Excellent news on the face of it. Shame Leicestershire has dropped off but more than made up for by addition of Notts. Bit cheeky of WA still charging a tenner to get into the waca for a proper game mind 🤣

Hi

It was announced a couple of months back Warwickshire have reciprocal arrangements with Lancashire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.

Worcestershire recently announced they have an arrangement with Nottinghamshire, Gloucestershire and Hampshire.

All of which is fine but the absence of first class cricket in August still negates much/if any of the benefit from these arrangements.

How often for instance are any members going to be enticed to visit a ground 50 miles or more away in April or September? They might get a few obviously but it ain't the big selling point it once was - reciprocal membership.

Lancs v Surrey is early April. Now if that was in a spare week (for Warks) in July or August you or I might be tempted by it but I'm not sure many Bears fans will plan on going up there in April. And that's despite the last four April's from my recollection being really nice and sunny actually. Again there may be a tiny few we all know will

Since the aspects of the Strauss review relating to the domestic structure have been summarily rejected by the counties one way the counties are seeking to meet the ECB half way is by creating an 8 team top division. 8 is closer to but not nearly as preposterous as a ridiculous 6 team top division. I'm hearing discussion is/has already taken place over the way to achieve this and the most obvious way is by promoting only 1 side and relegating 3 at the conclusion of 2023 - a cpmplete reversal of what occurred in 2019 when 1 was relegated and 3 promoted ahead of 2022

One or two county chiefs are still expressing a preference for conferences like we had in 2020/2021 or removing several counties from first class status altogether. Lancashire CEO was all about this a few months ago which strikes me as a bit rich. A county that has, in close to 90 years, only won the county championship title once shouldn't be permitted to run down the likes of Durham or Essex or Leicestershire IMHO

Would folks on here prefer 1 up 3 down in one go in 2023 or a more measured 2-season approach - 2 up 3 down for a couple of years until it's sorted and until it's time for the next shambolic overhaul?

Centuries for Rob Yates in Perth and Ethan Brookes in Melbourne overnight (both opening) and another wicket for George Garrett in a 2-day game Brisbane against the students

It is still worth asking why on earth they have 16 rounds for the championship when each team only plays 14 games? We had no suitable answer from various forums blank faces in fact Lancashire chiefs asked this themselves last year.

I'm beginning to wonder whether it is to do with the competition sponsors paid for their 16 rounds of matches?

Pleased to see that -aside from the opening round of matches - it appears to be the case that when Warwickshire are away (or have a bye week) Worcestershire are at home. This hasn't necessarily been the case in recent seasons to much frustration for many

How the counties fought back to win cricket's civil war
Sir Andrew Strauss's high-performance review wanted to shake up the County Championship but now the Hundred is set for change instead

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2022/11/25/how-counties-fought-back-win-crickets-civil-war/

By Nick Hoult,

The high-performance review led by Sir Andrew Strauss was supposed to radically shake up the 132-year-old County Championship but it now looks like the Hundred will be the competition set for change after a fightback from the shires.

The counties have rejected out of hand recommendations to split the championship into a top division of six and cut the number of matches from 14 to 10; the idea being to slim down the competition and make it more competitive.

Strauss has recently written to all 18 counties asking to reopen the debate in an effort to salvage the plans but there is little hope of agreement until a review of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s finances, launched by new chair Richard Thompson, is completed next year.

County chairs are demanding to know the full costs of the Hundred and the financial implications of any change to the domestic structure, with many worrying that a reduction in cricket is an “existential threat” to their existence. There has also been a rebellion of county members that stiffened the resolve of clubs against change.

There is now a strong possibility, Telegraph Sport understands, that the Hundred could lose its August school holiday window and be played a few weeks earlier in June-July, which would allow Test cricket and championship matches to once again be played in August from 2024 (the schedule for next year has been decided and circulated to counties with little change).

Telegraph Sport revealed last month the competition could also be cut from four weeks to three by playing more double headers. If the championship remains at 14 matches then it has to be played in August to allow players to recover and the Hundred will need to be squeezed.

