2008 Friends Provident Trophy

Infobox cricket tournament
administrator = England and Wales Cricket Board
cricket format = Limited overs cricket (50 overs)
tournament format = Group stage and Knockout
champions = Essex
count = 3rd
participants = 18
matches = 87
most runs = Martin van Jaarsveld-(660 for Kent)
most wickets = Yasir Arafat-(24 for Kent)
website = [http://www.friendsprovident.com/cricket/ Friends Provident cricket] The 2008 Friends Provident Trophy was an English county cricket tournament, held between April 20 and August 16, 2008. The tournament was won by Essex.

Format

Unlike in 2007, the 18 English counties, Ireland and Scotland were divided into four groups of five, based on geographical location. Each side played the other four teams home and away, with the top two sides from each group progressing to the quarter-final stage.cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/england/content/story/310739.html|title=Changes to structure of domestic tournaments|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-18] A spokesman for the England and Wales Cricket Board, which instigated the changes, explained that the changes "provides ["sic"] more local derbies and less travel for players". The recommendations of the "Schofield Report"; an investigation into England's 5–0 Ashes defeat, were also cited as a cause for the changes.

Group stage

Midlands Division

South/West Division

Knockout stage

Quarter finals

Limited Overs Matches
date = June 4, 2008
team1 = Nottinghamshire Outlaws
score1 = 188 all out (47.2 overs)
score2 = 189 for 9 (49 overs)
team2 = Durham Dynamos
runs1 = Samit Patel 114 (113)
wickets1 = Callum Thorp 2/20 (9)
runs2 = Michael Di Venuto 70 (86)
wickets2 = Samit Patel 3/27 (10)
result = Durham Dynamos won by 1 wicket [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/match/319872.html|title=Quarter-Final: Durham v Nottinghamshire at Chester-le-Street, Jun 4, 2008|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-17]
report =
venue = Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
umpires = George Sharp and John Steele
motm = Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
rain = ----Limited Overs Matches
date = June 4, 2008
team1 = Gloucestershire Gladiators
score1 = 201 all out (45.2 overs)
score2 = 205 for 4 (44.1 overs)
team2 = Yorkshire Carnegie
runs1 = Steve Adshead 71 (73)
wickets1 = Tim Bresnan 4/31 (10)
runs2 = Craig White 55 (107)
wickets2 = Jon Lewis 2/21 (10)
result = Yorkshire Carnegie won by 6 wickets [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/match/319873.html|title=Quarter-Final: Gloucestershire v Yorkshire at Bristol, Jun 4, 2008|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-17]
report =
venue = County Ground, Bristol
umpires = Barry Dudleston and Nigel Llong
motm = Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
rain = ----Limited Overs Matches
date = June 4, 2008
team1 = Essex Eagles
score1 = 350 for 5 (50 overs)
score2 = 232 all out (41 overs)
team2 = Leicestershire Foxes
runs1 = Ravi Bopara 201* (138)
wickets1 = Dillon du Preez 2/60 (10)
runs2 = Paul Nixon 62 (64)
wickets2 = Ryan ten Doeschate 2/32 (7)
result = Essex Eagles won by 118 runs [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/match/319875.html|title=Quarter-Final: Leicestershire v Essex at Leicester, Jun 4, 2008|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-17]
report =
venue = Grace Road, Leicester
umpires = Rob Bailey and Ian Gould
motm = Ravi Bopara (Essex)
rain = ----Limited Overs Matches
date = June 4–5, 2008
team1 = Kent Spitfires
score1 = 259 for 5 (50 overs)
score2 = 222 all out (45.5 overs)
team2 = Somerset Sabres
runs1 = Neil Dexter 101* (113)
wickets1 = Ben Phillips 2/55 (10)
runs2 = Craig Kieswetter 90 (119)
wickets2 = Yasir Arafat 3/23 (8)
result = Kent Spitfires won by 37 runs [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/match/319874.html|title=Quarter-Final: Kent v Somerset at Beckenham, Jun 4, 2008|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-17]
report =
venue = County Ground, Beckenham
umpires = Richard Illingworth and Neil Mallender
motm = Neil Dexter (Kent)
rain = Reserve day used

Semi finals

Limited Overs Matches
date = July 4, 2008
team1 = Kent Spitfires
score1 = 301 for 4 (50 overs)
score2 = 217 all out (43.1 overs)
team2 = Durham Dynamos
runs1 = Martin van Jaarsveld 122* (93)-Joe Denly 102 (125)
wickets1 = Steve Harmison 4/47 (10)
runs2 = Dale Benkenstein 79* (89)
wickets2 = James Tredwell 3/37 (10)
result = Kent Spitfires won by 84 runs [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/match/319876.html|title=1st Semi-Final: Durham v Kent at Chester-le-Street, Jul 4, 2008|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-17]
report =
venue = Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
umpires = Richard Kettleborough and Neil Mallender
motm = Martin van Jaarsveld (Kent)
rain = ----Limited Overs Matches
date = July 5, 2008
team1 = Essex Eagles
score1 = 285 for 8 (50 overs)
score2 = 198 all out (42.5 overs)
team2 = Yorkshire Carnegie
runs1 = Alistair Cook 95 (127)
wickets1 = Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 2/41 (10)
runs2 = Andrew Gale 64 (84)
wickets2 = Ryan ten Doeschate 3/30 (7)
result = Essex Eagles won by 87 runs [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/match/319877.html|title=2nd Semi-Final: Essex v Yorkshire at Chelmsford, Jul 5, 2008|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-17]
report =
venue = County Ground, Chelmsford
umpires = Peter Hartley and Nigel Llong
motm = Graham Napier (Essex)
rain =

Final

Limited Overs Matches
date = August 17, 2008
team1 = Kent Spitfires
score1 = 214 all out (50 overs)
score2 = 215 for 5 (48.5 overs)
team2 = Essex Eagles
runs1 = Ryan McLaren 63 (71)
wickets1 = David Masters 2/34 (10)
runs2 = Grant Flower 70* (97)
wickets2 = Robbie Joseph 3/40 (10)
result = Essex Eagles won by 5 wickets [cite web|url=http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/countycricket2008/engine/match/319878.html|title=Final: Kent v Essex at Lord's, Aug 16, 2008|publisher=Cricinfo|accessdate=2008-08-17]
report =
venue = Lord's Cricket Ground, London
umpires = Nigel Llong and George Sharp
motm = Grant Flower (Essex)
rain =

References

External links

* [http://www.friendsprovident.com/cricket/ Official website]
* [http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Seasons/ENG/2008_ENG_Friends_Provident_Trophy_2008.html Competition overview] from CricketArchive
* [http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2008/ENG_LOCAL/FPT/ Competition overview] from Cricinfo