83-600: The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom. It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties competed each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland . Lancashire won the title a record seven times. The competition was previously known as the Gillette Cup (1963–1980), the NatWest Trophy (1981–2000), and
166-490: A Middlesex side featuring Andrew Strauss in 2001. However, the majority of the time it was an opportunity for county sides to score very high scores against or bowl out cheaply Minor Counties opposition. One of the most famous matches in the competition was the 1971 Gillette Cup semi-final at Old Trafford , with David Hughes of Lancashire coming out to bat at 8.45 pm (before any floodlights) and scoring 24 in one over to beat Gloucestershire . That Lancashire team won
249-724: A Board of ten to twenty directors to be Quakers. That year also saw Phoenix sell its Australian life business to Friends' Provident. By 1981, a league table of British life offices listed Friends' Provident as fifteenth by assets. In 1986 Friends merged with UK Provident. In 1992 it became a foundation partner in the Eureko Alliance in association with AVCB (The Netherlands), Topdanmark (Denmark) and Wasa (Sweden). As part of this alliance, Friends Provident passed all of its then non UK subsidiaries (primarily in Australia, Canada and Ireland) into Eureko. The Irish entity continued on
332-673: A bowler bowling a maximum of 13. For the 1966 competition until 1998, the maximum was 12. Minor Counties teams first competed in the 1964 season. The competition has been seen as a cricketing version of football's FA Cup (it being said that "the B&;H was always the League Cup final to the Gillette/NatWest's FA Cup "), with Minor Counties, Ireland and Scotland playing against the First Class Counties in
415-621: A limited-overs competition (65 overs-a-side) the following year for all first-class counties, sponsored by American safety razor company Gillette . The original title was " The First Class Knock Out Competition for the Gillette Cup ". The first match (which was also retrospectively identified as the first List A cricket match after that designation was developed), was a Preliminary Round match on 1 May 1963 at Old Trafford, Manchester with Lancashire facing Leicestershire . The match ended up lasting two days due to rain. Peter Marner scored
498-698: A number of locations including Manchester , Clyst St. Mary in Exeter and Dorking , and was the second largest employer in Salisbury . There are also a few smaller area offices such as those in Bristol and Preston . Internationally Friends Provident had offices in Luxembourg , Hong Kong , Singapore and Dubai . In 2009 the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that Friends Provident would be
581-594: A range of life protection, income protection, pensions and investment products for individual customers and corporate clients throughout the UK. The International Life and Pensions business operated throughout Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Friends Provident was the first investment house in the UK to offer a fully ethical investment fund called the Stewardship fund. Friends Provident had large offices in
664-510: A reputation for unpredictable weather. Old Trafford is the only ground in England where a Test match has been abandoned without a ball being bowled—and this has happened here twice in 1890 and 1938, though before five-day test matches were introduced. Before Cardiff hosted its first Test match in July 2009, Old Trafford was reputedly the wettest Test ground in the country; Manchester is situated to
747-413: A scheduled 120 overs in a day (130 when the tournament began) necessitated some early starts. End of season early-morning conditions by the time of the final often favoured the team fielding first, who usually triumphed in the 1980s and 1990s. A rare exception occurred in 1996, when Lancashire bowlers Glen Chapple and Peter Martin triggered a remarkable collapse by Essex . In 1999 the number of overs
830-562: A search for solutions and there were abortive negotiations for Royal Exchange Assurance to take over FPI in 1912. In 1914, FPI agreed to accept non-Quakers for non-profit policies only but the major change came with the Friends' Provident Institution Act 1915 ( 5 & 6 Geo. 5 . c. xlv). This incorporated FPI as a mutual life assurance office free from the remaining restrictions of the Friendly Society Acts and accepting all
