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== *Benson & Hedges Cup