2003 Twenty20 Cup
| Administrator(s) | England and Wales Cricket Board |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage and knockout |
| Champions | Surrey Lions (1st title) |
| Participants | 18 |
| Most runs |
Brad Hodge (301 for Leicestershire) |
| Most wickets |
Adam Hollioake (16 for Surrey) |
The 2003 Twenty20 Cup was the inaugural Twenty20 Cup competition for English and Welsh county clubs. The finals day took place on 19 July at Trent Bridge, and was won by the Surrey Lions.
Following drops in attendances at county cricket matches, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) first suggested playing a new reduced form of cricket in 1998. The first-class cricket counties and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) did not approve the idea, which was then shelved. However, attendances continued to drop, and in 2001 the ECB brought the idea up once more, and invested £200,000 in market research. This research suggested that two-thirds of the population claimed to either hate cricket, or have no interest in it, and that cricket grounds had the intimidating feel of private members' clubs. Half of the study group indicated that they would be able to tolerate a shorter match played on weekday evenings. This research was taken back to the first-class counties and the MCC, and the formation of a new, short form of cricket was approved 11–7, with the MCC abstaining.
The format, in which team batted and bowled for 20 overs with a 15-minute break between innings, was decided upon, and the ECB then began marketing the concept with special offers and newspaper adverts. In addition to the shorter format, the competition also included off-field entertainment, including live bands, replay screens, barbecue zones and karaoke machines. Each of these were introduced to attract a wider range of spectators, particularly families and younger people.
The 18 first-class counties were split into three regional groups of six teams, which were retained from the Benson & Hedges Cup. The three group-winners and the best runner-up progressed to Finals Day on Saturday 19 July. Each team then played each other team in the group once, the 45 group matches took place over 12 days. On Finals Day, both semi-finals and the final were all played on the same day, with the first match starting at 10:45, and the final not due to finish until 22:00 that evening. In a break from tradition, the finals were not held at Lord's – who had their application for a concert licence turned down by Westminster City Council. Instead, the event was hosted by Nottinghamshire, at their Trent Bridge ground.
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