913-525: A single innings was achieved by England bowler Jim Laker who achieved bowling figures of 19 wickets for 90 runs—a bowling record which is unmatched in Test and first-class cricket. In 1990, a 17 year old Sachin Tendulkar scored 119 not out against England, which was the first of his 100 international centuries . In the 1993 Ashes Test at Old Trafford, leg-spinner Shane Warne bowled Mike Gatting with
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#1732791429940996-549: A sponsorship deal with the Emirates airline. Old Trafford is England's second oldest Test venue after The Oval and hosted the first Ashes Test in England in 1884. The venue has hosted the Cricket World Cup five times ( 1975 , 1979 , 1983 , 1999 and 2019 ). Old Trafford holds the record for both most World Cup matches hosted (17) and most semi-finals hosted (5). In 1956, the first 10-wicket haul in
1079-529: A stage when required. The Old Trafford Lodge opened in 1999; however, it has been since demolished and replaced by the Hilton Garden Inn Emirates Old Trafford. It is a Hilton Garden Inn 150-bedroom hotel for Hilton Worldwide . It completed its first phase in July 2017. In 2023, an extension was built to the hotel replacing the demolished Red Rose Suite. It was completed in time for the 2023 Ashes series . The ground
1162-534: A strategic review, including cost cutting and a proposed demerger of F & C. In January 2008 Friends received an informal £4.1 billion offer by JC Flowers , later aborted. In 2009 a newly formed Resolution Limited returned with a fresh approach and in August a bid of £1.86 billion was accepted. In the November, Friends Provident duly became a subsidiary of Resolution. The UK Life and Pensions business marketed
1245-480: Is in the best interest of both companies with the advantages of a greater volume, well distributed" The company; now known as Friends' Provident Life, was once again a life-only mutual company. Despite the problems of Century, it been expanding. In 1957 it had entered the life market in Canada by buying 90 per cent of Fidelity Life Assurance of Regina, Saskatchewan and in 1960 it opened a life branch in Australia. By
1328-529: Is occasionally used as a venue for large-scale concerts, with a maximum capacity of 50,000. Although the old stage location, in front of the Indoor Cricket School, has been built on buildings on the western side of the ground, which were cleared in 2013 to allow space for a larger stage. The concert capacity increased to 65,000 after redevelopment. The Hilton Garden Inn hotel, The Point, and other corporate facilities are open all year round, as are
1411-619: Is the distinctive, red conference centre immediately west of The Pavilion.) The southern End is the Brian Statham End, named in honour of the former Lancashire and England player. The red building at this Statham (south) End is the Media & Players Centre. A section of Warwick Road to the east is also called Brian Statham Way. Immediately abutting the ground to the south-east is the Old Trafford tram stop . Old Trafford has
1494-682: Is used heavily throughout the summer as the base of Lancashire County Cricket Club , with other home games being played at Stanley Park , Blackpool , Birkdale in Southport and at Aigburth in Liverpool . Until 2008, Old Trafford commonly hosted a Test match each year; none were hosted in 2009, 2011 or 2012 due to sub-standard facilities, although following redevelopment, Old Trafford hosted an Ashes Test in 2013, and further Tests in 2014 and 2016. One Day Internationals and/or International Twenty20s continue to be hosted every year. In Tests,
1577-631: The C&;G Trophy (2000–2006). For a short period following the 2006 season, the competition was known as the ECB One-Day Trophy because no sponsors were forthcoming when Cheltenham and Gloucester decided to end their association with the competition after the 2006 season. The tournament, along with the Pro40 forty-overs competition, was replaced by the ECB 40 competition from the 2010 season. It
1660-531: The National Westminster Bank took over the sponsorship of the competition from Gillette. That year's final finished in a tie, with both sides scored 235. Derbyshire claiming the trophy from Northamptonshire by losing fewer wickets (Derbyshire 6 to Northants 9). Other last ball finishes in the final occurred in 1984 when Middlesex beat Kent , in 1985 when Essex beat Nottinghamshire , and in 1993 when Warwickshire beat Sussex . There
1743-549: The " Ball of the Century ". After Old Trafford lost test status in 2009, extensive redevelopment of the ground to increase capacity and modernise facilities saw the restoration of the pavilion and creation of The Point, a £12 million stand overlooking the pitch. The site was first used as a cricket ground in 1857, when the Manchester Cricket Club moved onto the meadows of the de Trafford estate. Despite
