1981 Benson & Hedges Cup

Cricket tournament

Administrator(s)Test and County Cricket Board

(55 overs per innings)

ChampionsSomerset (1st title)

Participants20

1981 Benson & Hedges Cup
Administrator(s)	Test and County Cricket Board
Cricket format	Limited overs cricket (55 overs per innings)
Champions	Somerset (1st title)
Participants	20
Matches	47
Most runs	313 Chris Balderstone (Leicestershire)
Most wickets	16 Joel Garner (Somerset)
← 1980 1982 →

The 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup was the tenth edition of cricket's Benson & Hedges Cup.

The competition was won by Somerset County Cricket Club.

Group stage

Group A

Team	Pld	W	L	NR	A	Pts	BowSR
Nottinghamshire	4	4	0	0	0	8	35.472
Leicestershire	4	2	1	1	0	5	40.952
Northamptonshire	4	1	1	1	1	4	34.095
Gloucestershire	4	1	2	0	1	3	38.480
Worcestershire	4	0	4	0	0	0	69.722

Group B

Team	Pld	W	L	NR	A	Pts	BowSR
Yorkshire	4	3	0	0	1	7	34.500
Warwickshire	4	2	1	1	0	5	34.900
Derbyshire	4	2	1	1	0	5	36.731
Lancashire	4	1	2	0	1	3	46.900
Scotland	4	0	4	0	0	0	61.500

Group C

Team	Pld	W	L	A	Pts	BowSR
Kent	4	3	1	0	6	29.824
Somerset	4	3	1	0	6	41.094
Essex	4	2	2	0	4	37.871
Glamorgan	4	1	2	1	3	26.875
Oxford and Cambridge Universities	4	0	3	1	1	72.000

Group D

Team	Pld	W	L	NR	A	Pts	BowSR
Sussex	4	3	0	0	1	7	29.259
Surrey	4	1	1	2	0	4	36.889
Minor Counties	4	1	2	0	1	3	31.600
Middlesex	4	0	1	1	2	3	36.333
Hampshire	4	1	2	1	0	3	40.958

Quarter-finals

24, 25, 26 June 1981
(scorecard)

Kent 193/8 (50 overs)	v	Warwickshire 179 all out (49.1 overs)
Chris Tavaré 76 Anton Ferreira 3/38 (10 overs)		Andy Lloyd 60 John Shepherd 3/24 (10 overs)

Kent won by 14 runs
Kennington Oval, London
Umpires: Sam Cook & Tom Spencer
Player of the match: Chris Tavaré (Kent)

No play on scheduled day or first reserve day. The match was moved from Canterbury to The Oval on the third day as the former was waterlogged

24 June 1981
(scorecard)

Surrey 226/7 (55 overs)	v	Nottinghamshire 179 all out (49.4 overs)
Roger Knight 70 Clive Rice 2/32 (11 overs)		Derek Randall 62 Robin Jackman 4/24 (9.4 overs)

Surrey won by 47 runs
Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Umpires: Ron Aspinall & Ken Palmer
Player of the match: Roger Knight (Surrey)

24, 25 June 1981
(scorecard)

Sussex 196/9 (55 overs)	v	Leicestershire 199/6 (54.1 overs)
Paul Phillipson 59 Gordon Parsons 2/22 (10 overs)		Chris Balderstone 67 John Barclay 3/34 (11 overs)

Leicestershire won by 4 wickets
County Ground, Hove
Umpires: David Evans & Roy Palmer
Player of the match: Paul Phillipson (Sussex)

Reserve day used. Sussex were 84/5 (28 overs) at the close of the first day's play

24 June 1981
(scorecard)

Yorkshire 221/9 (55 overs)	v	Somerset 223/7 (53.5 overs)
John Hampshire 58 Joel Garner 3/33 (11 overs)		Brian Rose 68 Neil Hartley 2/33 (11 overs)

Somerset won by 3 wickets
Headingley, Leeds
Umpires: David Halfyard & Don Oslear
Player of the match: Brian Rose (Somerset)

Semi-finals

8 July 1981
(scorecard)

Kent 154 all out (52.1 overs)	v	Somerset 157/5 (48.3 overs)
Chris Tavaré 44 Ian Botham 3/23 (10 overs)		Peter Roebuck 51* Derek Underwood 2/15 (11 overs)

Somerset won by 5 wickets
County Ground, Taunton
Umpires: Arthur Jepson & Ray Julian
Player of the match: Nigel Popplewell (Somerset)

8 July 1981
(scorecard)

Surrey 191/9 (55 overs)	v	Leicestershire 188 all out (54.5 overs)
Graham Roope 55* Andy Roberts 2/27 (11 overs)		John Steele 39 Ian Payne 3/20 (11 overs)

Surrey won by 3 runs
Kennington Oval, London
Umpires: Bill Alley & Peter Wight
Player of the match: Ian Payne (Surrey)

Final

Main article: 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup Final

25 July 1981
(scorecard)

Surrey 194/8 (55 overs)	v	Somerset 197/3 (44.3 overs)
Roger Knight 92 Joel Garner 5/14 (11 overs)		Viv Richards 132* Sylvester Clarke 1/24 (8 overs)

Somerset won by 7 wickets
Lord's, London
Umpires: Dickie Bird & Barrie Meyer
Player of the match: Viv Richards (Somerset)

References

CricketArchive - 1981 Benson & Hedges Cup

v t e 1981 English cricket season
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International cricket	England v Australia
Domestic cricket	County Championship John Player League Benson & Hedges Cup (Final) NatWest Trophy
County seasons
County cricket in 1981	Derbyshire Essex Glamorgan Gloucestershire Hampshire Kent Lancashire Leicestershire Middlesex Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire Somerset Surrey Sussex Warwickshire Worcestershire Yorkshire