A change in leadership at the ECB, with Thompson becoming chairman in September and Richard Gould joining as chief executive in the new year, has already seen a cultural shift away from the Hundred dominating the board’s outlook.

Rebalancing the game is one of the core aims of Thompson and Gould, who were ardent critics of the Hundred when they ran Surrey and warned of the implications it would have on the domestic game. Both are good communicators with supporters and accept the division caused by the Hundred is playing out now in the debate over the county structure.

It was believed the school holiday period was essential to attract family audiences. But unlike in Australia, where the Big Bash is played in the school holiday, insiders believe more families in England go overseas for their holidays and it is believed this is going to affect Hundred attendances as life returns to normality after the pandemic.

(Interestingly this is what they found out pretty early on with the T20 Blast so Hundred before the school holidays and / or trying to avoid big summer events like World Cup's clashing. Doesn't strike me as the 100 being very confident of itself.)

The Hundred has existed in a bubble at the ECB with its own budget and staff. It costs around £40m to run, including the payments to the counties, which equals roughly the budget for England men’s cricket.

Is the Hundred justifying its cost?

The questions being asked now is whether the Hundred is giving the returns necessary to justify the cost, not necessarily financially, but how it has complicated and compacted the schedule. Audience figures for the BBC fell by up to 20 percent this summer.

“We know the source of funds at the ECB until 2028 (the Sky deal is worth around £220m annually) but is the application across all cost centres we do not know,” said one county chairman. “How much is spent on the Hundred? How much is spent on ECB overheads and what is the Hundred contributing? Greater income should mean a greater distribution but that doesn’t seem to be happening with some clubs still on the breadline.”

The game is split. In one corner, are those that back the high performance review and believe that investing in the Hundred, and making money from white-ball cricket, while streamlining the championship, will protect the long term future of the first class game. “I know, let’s ignore the best minds in the game and let a bunch of crusty old chairs who have never played cricket come up with an alternative. It makes us a laughing stock,” said one insider.

Then there are those in the other corner, who believe cutting red-ball cricket will weaken it, and worry a reduction in cricket will see clubs go out of business.

Added to this is a determined group of county members who forced their clubs to hold EGMs at the end of the season and pledge to not support any reduction in the amount of red-ball cricket without the agreement of their membership.

There are only around 70,000 members across 18 clubs – the exact figure is a closely guarded secret – and even fewer who are members of the County Cricket Members Group which has galvanised behind this issue.

'It is not the tail wagging the dog but the fleas on the tail wagging the dog'

“I think there is a very good chance that what was recommended by Strauss would have gone through if there had not been pushback from members,” said Alan Higham of the CCMG, who has campaigned for members to have more say in the running of their clubs.

“It was a big wake up call for county supporters to stand up. It jolted the bigger counties. I just hope the ECB now realises that doing things in isolated management teams, and running everything from the centre, is sub-optimal. They could achieve far more by bringing people together.”

But this resistance has frustrated those involved in the review. “It is not the tail wagging the dog but the fleas on the tail wagging the dog,” said one exasperated source. “We now have complete inertia through spineless chairmen and a handful of members. Are the chairmen going to ask their members if Christmas is still on December 25?”

(Dry your eyes)

The game is changing quickly, and the bigger threat for counties is not the changes advocated by its governing body but developments around the world.

Strauss warned the current schedule damages high performances and it will lead players choosing between the treadmill of 14 championship matches or saving themselves for franchise leagues. Will Smeed became the first young player to throw his lot in exclusively with white-ball cricket recently. Others are expected to follow.

'Those defending the status quo are killing it'

A new T20 league starts in the UAE in January and is offering salaries of £300,000 tax free. South Africa launches its T20 league at the same time creating tension in the market and a fight for English talent. Major League Cricket announced last week it will start in the United States in June 2023, offering another payday for white-ball cricketers.

“Look, those defending the status quo do not realise they are killing it,” says a county insider, (many are reluctant to go on the record because of the sensitivity of the issue).