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#17327914299401826-598: The 1899 Test match. In 1902, the Australian Victor Trumper hit a hundred before lunch on the first day; Australia went on to win the Test by 3 runs—the third-closest Test result in history. Crowds fell through the early 20th century, and the ground was closed during the First World War ; however, in the conflict's aftermath, crowd numbers reached new heights. Investment followed throughout
1909-631: The 1965 final, and the domination of the 1979 final by the West Indies pair Viv Richards and Joel Garner , who helped Somerset to their first major trophy a few months after helping West Indies to win the World Cup , also at Lord's . Another West Indies international, Alvin Kallicharran , completed the first double century in the tournament in 1984, in a tie in which he remarkably also took six wickets. The necessity of aiming to complete
1992-435: The 1970s it had been agreed that the life business and the general business of Century should not be operated out of the same office and a separate branch structure was established for the life office. The sale of Century was followed by Friends' Provident Life Office Act 1975 (c. xiv) to update the rules, ending the requirement that a majority of the directors had to be Quakers. The new rules allowed for at least five out of
2075-511: The 2004 Test match. The pavilion underwent redevelopment at the start of 2012 and was reopened for the YB40 game against Scotland . When the bowler is operating from the southern Brian Statham End, television viewers will be looking at the Pavilion with its two clock towers directly behind the keeper. The Point, Old Trafford's distinctive £12 million conference centre, and at 1,000 seats one of
2158-665: The Century Insurance Company of Edinburgh at a cost of £507,000, 15 per cent of the life fund's assets. Century was founded in 1885, as Sickness and Accident Assurance but as the general insurance business expanded it changed its name to Century Insurance Co. in 1901. Unlike FPI, Century had well-established branches with five in Scotland, 13 in England , one in Wales and two in Ireland and these were intended to be
2241-543: The Friend's Provident brand for a number of years until ultimately renaming as Friends' First in 1998. In 1993 it acquired the UK operations of National Mutual of Australia and in 1998 it acquired London & Manchester Assurance. In November 1997, Friends Provident announced that it would merge its asset management business with Ivory and Sime , in a deal worth £132 million, thereby creating Friends Ivory & Sime. Following
2324-476: The North and South Conferences. Matches were 50 overs per side, gaining two points for a win, one point for a no result and no points for a loss. Once the league positions were decided, the top teams from each Conference competed for the trophy in a final at Lord's . In the 2007 season this involved a semi-final knock-out stage, the winner in each conference playing the runners-up in the other. The league structure
2407-509: The One Day competition. Following Lancashire's reign as One Day champions in the 1970s, a programme of renovation and replacement was initiated in 1981. This changed the face of the ground to the extent that, now, only the Pavilion "is recognisable to a visitor who last watched or played a game in, say, the early 1980s". In 1981 Ian Botham hit 118, including six sixes (the second greatest number in an Ashes innings), which he has called "one of
2490-597: The Pacific Coast Fire Company of Canada was also bought in 1920 and there was a further significant increase in the fire business when in 1926 it bought Liverpool Marine & General Insurance. The growth in business required larger premises and in 1928 a new office at 7 Leadenhall Street was bought. However, the expansion of Century's business, particularly in North America was causing strains that would eventually lead to its disposal. By
2573-612: The Society of Friends. By the 1890s this was regarded as serious impediment to growth The restriction on investment powers was resolved by the Friends' Provident Institution Act 1899 ( 62 & 63 Vict. c. lv) but the Quaker constraints took longer to resolve. There was little scope to increase agents as these were tied to Quaker meetings and had been fully exploited; there were no branches except London. Poor results in 1908 and 1909 led to
