1998 Benson & Hedges Cup
The 1998 Benson & Hedges Cup was the twenty-seventh competing of cricket’s Benson & Hedges Cup. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 28 April and 12 July 1998.[3]
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | Limited overs cricket(50 overs per innings) |
| Champions | Essex (2nd title) |
| Participants | 22 |
| Matches played | 57 |
| Most runs | 629 Darren Maddy (Leicestershire)[1] |
| Most wickets | 13 Glen Chapple (Lancashire) Richard Johnson (Middlesex) Alan Mullally (Leicestershire) Ben Hollioake (Surrey)[2] |
It had been agreed at various meetings of the ECB in September 1997[4] that, due to restrictions on tobacco advertising and a desire to reduce the amount of one-day cricket played, that this would be the final Benson & Hedges Cup, but that henceforth a Super Cup would be played for between the top eight teams in the previous year's County Championship. The editor of Wisden, Matthew Engel, had suggested such a move in the 1995 edition in order to liven up the county scene.
The Super Cup was competed for in 1999 but was abandoned and the zonal system resumed for the 2000 competition. The revision to the system meant that 1998 was the last appearance in the Benson & Hedges Cup of the Minor Counties, the British Universities, Scotland and Ireland.
The competition was won by Essex County Cricket Club for the second time, defeating Leicestershire County Cricket Club by 192 runs in the final at Lord's on 11 and 12 July 1998.
Fixtures and results
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | L | NR | A | Pts | NRRA100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leicestershire | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 23.324 |
| Lancashire | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 17.313 |
| Warwickshire | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 16.358 |
| Nottinghamshire | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.519 |
| Northamptonshire | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -10.406 |
| Minor Counties | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -50.577 |
Source:[5]
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | L | NR | A | Pts | NRRA100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 13.134 |
| Durham | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | -1.427 |
| Worcestershire | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3.666 |
| Derbyshire | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -3.277 |
| Scotland | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -10.520 |
Source:[5]
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | L | NR | A | Pts | NRRA100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13.168 |
| Kent | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 14.171 |
| Somerset | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0.558 |
| Gloucestershire | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.890 |
| British Universities | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -12.823 |
| Hampshire | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -15.563 |
Source:[5]
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | L | NR | A | Pts | NRRA100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3.716 |
| Essex | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 19.485 |
| Glamorgan | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10.333 |
| Sussex | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -1.533 |
| Ireland | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -33.294 |
Source:[5]
Quarter-Finals
27, 28 May 1998 (scorecard) |
Essex 232/9 (50 overs) |
v |
Middlesex 224/7 (50 overs) |
- Reserve day used. Essex were 232/9 at the close of the first day's play.
27, 28 May 1998 (scorecard) |
Lancashire 203 all out (49.4 overs) |
v |
Surrey 206/5 (45.4 overs) |
- Reserve day used. Surrey were 35/0 at the close of the first day's play.
Semi-Finals
Final
11, 12 July 1998 (scorecard) |
Essex 268/7 (50 overs) |
v |
Leicestershire 76 all out (27.4 overs) |
- Reserve day used. Essex were 268/7 (50 overs) at the close of the first day's play.
References
- "Batting and Fielding in Benson and Hedges Cup 1998 (Ordered by Runs)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- "Bowling in Benson and Hedges Cup 1998 (Ordered by Wickets)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- "Benson and Hedges Cup 1998". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- Engel, Matthew, ed. (1998). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1998. Guildford: John Wisden & Co Ltd. p. 1372.
- "Benson and Hedges Cup 1998 Points Table". CricketArchive. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
- Engel, Matthew, ed. (1999). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1999. Guildford: John Wisden & Co Ltd. p. 770.