1993 Benson & Hedges Cup

The 1993 Benson & Hedges Cup was the twenty-second edition of cricket's Benson & Hedges Cup. It was an English limited overs county cricket tournament which was held between 27 April and 10 July 1993.^[3] The tournament was won by Derbyshire County Cricket Club who defeated Lancashire County Cricket Club by 6 runs in the final at Lord's.

1993 Benson & Hedges Cup

Administrator(s)	Test and County Cricket Board
Cricket format	Limited overs cricket (55 overs per innings)
Tournament format(s)	Knockout
Champions	Derbyshire (1st title)
Participants	21
Matches	20
Most runs	247 Neil Fairbrother (Lancashire)[1]
Most wickets	10 Wasim Akram (Lancashire)[2]
← 1992 1994 →

Format

In the late 1980s the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) created a Structure Working Party under the chairmanship of Michael Murray to identify weaknesses in the structure of county cricket and suggest improvements.^[4] It reported in 1992. Its main recommendations were the reduction of the County Championship from 22 matches a side to seventeen (each of the eighteen first-class counties playing each other once), all County Championship matches to be played over four days, the Sunday League to be extended from 40 overs a side to 50 overs, and the dropping of the zonal stage of the Benson & Hedges Cup, which would instead be played as a knockout.^[5][6]

These changes were adopted in advance of the 1993 season by a vote of eleven to eight (with one abstention) at a special meeting of the TCCB on 19 May 1992.^[7] Although it was agreed that the system should last for a minimum of three years, it was agreed to revert to a zonal system at the TCCB winter meeting on 8–9 December 1993. The changes were implemented in time for the 1995 season.^[8]

Fixtures and results

Preliminary round

27, 28 April 1993 (scorecard)

Minor Counties 156/8 (55 overs)	v	Durham 157/4 (53.5 overs)
Ian Cockbain 33 Phil Bainbridge 3/24 (11 overs)		Wayne Larkins 42 Paul Newman 2/23 (10 overs)

Durham won by 6 wickets Park Drive, Hartlepool Umpires: Barrie Meyer & Peter Willey Player of the match: Andrew Fothergill (Durham)

• Reserve day used. No play first day.

27 April 1993 (scorecard)

Gloucestershire 198/7 (55 overs)	v	Derbyshire 198/5 (55 overs)
Chris Broad 58 Dominic Cork 2/39 (11 overs)		Peter Bowler 92 Kevin Cooper 1/20 (11 overs)

Derbyshire won by losing fewer wickets The Royal and Sun Alliance County Ground, Bristol Umpires: Chris Balderstone & Jack Bond Player of the match: Peter Bowler (Derbyshire)

27 April 1993 (scorecard)

Combined Universities 177/7 (55 overs)	v	Hampshire 178/1 (50 overs)
Jeremy Snape 52 Malcolm Marshall 2/24 (11 overs)		Tony Middleton 91* Robert Macdonald 1/20 (8 overs)

Hampshire won by 9 wickets County Ground, Southampton Umpires: Mervyn Kitchen & George Sharp Player of the match: Tony Middleton (Hampshire)

27 April 1993 (scorecard)

Glamorgan 236/7 (55 overs)	v	Kent 132 all out (49.4 overs)
Matthew Maynard 89 Martin McCague 3/39 (11 overs)		Neil Taylor 42 Steve Barwick 4/15 (9.4 overs)

Glamorgan won by 104 runs St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury Umpires: Barry Dudleston & Gerry Stickley Player of the match: Matthew Maynard (Glamorgan)

27 April 1993 (scorecard)

Scotland 106/8 (55 overs)	v	Essex 107/1 (29.3 overs)
Jim Love 44 Mark Ilott 5/21 (11 overs)		John Stephenson 50* Bruce Russell 1/27 (4.3 overs)

Essex won by 9 wickets Lochside Park, Forfar Umpires: John Hampshire & John Holder Player of the match: Mark Ilott (Essex)

First round

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Derbyshire 253/8 (55 overs)	v	Middlesex 239/9 (55 overs)
Chris Adams 58 Angus Fraser 3/50 (11 overs)		Desmond Haynes 60 Devon Malcolm 3/62 (11 overs)

Derbyshire won by 14 runs County Ground, Derby Umpires: Graham Burgess & David Constant Player of the match: Chris Adams (Derbyshire)

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Durham 196/5 (55 overs)	v	Hampshire 197/7 (54.1 overs)
Wayne Larkins 110* Malcolm Marshall 2/29 (11 overs)		Paul Terry 79 Anderson Cummins 3/36 (11 overs)

Hampshire won by 3 wickets Grangefield Road, Stockton-on-Tees Umpires: Jack Bond & Vanburn Holder Player of the match: Wayne Larkins (Durham)

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Sussex 263/7 (55 overs)	v	Glamorgan 230 all out (52.2 overs)
David Smith 55 Adrian Dale 3/37 (11 overs)		Matthew Maynard 57 Franklyn Stephenson 3/48 (10 overs)

Sussex won by 33 runs Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Umpires: Bob White & Peter Willey Player of the match: Ian Salisbury (Sussex)

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Leicestershire 206/8 (55 overs)	v	Warwickshire 206 all out (55 overs)
Phil Robinson 70 Paul Smith 3/33 (7 overs)		Andy Moles 63 Adrian Pierson 3/42 (11 overs)

Leicestershire won by losing fewer wickets Grace Road, Leicester Umpires: Ray Julian & Nigel Plews Player of the match: Phil Robinson (Leicestershire)