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2656-620: The Stretford End which were perched on hospitality boxes. The Media and Players Centre is at the Brian Statham End (southern end). When the bowler is operating from the northern James Anderson End, television viewers will be looking at the Media and Players Centre directly behind the keeper. The idea of an indoor school was born in 1951, when nets were strung up in the Members' Dining Room in the pavilion. A permanent facility
2739-606: The Stretford end of the ground was closed to facilitate destruction of the County Suite, Tyldesley Suite, 'K' and 'L' Stands and the scoreboard; The Point, overshadowing new seating to the west of the pavilion, opened in June 2010. During the 2010/11 winter the square was turned from its previous east–west axis to a more typical north–south alignment, which prevents the low evening sun from interfering with matches, and increased
2822-616: The borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester , approximately two miles south west of Manchester city centre. Its capacity is 22,000 for Test matches, for which temporary stands are erected, and 15,000 for other matches. Since 1884, it has hosted 84 Tests, the third-highest number in England, behind Lord's and The Oval . The northern End is the James Anderson End, formerly the Pavilion End. ("The Point"
2905-466: The branch manager of Royal Exchange at Birmingham was appointed the first general manager; as a sign of the changes underway, he was not a Quaker. A central part of Tapscott's strategy was to move FPI into general insurance but there were no powers to do so under the Friends' Provident Institution Act 1915. However, there was nothing to prevent it investing in a company and in 1918 FPI's life fund bought
2988-634: The construction of a large pavilion (for the amateurs—the professionals used a shed at the opposite end of the ground), Old Trafford's first years were rocky: accessible only along a footpath from the railway station , the ground was situated out in the country, and games only attracted small crowds. It was not until the Roses match of 1875 that significant numbers attended a game. When W. G. Grace brought Gloucestershire in 1878, Old Trafford saw 28,000 spectators over three days, and this provoked improvements to access and facilities. In 1884, Old Trafford became
3071-498: The design of The Point, has been built on the site of the demolished Washbrook-Statham stand, with a two-tiered cantilever stand being erected on either side. The Pavilion has been renovated to have its sloped roof replaced with two modern glass storeys, finished in April 2013. The media facilities and corporate boxes on the western side of the ground have been demolished, leaving an empty space, which will be used for temporary seating or
3154-461: The first century and Brian Statham was the first bowler to take 5 wickets in a match. Sussex were the first winners of the Gillette Cup, beating Worcestershire in the final at Lord's . Norman Gifford was the first "Man of the Match" for a final. In the inaugural season the matches were 65 overs per side, with a bowler bowling a maximum of 15 overs. In 1964, this was reduced to 60 overs with
3237-460: The first innings, Laker ended the match with record figures of 19 for 90, which remain unmatched to this day. On 1 May 1963 the first ever one day cricket match took place at Old Trafford, as the Gillette Cup was launched. Lancashire beat Leicestershire in a preliminary knock-out game, as 16th and 17th finishers in the Championship the previous year, to decide who would fill the 16th spot in
3320-424: The first round. Most times the established teams beat the part-timers but very occasionally there was some "giant killing". Between 1963 and 2005 there were 15 "upsets", including: Durham (at that time still a minor county) being the first in 1973 v Yorkshire ; Hertfordshire being successful on two occasions, beating Essex in 1976, and winning a bowl-out versus Derbyshire in 1991; and Herefordshire overcoming
3403-466: The focus was switched to upgrading the current ground. Lancashire CCC, with a coalition of businesses, are in the process of making the cricket ground the centre of an anticipated 750,000-square-foot (70,000 m ) development, in a mixed-use scheme involving business, residential, retail, hotel and leisure facilities. The first phase of redevelopment saw the laying of new drains in Autumn 2008. In 2009,
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3486-637: The ground on the final day as tickets were sold out. England went on to win the series regaining the Ashes for the first time since 1986/87. In 2020 the ground was used as one of two biosecure venues, alongside the Ageas Bowl , for the tours involving West Indies and Pakistan which were regulated due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The cricket ground is near the Old Trafford football stadium (a five-minute walk away down Warwick Road and Sir Matt Busby Way), in
