MTN Domestic Championship

The MTN Domestic Competitions is the premier domestic one-day cricket competition of South Africa, its matches having List A status. Matches are usually played partly under lights as day/night matches and occasionally get higher crowds than the Test matches [ [http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/sports/cricket.htm Cricket in South Africa - SouthAfrica.info] , retrieved 10 December 2005] .

History

The tournament has been played since the 1982–83 season when five teams competed in the "Benson and Hedges Series". The tournament gradually expanded, with eleven teams taking part from 1994–95 onwards, as more and more teams were promoted from the B groups of South African cricket. Two seasons later, it was renamed the "Standard Bank League", and then the "Standard Bank Cup", but the same teams competed, until Namibia were admitted in 2002–03. The following season was the last with regional teams - in 2004–05 the United Cricket Board of South Africa reorganised the competition, with six franchise teams playing each other home and away. This system has remained, though the tournament is now known as "MTN Domestic Competition"

In November 2007, it was announced that Zimbabwe would take part in the competition as a seventh side, playing both home and away fixtures. [http://www.cricketworld.com/zimbabwe/article/?aid=13920]

Winners

* 1981-82 Transvaal
* 1982-83 Transvaal
* 1983-84 Natal
* 1984-85 Transvaal
* 1985-86 Western Province
* 1986-87 Western Province
* 1987-88 Western Province
* 1988-89 Orange Free State
* 1989-90 Eastern Province
* 1990-91 Western Province
* 1991-92 Eastern Province
* 1992-93 Transvaal
* 1993-94 Orange Free State
* 1994-95 Orange Free State
* 1995-96 Orange Free State
* 1996-97 Natal
* 1997-98 Gauteng
* 1998-99 Griqualand West
* 1999-00 Boland
* 2000-01 KwaZulu Natal
* 2001-02 KwaZulu Natal
* 2002-03 Western Province
* 2003-04 Gauteng
* 2004-05 Eagles
* 2005-06 Eagles
* 2006-07 Cape Cobras

Current structure

The seven teams taking part in 2007-08 are:

* Cape Cobras from Cape Town, Cape Province
* Dolphins from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
* Eagles from Bloemfontein, Free State
* Lions from Potchefstroom, North West or Johannesburg, Gauteng
* Titans from Centurion, Gauteng
* Warriors from Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province
* Zimbabwe from Zimbabwe

They play each other twice home and away, between February and March. The top four teams progress to the semi-finals, with the winners of the semi-finals going through to the final.

Points system:
* Win: 5 points
* Tie, no result or abandoned: 3 points
* Loss: 0 points
* Bonus points: 1 point awarded if the run rate is sufficiently higher than that of the opposition.

References

External sources

* [http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Events/RSA.html CricketArchive]
* [http://www.cricinfo.com Cricinfo]
* [http://www.stickiewicket.com Cricket]

Further reading

* "South African Cricket Annual" – various editions
* "Wisden Cricketers' Almanack" – various editions