the quarter-finals, if both teams won (leaving all three on nine points) and their bowling strike rates improved and Somerset's worsened. Bowling strike rate was used as a tie-breaker in the event of teams finishing level on points.

In the match at Worcester, Somerset's captain Brian Rose won the toss and elected to bat. After one over, which yielded a no-ball, Rose declared, leaving Worcestershire a target of two which they knocked off in 10 balls. This left Somerset's strike rate intact.[1][2] The action was in fact unnecessary as Glamorgan's match was washed out.

Although Rose was condemned, there was nothing in the Rules against a declaration in limited overs cricket at the time. The action was however viewed as being against the spirit of the game, and the TCCB expelled Somerset from the Benson & Hedges Cup on 1 June, their place in the quarter-finals being taken by Glamorgan.

Fixtures and results

Group stage

Group A

Team Pld W L NR Pts BowSR
Somerset 1 4 3 1 0 9 33.321
Worcestershire 4 3 1 0 9 36.920
Glamorgan 4 2 1 1 7 36.040
Gloucestershire 4 1 3 0 3 53.100
Minor Counties South 4 0 3 1 1 55.692

1 Somerset declared at 1/0 after one over in the match against Worcestershire in order to ensure that they could not be overtaken on strike-rate. Eight days after the match, an emergency meeting of the TCCB disciplinary committee was called, and Somerset were ejected from the competition for bringing the game into disrepute.

Group B

Team Pld W L NR Pts BowSR
Warwickshire 4 4 0 0 12 39.786
Derbyshire 4 2 1 1 7 33.438
Lancashire 4 2 1 1 7 49.500
Leicestershire 4 1 3 0 3 50.731
Hampshire 4 0 4 0 0 73.941

Group C

Team Pld W L NR Pts BowSR
Surrey 4 3 1 0 9 34.972
Essex 4 3 1 0 9 39.774
Sussex 4 2 2 0 6 50.000
Northamptonshire 4 2 2 0 6 55.000
Oxford and Cambridge Universities 4 0 4 0 0 93.286

Group D

Team Pld W L NR Pts BowSR
Middlesex 4 3 0 1 10 35.227
Yorkshire 4 2 0 2 8 33.111
Nottinghamshire 4 2 1 1 7 41.903
Kent 4 1 3 0 3 35.139
Minor Counties North 4 0 4 0 0 123.143

Quarter-Finals

6 June 1979
(scorecard)
Essex
271/5 (55 overs)
v
Warwickshire
227 all out (53.1 overs)
Graham Gooch 138
Steve Perryman 2/60 (11 overs)
David Smith 61
Norbert Phillip 2/30 (10.1 overs)
Essex won by 44 runs
County Ground, Chelmsford
Umpires: Ray Julian & Ken Palmer
Player of the match: Graham Gooch (Essex)
6 June 1979
(scorecard)
Glamorgan
197/5 (55 overs)
v
Derbyshire
199/4 (51.3 overs)
Peter Swart 75*
David Steele 2/29 (10 overs)
John Wright 101
Robin Hobbs 3/41 (10 overs)
Derbyshire won by 6 wickets
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Umpires: Dickie Bird & David Evans
Player of the match: John Wright (Derbyshire)
6 June 1979
(scorecard)
Middlesex
107 all out (49 overs)
v
Yorkshire
108/6 (47 overs)
Graham Barlow 21
Howard Cooper 4/28 (10 overs)
Kevin Sharp 22
Wayne Daniel 2/15 (11 overs)
Yorkshire won by 4 wickets
Lord's, London
Umpires: Barrie Meyer & Peter Wight
Player of the match: David Bairstow (Yorkshire)
6 June 1979
(scorecard)
Worcestershire
199/7 (55 overs)
v
Surrey
201/3 (50 overs)
Younis Ahmed 107
Sylvester Clarke 3/18 (11 overs)
Monte Lynch 67
James Cumbes 2/33 (11 overs)
Surrey won by 7 wickets
County Ground, Worcester
Umpires: Arthur Jepson & Don Oslear
Player of the match: Younis Ahmed (Worcestershire)

Semi-Finals

4 July 1979
(scorecard)
Surrey
166/8 (55 overs)
v
Derbyshire
160 all out (53.2 overs)
Monte Lynch 49
Geoff Miller 3/23 (11 overs)
Peter Kirsten 70
Sylvester Clarke 3/31 (11 overs)
Surrey won by 6 runs
County Ground, Derby
Umpires: Ray Julian & Peter Wight
Player of the match: Peter Kirsten (Derbyshire)
4 July 1979
(scorecard)
Yorkshire
173/9 (55 overs)
v
Essex
174/7 (54 overs)
Richard Lumb 75
Ray East 2/25 (11 overs)
Graham Gooch 49
Arnie Sidebottom 3/35 (11 overs)
Essex won by 3 wickets
County Ground, Chelmsford
Umpires: Don Oslear & Alan Whitehead
Player of the match: Keith Pont (Essex)

Final

21 July 1979
(scorecard)
Essex
290/6 (55 overs)
v
Surrey
255 all out (51.4 overs)
Graham Gooch 120
Hugh Wilson 4/56 (11 overs)
Geoff Howarth 74
Norbert Phillip 3/42 (10 overs)
Essex won by 35 runs
Lord's, London
Umpires: Dickie Bird & Barrie Meyer
Player of the match: Graham Gooch (Essex)

References

  1. Lawford, Mark (8 July 2008). "The day Somerset skipper Brian Rose took the rules to the limit and declared in the first over to ensure his side went through". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  2. Williamson, Martin (23 May 2009). "I do declare". Cricinfo. Retrieved 2012-12-04.

See also

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