3569-513: The groundstaff moved the turf from the practice pitch to the square—a unique attempt. In 2010–11 the square was relaid, changing its extremely unusual east–west axis to a more conventional north–south layout. The Brian Statham End (previously the Warwick Road End) to the east, and Stretford End to the west, were replaced by the Pavilion End to the north, and the Brian Statham End to the south. The three-tiered Victorian members' pavilion
3652-551: The head office of Century remained in Edinburgh but its general insurance business was moved to London. The Century agents were used to expand FPI's life business. In recognition of the changes, in 1920 the name of the company was changed to Friends' Provident and Century Life Office although legally Century remained owned by the FPI life fund. Apart from losses in marine insurance, the combined business made good progress. Through Century,
3735-736: The highest team score posted here is 656/8 dec by Australia against England on 23 July 1964. The leading run scorers here are Denis Compton (818 runs), Mike Atherton (729 runs) and Alec Stewart (704 runs). The leading wicket takers are Alec Bedser (51 wickets), James Anderson (28 wickets) and Jim Laker (27 wickets). In ODIs, the highest team score posted here is 397/6 by England against Afghanistan on 18 June 2019. The leading run scorers here are Graham Gooch (405 runs), Eoin Morgan (368 runs), and Allan Lamb (341 runs). The leading wicket takers are Bob Willis (15 wickets), James Anderson (14 wickets) and Darren Gough (13 wickets). The ground
3818-544: The inter-war period, and during this time, Lancashire experienced their most successful run to date, gaining four championship titles in five years. During the Second World War , Old Trafford was used as a transit camp for troops returning from Dunkirk , and as a supply depot. In December 1940, the ground was hit by bombs, damaging or destroying several stands. Despite this damage—and the failure of an appeal to raise funds for repairs—cricket resumed promptly after
3901-578: The largest multi-purpose conference facilities in North West England , opened in 2010. It is positioned immediately west of the Pavilion, and hence, is northwest of the cricket pitch. Old Trafford was unusual in that there were two media stands at opposite ends of the ground prior to the new Media Centre which opened in September 2012. Television and radio commentators previously operated in temporary television studios and commentary boxes at
3984-482: The late 1920s, the growth in Century's business was requiring an equivalent increase in capital and this put a strain on the resources of the FPI life fund. A new holding company, Century Insurance Trust, was formed to hold all the general insurance companies and this was able to raise its own loan capital. Worse was to come in the form of the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the subsequent depression. The Group
4067-407: The life business to grow. Friends Provident began writing pensions business in 1934 and this became large enough to form a group life and pensions department in 1937. By the end of the 1930s, life premium income was double that of 1929. Post-war growth was encouraging, prompting a further move of head office. In 1954, Friends' Provident bought 43 acres outside Dorking in 1954 and a new headquarters
4150-536: The number of available pitches by five, to sixteen. Many of Lancashire's home games for the 2011 season were transferred to out grounds while the new pitches 'bedded in'. The main planning process began in September 2008, but faced stiff legal opposition. Since Tesco pledged £21 million to the redevelopment, the stadium's planning application included a request for a new supermarket nearby. Trafford Council gave this joint proposal permission in March 2010 —a decision which
4233-503: The periodic underwriting losses strained the life fund's capital base and Century was sold in 1975. In the year 2000, Friends Provident demutualised and listed on the FT100 Index. After abortive takeover negotiations, Friends accepted a takeover bid from Resolution Limited in 2009. Samuel Tuke and Joseph Rowntree first mooted the ideal of a friendly society in 1829, to serve the needs of the Society of Friends ( Quakers ). Tuke, who
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#17327914299404316-494: The provisions of the Companies Act. It was no longer necessary to appoint trustees to hold property or exercise other legal functions. Under new rules membership still primarily required membership of, or association with. the Society of Friends; however, the directors were given power to admit any appropriate person. The directors now recognised that new leadership was required if FPI was to expand and in 1916 Henry Tapscott,
