It saddens me to see that some counties just don't want to play championship cricket in August sad that certain counties like Somerset have been bought off and while there is this disunity we will keep being served up absolute dogs dinners of schedules just with less and less to watch and less and less games for players to hone their skills. I'd have thought some CC games in August would be the way to go to enable the retention of at least 14 CC games going forwards. Does anyone on here see any merit in playing four random three-day matches in a 5th format in August instead?

What husk of a season will we be left with if the ECB and the bought off counties like Somerset get their way? 1 home CC game every 5 or 6 weeks?

A major concern of mine if they went with local derby friendlies instead of proper championship matches is what would stop them abandoning matches before a ball is bowled as happened to yesterdays 2nd Xi match up at Durham?

If counties are concerned re: loss of lots of players to the undrd perhaps that idea from a few months ago about only awarding half points might for these matches be a better compromise.

Counties clash on playing Championship games during the Hundred

Elizabeth Ammon
Tuesday August 30 2022, 12.01am, The Times
Counties are in disagreement about how to fit first-class cricket into August alongside the Hundred.

_One of the main initial recommendations from Andrew Strauss’s review was that some red-ball cricket needs to take place in the middle of the summer. While there is general agreement among counties, player representatives and directors of cricket that some red-ball cricket needs to be played in August, there is a divide about whether this should be the county championship or stand-alone first-class cricket.

A handful of counties believe there should be two or three rounds of the County Championship in August even though about 90 county players would be missing because of the Hundred. But other counties believe that being shorn of some of their best players compromises the integrity of the competition.

One alternative suggestion is a series of stand-alone first-class matches perhaps played at outgrounds against a county’s their nearest rivals. A suggestion has been put forward by some counties that there should be two four -day matches in this period played as local derbies with a 50-over game played in the same week and that would help appease county members who are concerned about the lack of red-ball cricket played throughout the height of summer.

Strauss’s review, which was prompted by the dismal Ashes tour in the winter, has set out a number of key principles they believe should be looked at by the counties as part of a reform of the structure and schedule of county cricket. These include a slimmed down 50-Over Cup, which would be played at the beginning of the season in April and start of May, first-class cricket of some sort in August and a smaller top division of the County Championship to promote “best versus best”.

It had been hoped that changes would be decided on in the coming weeks with a view to implementing changes for the 2023 season. However, Strauss wrote in a blog for the ECB website last week that because of concerns from the counties about the tight timescales and ensuring they have time to consult with their members, it is likely there will be no change in the number of county championship matches for 2023.

Meetings between the counties and the ECB are taking place to come up with a number of options for the future schedule and it is still hoped that over the next two weeks some consensus will be found and a vote can take place at the end of September. Any changes to county cricket must have at least 12 of the 18 counties vote in favour and there is a feeling among some directors of cricket that a new schedule must be implemented for next year because the current one is having an impact both on quality and player welfare.

The counties have no say in The Hundred which is ring-fenced as a five-week tournament running through the school holidays so the key decisions they need make are:_

• How many teams should be in each division of the county championship?

• How many matches should each county play? There is a general agreement that there are too many days of cricket each season and that there needs to be a reduction which is likely to come from the championship as most counties want to retain 14 games in the Blast because this is one of their major sources of revenue. There is also agreement that the Blast needs to be played in June and July rather than starting in May as it did this year, which had an impact on ticket sales.

• What county cricket should be played in August while the Hundred is taking place? Both Strauss and Rob Key, England’s managing director, are adamant there must be some first-class cricket to help with preparation and development for the Test team.

All counties have committed to holding members consultation forums prior to any vote.

https://beingoutsidecricket.com/2022/08/29/lies-damn-lies-and-high-performance-reviews/

Well worth a look at this excellent analysis of the analysis presented by the strauss review

We can only hope the county ceo's when presented with this also have their bullshit detectors on before waving this through

Members will be armed with this stuff at the upcoming forums certainly and the conclusion to the analysis is damning

All in all, the report is almost entirely without merit. How it took three months or more to come to this point when the data used in the charts would take an A Level Statistics student about a day to compile and the resulting ‘evidence’ is a mess of conflicting numbers which don’t really suggest any clear ‘solution’ to the problems at hand. As worthless a use of time and money as I can imagine, in all honesty. A fitting tribute to the end of the Tom Harrison era at the ECB.

County chairs take note

The weekends and bank holidays thing is self fulfilling. They'll probably give us a couple next year then point to sparse stands in April and go see?!??

