The summer of 2010 will see England host its biggest and brashest version of the domestic twenty20 competition, sponsored by Friends Provident for the first time. Hampshire Hawks have an extra incentive to reach the fabled Finals Day because it is once again on home ground.

Our aesthetic amphitheatre - The Rose Bowl - will host the cricket carnival that is Finals Day on Saturday August 14th with entertainment and razzmatazz guaranteed. Hampshire’s quest to get there starts at the same venue against Kent in a floodlit encounter on Thursday June 3rd.

There have been a couple of significant alterations to the tournament which is now known as the Friends Provident t20. The biggest change is the decision to allow two overseas players in each starting XI and Hampshire Hawks have signed exciting Pakistani allrounder Shahid Afridi to play alongside Sri Linkan spinner Ajantha Mendis.

The summer’s slugfest sees two regionalised groups of nine teams - divided into North and South - with each side playing the other home and away, meaning a jump from 10 to 16 group matches. The top four teams will progress to the quarter finals with the victors going through to the exciting finale at The Rose Bowl.

The Hawks’ twenty20 history is distinctly average with last season’s quarter final defeat at Northamptonshire being their best performance to date. However any side that can call upon the formidable talents of Michael Lumb, Sean Ervine, Nic Pothas and Dimitri Mascarenhas has to be taken very seriously in this form of the game. Last season they used interesting innovations such as spinner Liam Dawson opening the bowling and will need to continue with an adventurous and flexible approach if they are to triumph.

This new format for twenty20 is bound to captivate fans across the UK and Hampshire’s improving side should be well in the mix to claim the trophy in their own backyard.

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