4399-671: The risky decision to begin work ahead of the matter being resolved, in order to qualify for grants from the North West Development Agency before it was wound up. However, the Court of Appeal ruled in Lancashire's favour in July 2011, and denied leave to further appeal. Work therefore began on this main phase in summer 2011, beginning with the installation of permanent floodlights and a new video screen. A new 'Players and Media' facility, mimicking to some degree
4482-546: The rooms have a balcony with a full view of the pitch. Previously, this was occupied by the Old Trafford Lodge which opened in 1999. The hotel had 68 rooms, 36 having unobstructed views of the playing surface. It was demolished in 2016 and the new hotel opened in late 2017. Following rejection of plans, in 2003, to sell Old Trafford, and move the club to a new purpose-built stadium in East Manchester,
4565-539: The same game, Graham Gooch was out handling the ball for 133—only the sixth out of nine times this has ever happened. In 1995, Dominic Cork took a hat-trick for England against the West Indies. In 2000, both Mike Atherton and Alec Stewart played their hundredth Tests, against the West Indies. In the Third Test of the 2005 Ashes series the match ended in a nailbiting draw, with 10,000 fans shut out of
4648-402: The second English ground, after The Oval , to stage Test cricket: with the first day being lost to rain, England drew with Australia . Expansion of the ground followed over the next decade, with the decision being taken to construct a new pavilion in 1894. The ground was purchased outright from the de Traffords in 1898, for £24,372, as crowds increased, with over 50,000 spectators attending
4731-417: The situation was reversed, and 1969 saw the first Indoor Cricket Centre opened. In 1956 Jim Laker became the first person to take all 10 wickets in a Test match innings , achieving figures of 10 for 53 in the fourth Test against Australia (the only other bowlers to take all 10 wickets in an innings are Anil Kumble of India in 1999 and Ajaz Patel of New Zealand in 2021). Having also taken 9 for 37 in
4814-402: The three innings I would like to tell my grandchildren about". England went on to win the Ashes after being lampooned in the national media for such poor performances. In 1990, Sachin Tendulkar scored his first Test hundred at the age of 17—becoming the second-youngest centurion—to help India draw. In 1993, Shane Warne bowled the " Ball of the Century " to Mike Gatting at the ground. In
4897-407: The title sponsor for the new Twenty20 competition, the Friends Provident T20. In 2007 Friends Provident signed a three-year deal to sponsor the domestic one-day cricket competition, The Friends Provident Trophy . Friends Provident were the main sponsor of Southampton F.C. from 1999 to 2006 and also sponsored the St Mary's Stadium , from its construction in 2001 until 2006. During this time,
4980-457: The tournament three seasons in a row from 1970 to 1972. In June 1973, Durham became the first minor county to defeat a first-class county in the competition, when they beat Yorkshire by six wickets in round one. They then became the first minor county to defeat two first class counties, when they defeated Derbyshire at the same stage in 1985. This was the catalyst for the successful campaign that saw Durham gain first-class status in 1991. In 1981,
5063-412: The transaction, Friends Provident owned 67% of the combined entity. In the year 2000, Friends Provident demutualised and listed on the FT100 Index, raising £1.6m. Its two main businesses were life and pensions, and asset management through its 67% holding in Friends Ivory and Sime. As part of the demutualisation the Friends Provident Foundation was endowed as an independent charity. The asset management
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#17327914299405146-424: The vehicle for FPI's expansion. Century had also developed significant overseas interests. By 1914, agencies had been opened in eight European countries, two in Australia and three in India . A shred underwriting agreement had also been made with Henry W Brown, which operated in most states of the United States . Following the Century acquisition, the FPI head office was moved from Bradford to Kingsway, London ;
5229-400: The venue was officially known as the Friends Provident St. Mary's Stadium . Old Trafford cricket ground Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford , Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1857 as the home of Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known as Emirates Old Trafford due to
