T20 Blast/Vitality Blast
T20 Blast/Vitality Blast: participating teams
T20 Blast/Vitality Blast (England) Tournament
Cricket itself is not a sport that the whole world follows, for example, like football. Therefore, the various organizations leading this discipline’s main task is to popularize cricket. So in some countries, ideas are constantly emerging to create new championships that will interest the viewer as much as possible. Today we will tell you about one of them, which is held in England and Wales – about the T20 Blast /Vitality Blast.
T20 Blast/Vitality Blast: history of creation
The history of the creation of the T20 Blast began in 2002, when the England and Wales Cricket Board, the national governing body for cricket, thought about creating another one-day competition. ECB wanted to increase the popularity of cricket among the younger generation. It was necessary to create a dynamic and exciting championship which would not alienate the viewer with long matches.
Initially, the T20 Blast/Vitality Blast was called the Twenty20 Cup. It was held on June 13th in 2003. The championship aroused particular interest among cricket fans. Already in 2004, the matches gathered a little more than 26,000 people at the stadium.
The Twenty20 Cup lasted until 2009 because it already had another name in 2010 – Friends Provident/FriendsLife T20. Initially, 18 districts participated in the championship, divided into northern and southern groups.
In general, the name of the tournament changed each time depending on who sponsored them. In 2014, the cricket competition became the NatWest T20 Blast. That season, a record number of spectators attended the matches – 700 thousand people.
In 2018, Vitality became a sponsor of the event and now it is called T20 Blast/Vitality Blast – as we know it now.
T20 Blast/Vitality Blast: about the format of the championship
The format of the T20 Blast/Vitality Blast is as follows: 18 first-class counties of England and Wales compete with each other for the title of the best. The rules can sometimes change: in one season, games involving two geographical divisions can be held, in another – with the participation of three.
If the matches are played with the participation of two divisions, then the teams are divided into 2 groups:
- Northern Division: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Notts Outlaws (Nottinghamshire), Birmingham Bears (Warwickshire), Worcestershire Rapids, Yorkshire Vikings.
- Southern Division: Essex Eagles, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex Sharks.
If the matches are played with the participation of three divisions, then the teams are divided into 3 geographical groups:
- Northern Division: Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Lancashire Lightning, Leicestershire Foxes, Notts Outlaws (Nottinghamshire), Yorkshire Vikings.
- Central Division: Glamorgan, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Somerset, Birmingham Bears (Warwickshire), Worcestershire Rapids.
- Southern Division: Essex Eagles, Hampshire Hawks, Kent Spitfires, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex Sharks.
T20 Blast/Vitality Blast: champions of the games
In the entire history of the T20 Blast/Vitality Blast, a total of 19 champions were held from 2003 to 2022. We offer to see which teams became the winners of the games:
- 2003 – Surrey Lions.
- 2004 – Leicestershire Foxes.
- 2005– Somerset Sabres.
- 2006 – Leicestershire Foxes.
- 2007 – Kent Spitfires.
- 2008 – Middlesex Crusaders.
- 2009 – Sussex Sharks.
- 2010 – Hampshire Royals.
- 2011 – Leicestershire Foxes.
- 2012 – Hampshire Royals.
- 2013 – Northants Steelbacks.
- 2014 – Birmingham Bears (Warwickshire).
- 2015 – Lancashire Lightning.
- 2016 – Northants Steelbacks.
- 2017 – Notts Outlaws.
- 2018 – Worcestershire Rapids.
- 2019 – Essex Eagles.
- 2020 – Notts Outlaws.
- 2021 – Kent Spitfires.
- 2022 – Hampshire Hawks.
The T20 Blast/Vitality Blast games continue. The championship is broadcast on Sky Sports, Fox Cricket and CricLife 4. You can also enjoy high quality free broadcasts on bookmakers’ websites. You can choose your company to play and watch matches on our website in the Promo Codes section.