When it really needs season after season to bed in and for locals to get used to relying on a game being on once a fortnight to actually work like it sort of did in the 80s 90s

It'll be the same going forward with the big gaping hole in middle of summer we've got now. There'll be the odd bone thrown to members and spectators but it'll be so hit and miss crowds initially will stay low so they'll say it proves CC belongs in April and October

When Scarborough festival and Colwyn Bay and a county festival at New Road early and late August will need 4-5 years regularity for the public to get used to them.

https://edgbaston.com/news/ecb-high-performance-review-update/

_Following Andrew Strauss’ latest blog about the ECB’s Men’s High Performance Review, Mark McCafferty, Chair, Stuart Cain, Chief Executive and Paul Farbrace, Director of Cricket have issued the following update to Members.
As you are aware, the ECB, under Strauss’ leadership, instigated a Men’s High Performance Review earlier this year in the wake of a sustained period of poor performance in the Test arena. The review’s stated aim is to seek the best outcomes for English cricket with a view to ensuring that England become the number one men’s team across all formats and that we have a thriving domestic game.

The review has now reached the consultation stage and the first of four regional meetings to discuss with all 18 First Class Counties took place on Friday in Manchester. We are attending our consultation meeting at Edgbaston on Thursday (1 September). This is when we will hear first-hand the thoughts of the high performance panel and be able to see how we best balance the needs of England international cricket with those of the various counties, including ourselves.

We understand that there will be a wide-ranging set of proposals designed to create a high performance environment for the men’s England teams, under-pinned by a thriving, future-proofed domestic county structure. Some of these will involve ideas for creating a more competitive domestic schedule, elements of which in white-ball could be introduced in 2023, but red-ball elements may be deferred until 2024 to allow for further consultation. It has been agreed by the counties that the 2023 LV= Insurance County Championship season structure and number of matches (14) will be unaltered.

Following the consultation meeting, we shall prepare a detailed briefing note for the Members’ Committee which will allow it to consider the proposals and put forward its views on behalf of the Membership. We will also hold an open Members’ Forum during lunch at the Somerset LV= Insurance County Championship game on Tuesday 13 September. This will give us the opportunity to discuss the proposals and seek further the views of those Members in attendance.

The important views of the Membership will inform the Board, and ultimately the Chair, on how Warwickshire should vote with regard to any recommendations requiring a vote in September.

For more information on thee High Performance Review and to read the Andrew Strauss blog, visit _ecb.co.uk.__

All I'll add is this "sustained period of poor performance in the test arena" was primarily away from home wasn't it and therefore outside of factors that can be mended by pruning the county championship.

In fact at home England have been very strongly competitive for about 20+ years now.

Overall the club's tone is better here it does feel as though members views will be taken account of.

I hope they understand how much members have already compromised already up to this point from the shrinkage of CC down from 8 home games to 7 and the loss of weekend and holiday cricket to watch. So they need to meet us half way this time. To see any further shrinkage down to 6 or even 5 home CC matches would represent a big kick in the teeth from a club that prides itself on superb championship victories in the past and then 1994, 1995, 2006, 2012 and 2021. I also recall good performances in 1991/92 and going so close being robbed by Sky TV choosing our game at Southampton in 2011. Reducing games going forward would cheapen any future victory and cannot be a more serious misjudgement of the mood of Warwickshire members

Essex CCC Board have voted unanimously in favour of rejecting any potential reduction in Championship and T20 cricket. In addition, it is imperative that the 50-over competition is retained. This view is supported by many of our fellow First-Class Counties and will be emphasised in future review meetings.

Chief Executive and Interim Chair, John Stephenson, will be part of the consultation

Why can't our board show similar backbone?

https://www.essexcricket.org.uk/2022/08/26/ecb-high-performance-review/

Tremendous win for England. Forged in the county championship.

Beating the world champions comprehensively and then the powerhouse of India and then the current world number 1 side south africa

Kind of negates the need to make hasty decisions based on some flawed high performance review

Counties should reject the Strauss proposals and in fact make the case for 16 matches in the county championship

All it needed was better people in leadership positions on and off the field and a release from the bubbles

If they persist with the proposals now it shows what we all knew from the beginning what it was really for all along

Highveld wrote:

From the Worcestershire chairman

https://wccc.co.uk/update-from-our-chair-high-performance-review/?fbclid=IwAR2V46y7nJl2hjQ8X4kKsQO9qG2JOxN791tBDeMxrV2aucMgjyCeCNHWj7E

Does this indicate there'll be no vote on September 20th or that any vote would be delayed by several months?

If they're still hell bent on pushing for a vote on September 20th to decide what 2024 will look like we need to mobilise quickly.

Worcestershire suggest there'll be several months for forums and consultation so hopefully nothing major gets decided on September 20th which would be wreckless and far too rushed

Personally I think the counties ought to be miffed at the deeply insulting nature of much of Strauss's HPR. And should therefore ready themselves to take appropriate action with regard to the ECB itself or garner assurances from the new chair

As well as spectators it's also the players as eloquently described here

Already one county's chief executive has said that he will have to make employees redundant if the number of first-class games is reduced, though the news of Friday morning suggest this is extremely unlikely for 2023, at least.

https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/opinion/county_game_about_much_more_than_readying_england.html

Well done everyone

Will await strategic update from Alan but I'm still up for collecting more signatures at the Somerset game if we still need to get past 250

Well done everyone

Will await strategic update from Alan but I'm still up for collecting more signatures at the Somerset game if we still need to get past 250

Once the forms are signed, please give them to the club office. Keep a total of the number of signatures that you have handed in and let me know. If you are not going to a match now this season, please post the form and again let me know.