( I call bullshit then if that's the case and anyway the status quo isn't what's being defended here, the structure since 2017 ish (and the absence of weekend/holiday fixtures well beforehand) has been a complete disgrace. What members want is change to the status quo of administrators running the game into the dirt with flawed panicky thinking)

“We are going to have third-tier players playing county cricket. The top tier are centrally contracted and you write off ever seeing them. Now we will have a second tier of players who build their schedule around T20 leagues, the Blast and the Hundred and will make themselves unavailable for most red-ball games. People just do not understand this.”

(Diddums. Let em go. When the bubble of inconsequential cricket finally bursts they'll all come crawling back and in the meantime there are squads and squads of players available to play the cricket people in England actually invest time in and want to watch)

Strauss recommended a 10-game championship split between a top tier of six and two conferences of six teams. His report also called for a reduction from 14 to 10 Blast matches but did not analyse the effect of the Hundred on the schedule.

The review argued England play too much cricket at county level leaving players little time to work on specific skills and for groundsman to prepare good quality pitches that mirror those in Test cricket.

Officials at the ECB involved in high performance are understood to be very frustrated by the reluctance of counties to embrace change but ultimately accept it is their right to decide the level of cricket they play.

Sean Jarvis, chief executive of Leicestershire, estimates the reduction in cricket would cost his club £275,000 in match-day income losses even before the wishes of members were taken into account.

“When we analysed the proposals and put it through our business model at Leicestershire it was apparent the financial impact on our club was quite severe so for us it did not make sense to back the proposals,” he said. “ It would jeopardise our existence.”

County coaches pushed back against a top division of six believing the fear of relegation would prevent them giving younger players a chance – which has always been put forward as an argument for conferences rather than divisions. Most also did not agree with the conclusion that 10 games is enough but conceded that to play 14 matches means the championship has to be held in August.

The fight over the Hundred is complex. It is the ECB’s competition to do with what they like but Sky has bankrolled it and it is part of the broadcast deal until 2028. Broadcasters are as keen to attract younger, more diverse audiences as the ECB. They see the Hundred as that opportunity.

By reducing the Hundred, the ECB would be the only governing body in cricket to prioritise red ball over its franchise competition, which will be welcomed by many but does it make long-term business sense? The competition will only attract the best players through external investment. What message does it send to potential buyers if the governing body does not believe fully in its own product? That external investment will also trickle down to the counties.

No common goal
If the Hundred cannot pay the big salaries then it will become increasingly harder to sign the best players. The game is also close to IPL owners contracting its best players for 12 months a year, seizing more control. The championship, with its roots in Victorian England, is battling very modern forces.

At the moment there is no common goal, and never will be with so many competing interests among the counties and within the ECB.

(The county members are fairly well united on this whether you are Surrey or Derbyshire and well done to them)

England’s success this year has dampened enthusiasm for change too but the goal is to create a system that works regardless of who is leading English cricket so it does not rely on a Michael Vaughan-Duncan Fletcher or Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes combination to come along and change fortunes. Anyone who has been on an Ashes tour recognises the structure is not doing its job.

(Enthusiasm??? I'd say a realisation that the blessed Hundred draining wads and wads of ECB finance is a bigger factor than waning enthusiam for watching North v South in Abu Dhabi and other such nonsense proposed to replace a 140+ year old institution like the County Championship

“The status quo achieves nothing. This is not about playing 14 games or 10 games. It is actually about whether these counties are still here in 10 years’ time,” says a senior figure in English cricket.

(Stop knee-capping county cricket then idiots and then throwing money at vanity projects then idiots)

Both sides agree on that but are miles apart on how to achieve it.

(I'd suggest it's a major achievement in binning off the folly of the Strauss proposals)

Also worth considering Sky TV might be looking at reducing production costs. One way to do this is have two games at the same venue and thus avoid the need for cameras, equipment and staff at two different venues. They saw what Edgbaston was capable of doing for the commonwealth games and finals days and double header 100 stuff. The Premier League is still on that weekend but I guess Sky will have their two games on the Sunday. The EFL championship play offs will be in full swing but will have probably been completed before May 20th Sky might have a League One or League Two play off semi on the Saturday but little other football to show.

