Story of the Benson & Hedges Cup

Remember Ken Higgs, Eddie Hemmings, Graham Johnson and Cedric Boyns? All belong to a bygone era and only two represented England, but each made an impact, at one time or another over the past 31 years, on the showpiece final of one of England's best-loved domestic competitions, now also consigned to history.

Happily for all four, and for one-day cricket enthusiasts, history in this case includes videotape, in a two-box set. "Story of the Benson & Hedges Cup" (Green Umbrella Productions, running time 150 minutes approx, available from CricShop at £14.99) draws on BBC and Sky archive to bring out the flavour of the Lord's finals that have thrilled, fulfilled and frustrated loyal county supporters since Ray Illingworth, then of Leicestershire, was the first captain to lift the B&H Cup in 1972.

David Gower, who tasted victory with both Leicestershire and Hampshire, presents from Lord's, where he is joined by Bob Woolmer, Mike Gatting, Graham Gooch and Mike Atherton. Woolmer concentrates on the early years of Kentish dominance (they won it three times in the 1970s, but never again), Gooch reflects on his own phenomenal B&H record, while Atherton helps chart Lancashire's ascendancy in the 1990s (they won four times in all, more than any other county).

The development of one-day cricket is a backcloth. No circles for fielding restrictions at the outset, and caps in vogue, making way for sunhats and helmets, white and then coloured to match the caps. When it began, the B&H was a 55-over competition - later it was reduced to 50, now standard for one-day internationals. And Lord's - apart from the Pavilion, Tavern, Allen and Warner stands - has been virtually re-built over the period.

Early sequences include Brian Luckhurst and Asif Iqbal guiding Kent's star-studded team to victory in 1973, Ken Higgs' hat-trick (Alan Butcher, Pat Pocock and Arnold Long) in 1974, Graham Johnson again winning for Kent in 1976, when he followed a telling knock with three catches in the deep. David Shepherd, already grey at the temples as Gloucestershire beat Kent in 1977, the inimitable Viv Richards making an unbeaten 132 (the highest individual B&H score) and Joel Garner's irresistible yorkers for Somerset. The wide-open stance of Peter Willey, batting Leicestershire to glory in '85, and brilliant swing from Stephen Jefferies as Hampshire won in `88.

More recently, three innings stand out - Mark Alleyne's rocket-fuelled century which launched Gloucestershire's one-day dominance in 1999, the magnificent but fruitless 112 from Aravinda de Silva as Kent lost in 1995. And most poignant to watch now, Ben Hollioake's breathtaking, 115-ball 98 for Surrey to sink Kent in 1997.

To be critical of the overall product, enjoyment of the closer finishes is marred by sneak previews before they are dealt with in the round. And although the contributions from former players are often enlightening, the tendency to edit them in and out of the action can interrupt the flow.

Inevitably not all the B&H finals were close, but several were out-and-out thrillers. Witness poor John Lever, hit to the backward point boundary by Eddie Hemmings to deprive Essex of victory from the last ball of the match in 1989. It doesn't come much crueller than that, but then look at Hemmings' unconfined joy, and that of the Notts supporters. The B&H spanned the spectrum of one-day cricket, and ensured a grand day out (or several) for thousands of the game's lovers.