epic semi-final between Lancashire and Gloucestershire in the Old Trafford twilight in 1971. More often than not matches were sellouts.
In the 1990s the competition began to lose some of its appeal, with a glut of cricket increasingly on television, and rising ticket prices meaning that Lord's failed to sell out for the final for the first time in 1991. This was also reflected in a fall off in attendances during the earlier rounds as well.
Despite this, the tournament retained a decent degree of support, but in 2006 the authorities, incapable of avoiding tinkering, abolished the knockout concept in favour of a third league-style event.Sonny Liston became world heavyweight champion in 1962 and fought Muhammad Ali twice

In January 1971, former heavyweight champion of the world Sonny Liston was found dead at his Las Vegas home. A coroner ruled that he died of natural causes - but some say the truth is far darker.

It was late in the evening when Geraldine Liston returned home and found the newspapers piled up at her door.

She had been trying to contact her husband - the heavyweight boxer Sonny Liston - for almost two weeks but had failed to get through. When her most recent call went unanswered, she apologised to her mother, who she had been visiting in St Louis over Christmas, and rushed back to Las Vegas to check on him.

The doors were unlocked and