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Nottinghamshire 279/8 (55 overs)	v	Somerset 283/9 (55 overs)
Paul Pollard 80 Andy Caddick 2/36 (11 overs)		Nick Folland 83 Greg Mike 4/44 (11 overs)

Somerset won by 1 wicket Trent Bridge, Nottingham Umpires: John Holder & Alan Whitehead Player of the match: Mark Lathwell (Somserset)

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Lancashire 236/7 (54.1 overs)	v	Surrey 230 all out (55 overs)
Neil Fairbrother 87 Martin Bicknell 3/27 (11 overs)		Graham Thorpe 103 Ian Austin 3/40 (11 overs)

Lancashire won by 6 runs The Foster’s Oval, London Umpires: Barry Dudleston & George Sharp Player of the match: Neil Fairbrother (Lancashire)

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Essex 115 all out (53.3 overs)	v	Worcestershire 117/1 (32.1 overs)
Mike Garnham 16* Richard Illingworth 3/21 (10.3 overs)		Graeme Hick 62* Derek Pringle 1/21 (7 overs)

Worcestershire won by 9 wickets New Road, Worcester Umpires: Chris Balderstone & David Shepherd Player of the match: Graeme Hick (Worcestershire)

11 May 1993 (scorecard)

Northamptonshire 211/9 (55 overs)	v	Yorkshire 177 all out (52.1 overs)
Nigel Felton 62 Mark Robinson 3/51 (11 overs)		Martyn Moxon 52 Richie Richardson52 David Capel 3/54 (10 overs)

Northamptonshire won by 34 runs Headingley Cricket Ground, Leeds Umpires: Barrie Meyer & Gerry Stickley Player of the match: Nigel Felton (Northamptonshire)

Quarter-finals

25, 26 May 1993 (scorecard)

Hampshire 223/7 (55 overs)	v	Northamptonshire 227/3 (53.4 overs)
Paul Terry 76 Curtly Ambrose 2/30 (11 overs)		Nigel Felton 73 Cardigan Connor 1/43 (10.4 overs)

Northamptonshire won by 7 wickets County Ground, Southampton Umpires: Mervyn Kitchen & Ken Palmer Player of the match: Nigel Felton (Northamptonshire)

• Reserve day used. Northamptonshire were 160/3 at the close of the first day's play.

25 May 1993 (scorecard)

Leicestershire 205/9 (55 overs)	v	Worcestershire 150 all out (48.2 overs)
Nigel Briers 58 Kenny Benjamin 2/37 (11 overs)		Graeme Hick 82 Vince Wells 4/37 (10 overs)

Leicestershire won by 55 runs Grace Road, Leicester Umpires: Barrie Leadbeater & Peter Wight Player of the match: Winston Benjamin (Leicestershire)

25, 26 May 1993 (scorecard)

Derbyshire 69/0 (20.3 overs)	v	Somerset
Kim Barnett 35*

No result (Derbyshire won on bowl out 6-3) County Ground, Taunton Umpires: John Harris & Don Oslear

• Reserve day used. No play on the second day.

25 May 1993 (scorecard)

Sussex 178/7 (55 overs)	v	Lancashire 182/5 (52 overs)
Bill Athey 61 Wasim Akram 2/27 (11 overs)		Wasim Akram 46 Ian Salisbury 2/41 (11 overs)

Lancashire won by 5 wickets County Ground, Hove Umpires: Dickie Bird & Alan Whitehead Player of the match: Wasim Akram (Lancashire)

Semi-finals

8 June 1993 (scorecard)

Northamptonshire 210 all out (53.2 overs)	v	Derbyshire 214/2 (51.3 overs)
Allan Lamb 60 Devon Malcolm 3/23 (10 overs)		Kim Barnett 61 Paul Taylor 1/34 (9.3 overs)

Derbyshire won by 8 wickets County Ground, Derby Umpires: Allan Jones & Roy Palmer Player of the match: John Morris (Derbyshire)

8 June 1993 (scorecard)

Lancashire 218/6 (55 overs)	v	Leicestershire 108 all out (40 overs)
Neil Fairbrother 64* Gordon Parsons 3/21 (11 overs)		James Whitaker 32 Wasim Akram 5/10 (7 overs)

Lancashire won by 110 runs Grace Road, Leicester Umpires: John Hampshire & Nigel Plews Player of the match: Neil Fairbrother (Lancashire)

Final

10 July 1993 (scorecard)

Derbyshire 252/6 (55 overs)	v	Lancashire 246/7 (55 overs)
Dominic Cork 92* Philip DeFreitas 3/39 (11 overs)		Neil Fairbrother 87* Alan Warner 3/31 (11 overs)

Derbyshire won by 6 runs Lord's, London Umpires: Barrie Meyer & David Shepherd Player of the match: Dominic Cork (Derbyshire)

References

1. "Batting and Fielding in Benson and Hedges Cup 1993 (Ordered by Runs)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
2. "Bowling in Benson and Hedges Cup 1993 (Ordered by Wickets)". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
3. "Benson and Hedges Cup 1993". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
4. Hignell, Andrew (11 January 2013). Rain Stops Play: Cricketing Climates. p. 172. ISBN 9781136338960.
5. Thicknesse, John (1993). "From Gravesend to the grave". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
6. Engel, Matthew, ed. (1993). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1993. Guildford: John Wisden & Co Ltd. p. 25.
7. Engel, Matthew, ed. (1993). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1993. Guildford: John Wisden & Co Ltd. p. 1218.
8. Engel, Matthew, ed. (1994). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, 1994. Guildford: John Wisden & Co Ltd. p. 1294.

See also

Benson & Hedges Cup