Those were instructions for Tuesday and still apply. You can always keep it until Sept 12th if you prefer or see other members who'd like to add their name.

Whatever you do take a photo of it for your own records or email yourself a copy before sending. We can then get our heads together over next couple of weeks and work out how many in total have been completed before including any that are not on the forum who we expect will have posted theirs. It's why we probably need 275-300 to be sure

Excellent please let us know when you get a response Stuart Cain was quick to respond to my email on Sunday. I'm sure he's well meaning too and wants to hold onto what we want to deep down but we can't just assume anything at this stage.

Please take a photo or copy of your forms before handing them in. We will need to tally up the numbers who sign it. Also if you think you'd like to write a personal letter to Stuart Cain Warwickshire County Cricket Club CEO please do so and feed back any responses if you're happy to do so. This is so important I think particularly Warwickshire but in general they rely on the passivity of the members. It's understandable as is the sense of fear/what on earth can be done? but this really is one important message to send to the club's management that in the event of cuts to the schedule we as members intend to hold them to account

Malc wrote:

I’ve got 15 signatures at the game today.

Nice one Malc. Looks like they took notice of the growing surge of resentment at this.

Hi Andy

Please read this leaflet:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1LLH_hmJymiMn_kgx62pJOSO7p-M-nNCo/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword

To sign the Warwickshire SGM request: please print and complete the form here
https://docs.google.com/file/d/10QtoMHr1YDFuHzDEMf9y8omTKpRd2ESx/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword7

We need 250 signatures to call the meeting. Please take some spare copies to the ground if you are going to an event or at the county game on 12-15 September. Most members are not online. Many will not know about the threat to county cricket. Please take every chance to speak to people at the ground.

I will be at the ground on 12th September and encourage people to sign the petition that day before or after the members forum or you can complete it in advance and post it to Stuart Cain the CEO at Warwickshire. Alan will have a more strategic update to give in due course

Several people have copies of the forms now and they are available online we should easily reach 300 I reckon which will help if there has been any duplication. keep telling folks and get them signed. I was doing 10 signatures per sheet

This weeks grumbler is required reading everybody. A rallying cry if you will...

https://countycricket.substack.com/p/no-64-aug-24-the-grumblers-county

Especially concur with the following;

The Campaign to Save County Cricket
The ECB have lost sight of county cricket's loyal support (Cricketer)

Paul Edwards’ pieces always have a special poignancy.

In this one, he laments the deep division in the game at the moment. As do I, but at the same time, it is very galling that those who have treated the county game with such disrespect, and show no signs of stopping until it is stone dead, are now calling for calm.

We remember the original announcement, then the silence, the confusion, then the string of confused announcements, the people saying 'it's not for us' then the stories of a boardroom 'ambush' and NDAs. Then, of course, the realisation this year that we were right to be so fearful.

But, alas, such pieces, don't matter. The self-proclaimed ‘disruptors’ justify their carnage as a 'cost of business'. They sell the sizzle and then, like Teflon Tom Harrison, are out the door and banking their bonus before the price is truly paid.

It's not just cricket, it's business and, shamefully, it’s Britain.

We used to be better than this.

Well worth a listen to this podcast with Annie Chave and David Griffin - great hours worth of chewing the fat and clarifies a few things. According to David, the Derbyshire chairman will carry the will of the members to the ECB board as will the other chairs of the 15 member owned counties

Need to keep the pressure up though. Keep writing. Get those SGM's signed just in case

https://podvine.com/podcast/stumpsumpsandbeerpumps/chave-and-dave-a-county-cricket-special?time=3313

What many supporters are desperate for is a season that has a friendly, familiar rhythm and doesn’t change from year to year with competitions ripped up here and inserted there. It was only in 2017 that the number of Championship games fell from 16 to 14, and there has been recent tinkering with the size of the divisions and the number of teams promoted and relegated. The B&H Cup died in 2002, T20 began in 2003, the 40-over competition played its last in 2013, replaced by the Royal London Cup, which now runs in the shadow of the Hundred, which was born in 2021

Hallelujah

Anyone who hasn't yet signed the SGM forms will surely be there to sign it on the way into the forum on September 12th. The club must realise by the time the meeting starts we'll have around 350-400 signatures by then

Since there's a big gap now until the next game how about any recommendations for good reads on county cricket especially championship cricket.

Simon Chalke's Summers Crown from several years ago is very good

Here's another one which was reviewed earlier this summer I've not got round to reading yet

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/cricket/amateur-cricket/cricket-paul-edwards-30-years-24431674

Since there's a big gap now until the next game how about any recommendations for good reads on county cricket especially championship cricket.

Stephen Chalke's Summers Crown from several years ago is very good

Here's another one which was reviewed earlier this summer I've not got round to reading yet

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/cricket/amateur-cricket/cricket-paul-edwards-30-years-24431674