5312-418: The war, with German PoWs being paid a small wage to prepare the ground. The ' Victory Test ' between England and Australia of August 1945 proved to be extremely popular, with 76,463 seeing it over three days. Differences of opinion between the club's committee and players led to a bad run of form in the 1950s and early 1960s; this consequently saw gate money drop, and a lack of investment. After 1964, however,
5395-411: The west of the Pennines and faces prevailing winds and weather fronts from the Atlantic Ocean . These prevailing conditions have encouraged Lancashire to keep the ground as well-drained as possible, through the acquisition of a hover cover in 2005, and the installation of new drains towards the end of the 2008 season. In the second Test of 1938 in a desperate effort to ensure play after heavy rain
5478-512: Was a banking institution founded in 1832 to serve the needs of the Society of Friends ( Quakers ). Based in Bradford , Yorkshire , it concentrated on sickness and annuity policies until its life fund acquired Century Insurance in 1918, expanding into general insurance. The restriction to Quaker membership was an increasing constraint but the ties were substantially reduced by the Friends' Provident Institution Act 1915 ( 5 & 6 Geo. 5 . c. xlv). Although Century's branch network enabled FPI to expand,
5561-437: Was a notable finish too in 1987 when Nottinghamshire 's unlikely victory over Northamptonshire was engineered by Richard Hadlee in his last season with the county. The tournament was always the more prestigious of the two "full length" one day cup competitions. The other was the Benson & Hedges Cup , which was abolished in 2002 and replaced with the Twenty20 Cup . At a time when county cricketers' exposure on television
5644-417: Was a prominent leader in the Society and a city councillor in York , took the lead and was the insurer's first chairman. No capital was initially subscribed; "solvency was guaranteed by a bond entered into by several trustees" chiefly of noted Quaker families. Funds were subsequently raised from 45 prominent Quakers and, with a board of 20 directors, Friends' Provident Insurance [FPI] was launched in 1832. There
5727-452: Was able to declare its first bonuses on life policies. Agencies were gradually appointed, all through the offices of the Society of Friends and by 1862 there were 42 in England, one each in Wales and Scotland, and eight in Ireland. Life funds increased progressively to £1m. in 1870, £2m. in 1889, and £3m. in 1902. As FPI grew in size it, increasingly found itself constrained by the Friendly Society Acts and especially its confinement to members of
5810-483: Was built in 1895 for £10,000. Hit by a bomb in 1940—which destroyed the members' dining room and groundsman's quarters—most of the pavilion was rebuilt. One million pounds was spent on a new roof after it began to leak in 2003. The Pavilion's position was noteworthy in that, until 2010, it sat parallel to the pitches, rather than behind them, presenting the members with one of the worst viewing angles possible. It contains batting and bowling Honour Boards, unveiled during
5893-408: Was built in 1969, and replaced in 1997. The current building stands to the north-west of the pitch; it contains five 60-metre lanes on various surfaces, several conference rooms, and a large shop. To the north-east of the ground, immediately adjacent to the Pavilion is a 150-bed Hilton Garden hotel which opened in late 2017. Similar in architecture to The Point on the other side of the Pavilion, half
5976-437: Was cut to 50 per side to give English and Welsh cricketers more experience of playing matches the same length as One Day Internationals . In line with One Day International cricket, teams played in coloured clothing from 2005. The competition was revised into a league format from 2006. The eighteen English and Welsh first-class sides, plus Scotland and Ireland, were split into two groups of ten by geographical location known as
6059-411: Was enlarged by the purchase of Royal Sun & Alliance's asset business and then again in 2004 by the merger with F&C Asset Management . This left Friends Provident with 51% of the enlarged F & C, managing £125 billion funds. In July 2007, Friends announced an agreed "merger of equals" with insurer Resolution plc but this collapsed in November as a result of shareholder opposition. This prompted