It could be a belting day I do hope they're both daytime matches 1pm and 4pm which would make sense from the perspective of trying to attract a 100 style crowd (more families and more diversity) as opposed to the boozy stag do Friday night crowds and also make sense from perspective of offering fans of Derbyshire and the other two visiting sides a day out at Edgbaston with ample time to get home afterwards or enjoy Brum nightlife. To mind it's also pointless even having it on a Saturday if it's just gonna be in the evening anyway. Of course times will depend on Sky.

One of the protests/suggestions members made at recent forums was about the lack of weekend cricket - so at least this is partly addressing that concern of members. It's potentially an additional day of weekend county cricket in the sunshine - what's not to like?

Club advertising 8 game blast passes for 85 quid it's not bad at all that. This will be aimed at getting a similar crowd in to what the 1oo does plus maybe a few hundred county fans on buses down from Leeds, Manchester and Derby. It's much earlier in the year though so probably looking at 15,000 crowd similar to the Worcester home games but higher than for games vs these opponents individually. They'll want to aim higher than that and if some world champions/stars are on show they might but I'm just being realistic

I had assumed they'd try double headers with two matches against the same opposition to cut down on play and travel days etc... What they're doing isn't aimed at reducing playing days as I had thought but is an interesting way to try to sell more advance tickets than would normally be sold for these fixtures particularly for the time of year. If the weather is crap Derby don't lose out on staging costs as they can stand down their match day staff. If the weather is good Warwicks will benefit from staging an event with potentially double/triple the attendance for the same (give or take some overtime) staging costs

https://edgbaston.com/news/edgbaston-to-host-first-ever-blast-off-double-header/

I actually like the ambition here. Whilst slightly inconvenience to Derbyshire fans I think it is testament to how well liked Edgbaston has become as an events stadium. It's an attempt to replicate the kind of crowds we get for the Worcester game which we never seem to get for Derby/Yorkies etc... Might attract more away fans and neutrals. I know many will balk at this but I think it's a good idea I'm open minded about it at least. Guessing other grounds will try something similar on other weekends too

Excellent tournament completed by England. Great for Warwickshire now Moeen and hopefully Woakes are made availabile for the Blast ought to help boost attendances for sure. I go back to one of the comments from a gentleman at the first HPR forum in September that as soon as he saw how England were going to prepare for the Ashes last year (+ the injuries, bubbles etc...) he immediately switched off because it was obvious to him that England would get bounced around and walloped by the Aussies.

As it turned out aside from the heat in Adelaide and to some extent Sydney the conditions were quite similar to English conditions but the poor prep did for them

Contrast with how well England have prepared for this tournament. Yes they have turned themselves into a fantastic white ball team/squad and probably by some distance the best in the world at coping with all conditions (no mean feat in a format as fickle as T20 where results are less predictable) wheras in Test cricket you get the sense there isn't much of a gap talentwise between each of the top 4-5 test playing 11's in world cricket and home advantage plays a massive part still.

Elated for Moeen and Woakesy but also for Adil Rashid now a double world cup winner and alongside Stokes probably the key player in England becoming so dominant overall in the limited overs formats

Kent Cricket’s Chair, Simon Philip, has provided an update (Nov 9th) on the two High Performance Review recommendations which concern the structure & scheduling of county cricket.

Yesterday, I attended a virtual meeting for the 18 First-Class County Chairs to discuss the High-Performance Review.

As previously stated, there are two key areas for our Club – structure & scheduling.

For any changes to be enacted to these, 12 of the 18 First-Class Counties must be in favour. As previously covered in the cricket media, it is clear that there is no requisite majority for a reduction of LV= Insurance County Championship or Vitality Blast cricket or for the One-Day Cup to be played at the start of the season.

We are committed to finding solutions that improve the performance of England Cricket – there are 14 other recommendations in the Review that are non-contentious & may well have a significant positive impact on the performance of our Men’s International teams. However, at this time, there are no proposals or votes on the table concerning the amendment of the domestic schedule & structure.

