21.10 Points System in Friends Life t20 Group Stage

21.10.1 Each team will play all other teams in its group home and away. Two points will be awarded for a Win, one point for a Tie or No Result and no points for a Loss.

The 18 Counties will play this stage of the Competition in 3 groups of 6 teams as detailed below. Each County will play all the other teams in its group home and away. The top two teams from each group and the two best third placed teams will qualify for the Quarter-finals. The Quarter-final draw will be a free draw save that the top team from each group and the best second placed team will receive home draws.

North: Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire, Leicestershire , Nottinghamshire Yorkshire.

Midlands/Wales/West: Glamorgan, Gloucestershire,Northamptonshire, Somerset, Warwickshire Worcestershire.

South: Essex, Hampshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, Sussex.

21.10.3 The top two teams from each group and the two best third placed teams will qualify for the Quarter-finals. The top team from each group and the best second placed team will receive home draws in the Quarter-finals.

21.10.4 The tie-breakers for teams finishing on equal points will be:

• a: The team with the higher net run rate in the Group Matches will be placed in the higher position (see below).
• b: If still equal, the teams will be ordered according to which team achieved the most points in the matches played between them.
• c: In the event that teams cannot be separated by (a) to (b) above, this will be done by drawing lots.

21.10.5 Net Run Rate

A team's net run rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team, the average runs per over scored against that team. In the event of a team being all out in less than its full quota of overs, the calculation of the net run rate of both teams shall be based on the full quota of overs to which the batting team would have been entitled and not on the number of overs in which the team was dismissed. Only those matches where results are achieved will count for the purpose of net run rate calculations.

Where a match is abandoned, but a result is achieved under Duckworth/Lewis, for net run rate purposes Team 1 will be accredited with Team 2's Par Score on abandonment off the same number of overs faced by Team 2. Where a match is concluded but with Duckworth/Lewis having been applied at an earlier point in the match, Team 1 will be accredited with 1 run less than the final Target Score for Team 2 off the total number of overs allocated to Team 2 to reach the target.

21.11 The draw for the semi-finals will be a free draw.