6142-440: Was expressed in 1990 when Phillip DeFreitas was initially overlooked for selection for the winter Ashes series , it being suggested at the time that he "surely booked his place on England's winter tour of Australia with an astonishing eight-over opening burst, which reduced Northants to an unbelievable 39 for five" in the final. Other notable individual performances included a brisk out-of-character century by Geoff Boycott in
6225-413: Was hard to match the expense ratios of the larger companies. At the same time, the need for increased solvency and regulatory changes had reduced the life fund's value of Century to less than half its written down value. It was agreed that on 1 January 1975, Phoenix Insurance would buy all of Century Insurance worldwide for shares in the enlarged group. The official announcement stated that "This agreement
6308-539: Was initially called in by the Communities Secretary for Judicial Review , before the go-ahead was given in September 2010. Derwent Holdings, a property development company denied permission to build a supermarket at the nearby White City retail park, then called for a Judicial Review. Although this was turned down by the High Court in March 2011, the case went to the Court of Appeal. Lancashire took
6391-944: Was latterly played during the second half of the season. In August 2009, the ECB announced that from 2010 there would be one 40-overs per innings tournament replacing both the Pro40 and the Friends Provident Trophy. This along with the English County Championship and the Friends Provident t20 (a revised form of the Twenty20 Cup), would be English cricket's three domestic competitions. Gillette Cup NatWest Trophy C&G Trophy Friends Provident Trophy First class counties with no wins: Glamorgan and Leicestershire Friends Provident Friends' Provident Insurance
6474-669: Was limited, the final of the Gillette Cup/NatWest Bank Trophy was a relatively high-profile opportunity for some to make a case for national selection, especially as it often fell in early September, just before the announcement of an England winter tour party. Thus strong performances by Roland Butcher in the 1980 final, and Geoff Cook in 1981, may have assisted their subsequent selection and Test debuts. The strong performances of then young cricketers Angus Fraser and Mark Ramprakash for Middlesex in 1988 certainly raised their profiles. Conversely surprise
6557-555: Was more heavily invested in U.S. and Canadian stocks than most life companies and those investments fell by more than 50 per cent. More than 60 per cent of Century's general insurance business was written in the U.S. and Canada; its premium income fell by 25 per cent over the two years 1929 and 1930 and underwriting results were also poor. By the end of 1930, FPI 's life fund assets were valued at five per cent less than its liabilities. FPI even cancelled its planned centenary bonus. Substantial cost reductions and better fund revaluations allowed
6640-691: Was only one member of staff, Benjamin Ecroyd the Secretary, a conveyancer in Bradford , and the FPI opened in a room above a confectioner's shop in Market Street Bradford. The office remained until 1862 when the FPI bought the old county court building at Darley Street. The first classes of business were annuities for members aged over 55 and children's deferred policies. After its initial ten years, when life funds had reached £150,000, FPI
6723-491: Was opened in 1958. However, the position in North America began to worsen. US and Canada made losses in fire and motor between 1951 and 1957 and Century made heavy trading losses in 1957, once again impacting on the value of the life fund. In 1963 Century withdrew entirely from the US fire and accident market and consolidated its position in Canada. Century suffered fire losses in 1973and 1974 and recognised that in accident and marine it
6806-487: Was revised in 2008 as the twenty teams were split into four groups of five. Each team plays the other in the group home once and away once, with the top 2 counties in the group going into the quarter-finals. The competition was played in the first half of the cricket season with the final taking place in August. The other main domestic one-day competition, the Natwest Pro40 League (formerly "Sunday League"),
6889-573: Was the first top-level one-day competition to be introduced in English and Welsh cricket, amid concern about falling attendances at County Championship matches in the early 1960s. The competition was based on the Midlands Counties Knockout Cup experiment of 1962, when Derbyshire , Leicestershire , Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire played one-innings-a-side matches which each lasted one day. The MCC decided to hold
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