Until this changes, the status quo prevails.

If any proposals do emerge in future, they will be assessed by the Board & the impact on the Club, our Members, supporters, players and stakeholders will be considered. Members will be consulted in that eventuality.

However, in the absence of any proposals currently, there is nothing on which to consult.

Couple of wickets for Rob Yates on Saturday and he batted out a potentially tricky closing few mins to finish 0 not out as Bayswater-Morley began their reply in Perth against Claremont-Nedlands one of Dermot Reeve's old clubs. That 2-day game finishes next Saturday.

In Adelaide Dan Mouseley is 25 not out (assuming rain interrupted day) for West Torrens against Adelaide University a game which completes next Saturday. On Sunday his side lost to Glenelg in the group stages of their 50-over one day cup, Mouseley scoring 26 and taking a wicket towards the end of Glenelg's reply but alas in vain. They have two further Sunday group matches to play.

In Melbourne they finally got going and instead of playing 2-day matches have gone straight into 50-over stuff. Ethan Brookes fell cheaply but also snagged a wicket for Prahran. Jordan Bulpitt also got a wicket for Kingston-Hawthorn. Next weekend they'll play back to back 50-over games on Saturday and Sunday to try to catch up their season after all the rain they've had in Victoria.

🎙NEW EPISODE🎙
On the 200th episode of TCCP, Aaron sat down with Sir Liam Norwell to discuss:

• His early cricket days in Cornwall 🏏
• The highlights from his time at Glos 🙌
• The glorious 2021 County Championship 🏆
• The Great Escape + lots more! 🐻

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-mh5bt-12fc464

Excellent listen this set aside 2 hours

Another good weekend for George Garrett who took 3-50 overnight for his East's Redlands side in Brisbane
Lots of big scores in Sydney first grade cricket including the game Jacob Bethell was in he took 1-60 for Sydney CC and will get his chance to bat next Saturday.

In Perth Rob Yates made 14 but may well get an opportunity to bat tomorrow morning as his Bayside-Morley side had already dismissed South Perth for 150 so there's a chance of an outright win possible in that game. This is the one weekend where they play Sat & Sun after this the 2-day games run consecutive Sat-Sat

It's been clear for a while that tempting 12 counties into voting for these reductions wasn't going to be realistic. To prevent smaller counties being picked off it was vital members at the big counties stood up and resoundingly said "no!" The mood at Edgbaston's second forum on Wednesday showed the posture of the club had shifted quite markedly in line with many of their fellow counties and reflecting more closely the mood of the members from the first forum.

Well done to all who signed the petition/s those we have will be kept on file in the event these drastic unecessary cuts loom into view again (which of course they will - they'll be back again for sure like vultures) all who lobbied their county representatives and the counties themselves for opening up dialogue and realising the potential gravity of the situation. A big pat on the back for all who reminded the counties why they exist in the first place.

Expect some gnashing of teeth from certain people at the ECB.

It was always about the schedule and not necessarily the overall volume of cricket that is the issue for the players. The schedule has in recent seasons been a pain for the spectator too. Players must realise why they are paid - it is to entertain spectators not to attain high performance in the gym - and as such I think it is the duty of counties to remind players that the best schedule to meet the needs of paying spectators and maximise revenue won't always be blocking all the formats up into nice little windows. Three home Blast games in a week is far from ideal for attracting crowds to the big grounds which is why some of it needs to be alongside some CC cricket. There has to be a certain amount of switching between formats.

In Australia their state sides will routinely play a 4-day Sheffield Shield game and a day later a Marsh Cup 50-over game and then fly to the next city to do the same a few days later. Their Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup aren't locked inside neat blocks. We did this in England too until relatively recently.

Why isn't it possible to have a mix of CC and RLODC games in the early part of the season April May, then a mix of CC and Blast games in June and July then some CC in August during the latter stages of the Hundred when most players are back with their counties. Then the final three rounds of CC in September.

I think particularly for competitions with a knockout element you cant really justify having that in a dedicated block because it causes too many teams (the ones who get knocked out) to be inactive for too many weeks in the season.

Nice to see Dan Mouseley has tweeted ahead of his stint with Glenelg CC in Adelaide. Jammy sod probably my favourite of the big urban beaches in Oz alongside Scarborough and Cottesloe in Perth, the Sydney ones all being so busy for example

Good luck to him and all those away. For 5 weekends running now Melbourne's been rained off so hopefully Ethan Brookes and Jordan Bulpitt are keeping themselves busy

Yorkshire have updated their members today October 28th. Interesting way they've guaged members feelings on various aspects of the HPR . It's about as scientific as this sort of thing can get I'd say. Seems a practical stance

— 28 October 2022
Following the Members’ Forum held at Headingley during the final LV= Insurance County Championship game and a subsequent survey to Members, the Club’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Dawson has provided the below update.

“It was fantastic to see so many of our members at the Members’ Forum in September and the passion in the room was clear for all to see. The overwhelming feeling in the room was not a surprise, with a strong desire to retain the integrity of the County Championship, and as such maintain 14 games per season.

“Yorkshire CCC is the most decorated Club in County Championship history, and we continue to see the competition as a real source of competition, skill and enjoyment for many. Added to this, the Club and county game continue to develop fantastic players for England, with Harry Brook the latest example of this.

“Following the Forum, we sent a survey to opted in members and left paper versions in the Long Room. We were absolutely delighted with the level of responses with just short of 600 people having their say, and we’ve summarised the findings to this below.

“We have also received signatures from well over 400 members to requisition an EGM, asking members to vote on two resolutions related to the High Performance Review.

“Whilst the EGM will not take place until Friday 11 November, it is clear from the consultation that we have carried out it is the wish of our members that the Championship must be preserved and that we should not be supporting a reduction in the number of games.

“The ECB have confirmed that there will be no changes to the schedule for 2023 and that they will continue to consult with all stakeholders over the coming months.

“We look forward to hearing from members once again at the EGM in November, and would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to contribute to any of our consultations so far.”

MEMBERS’ SURVEY RESULTS
594 responses

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 2

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to the 50-over competition to be played in April, with a knock-out element introduced? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 4

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to the County Championship, with the total number of fixtures reduced to ten? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 1

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to playing First-Class festival games in August, with home games likely to be played at Scarborough? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 3

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to reducing the Vitality Blast to five home group games, all to be played from Thursday to Sunday? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 4

Yes that made me chuckle at the time. Maybe it's a Trigger and Rodney situation. "Alright Dave/John"

Hopefully there'll be a summary from the club over the coming days. I've been quite critical of summaries they've provided over the past few weeks - I appreciate it is tricky to get right but the slanting/wording has seemed way off track to me in the emails and webpage summaries so far

Just as an example one comment from the floor that was very well made I thought was about Rob Yates who'd had a pretty wretched season but on reintroducion to the team for games 13 and 14 he was able to sign off the season with a good score and be able to take confidence into the winter.

A ten or twelve game CC would have robbed him (and others) of that opportunity. Also season 2021 after the first ten games I don't think anyone would suggest Warwickshire were the best side or looked like deserving champions elect, you might place them a respectable 5th or 6th but those additional games 11 to 14 when it was on the line enabled them to reach the summit and furthermore game 15 the bwt final at Lord's enabled them to demonstrate winning the title had not been any fluke and the Bears showed they were deserved winners full stop.

A ten or twelve game CC season would be inadequate for all sorts of reasons. These are just a couple

Many of the points Worcester made were backed up by several points made this evening at Warwickshire's forum in the banqueting suite. How do people feel the forum this evening went?

I'd say more out of the blue rather than bizarre. One of the countries leading championship wicket takers signing for a Div 1 county which has had issues in it's bowling for the last 4-5 seasons. Even when we won the title in 2021 the bowling looked powder puff in the first 10 matches. Next to getting Keith Barker back I can't think of a better signing. It saves us having to take a punt on an unproven Aussie Sheffield Shield stock bowler like we went for this season. Overseas options for next season now - top order or spinner the priority?