mad
Member
A lot of this is about what we want or expect of the game. And then contrast that with what a layperson might want from the game.
Watching this week's Grade Cricketer podcast quite an emotional rumination of the current discordant feel the game has and they raised a very pertinent poser.
Do we want cricket to be a game followed by millions at some surface or vague level and fed mostly by T20 franchise stuff that just washes over them?
Or do we prefer it to be a bit more niche and followed by a much smaller number of obsessives who are really into it and the sport has an idealistic and meritocratic global structure?
It's an interesting teaser.
Lots of funny comments too - bull pens made me chuckle
Saddens me that my own county Warks (alongside Lancs obviously) must be so desperate for cash to pay off debts that they are fully prepared to chuck the other counties under the bus like this.
I note Warks haven't made themselves clear on this yet hiding letting Lancs take all the flak.
And all for what?!??
My next gas bill is more appealing than watching this 16.4 shite
Talk about sweeping generalisations and assumptions. They haven't "finally found a format can entertain families" all formats of the game can and have and continue to given appropriate scheduling and support. It's a power grab pure and simple. I'm no huge T20 fan but it's just as entertaining as the blundred if not more so. I loved 40 overs cricket and am happy to let that go ditto 60 overs cricket. Were not stick in the muds we want entertainment too. The season needs mending so it's understandable to the masses. 1 proper game and 1 white ball game per week or if this 16.4 has to stay surely it should be confident enough to allow first class cricket to be played at the same time as it not just 2nd XI RLODC. Also they need to have 18 teams with promotion and relegation if they want it taking seriously. Why should Worcester not have access to these mythical new audiences? Why should the county championship not have access to August cricket lovers? I think I know why - it's because the new audience doesn't exist. All this is attempting to do is reconstituting existing fans of cricket around a smaller number of more easily controlled entities for a month plus or minus people leaving the game (dying off or giving it up) and people arriving into the game.
And do you think they'll stop at August?
The ECB (and some bigwigs at Lancs & 1/2 other counties) wants those half a million or so cricket fans watching the same small number of games instead of having a genuine choice as to what to watch and where to see it in August. This deprives the other counties of patronage. It's sinister and must be resisted.
An American general in Vietnam was once infamously quoted as saying that "in order to save the village it became necessary to destroy it"
That's what this new Eldorado format is specifically designed to do to the game. It also reminds me of classic 'Disaster Capitalism' - create a false sense of doom (some spurious stats about falling participation numbers between 2017-2018 and these past few weeks getting everyone to panic about the IPL) run existing infrastructure into the ground then sweep in with radical yet foolhardy masterplans.
Meanwhile there's the square root of bugger all else to watch which is kinda what they intended of course they want everyone to feast their eyes on the new fangled thing. I actually did that today in the pub. What a let down the thing is utter drivel. I almost fell for it last year but by god I'd rather no cricket ever again than have to stomach that garbage non stop for the rest of eternity. ECB hang your heads in shame it's an appalling way to treat women's cricket which has less history to stand up for it let alone men's cricket which has more
Which is kinda the marketing spiel. This is not for cricket fans this is for folks who get all excited about bottom lines etc...
https://watch.talk.tv/watch/replay/47451218
Nice hours discussion here between Mark Saggers, Derek Pringle and Martin Bicknell from about 2 hours in (8pm till 9)
If it's on telly/twitter/tik tok I guess anything becomes easy to follow. The lack of visibility itself makes the rest hard to follow. Not sure why counties as entities would be less appealing to mums with young kids than crisp packets with cartoonish names. Oh hang on. The lack of ethics with regards this side of it astonish me. Could just as easily attach jazzy names for the T20 teams whack it on BBC with all the attendant hoopla and that'd surely work for a few years too.
Even if it's considered a roaring success there still needs to be first class cricket in the height of summer staged at 20-30 different venues across the length and breadth of England/Wales to justify county memberships or county affiliation
And I've always thought the best v best argument pretty weak anyway. Notts were a damn good side last season after 2/3 years of struggle. They deserved to finish 8th in 2019 but did not deserve to be plonked in the bottom tier this season. They'd likely have pushed Surrey, Hants and Lancs pretty hard for the title this season had they not been dumped into Div 2. And it's the same for emerging sides or transitional sides. We could get relegated this year but the injuries magically clear up over the winter and look like a decent top 3 side again next year but be unable to show this as like Notts we'd get dumped in Div 2. The impact on membership at counties stuck for years in Div 2 cannot be underestimated either.
Checking the dates of the annual fixture v Worcestershire was a highlight of fixture release day as was scouting for seaside or festival destinations. All that has been narrowed and lost in pursuit of ever diminishing improvements in levels of performance. 17 different surfaces across the season used to help batters and bowlers hone their techniques too. Now they are limited to the same 6 or 7 surfaces season in season out unless they play for a yo-yo county.
1 division would make it easier for them to schedule some first class cricket during what I now call pantomime season which August has become.
Great points. I've often talked up going back to one division 18 counties - to general consternation. I think it would help. No stress then about finishing 9th or 10th or 13th or 14th. There was even a bit of fun associated with finishing last with the awarding of the wooden spoon.
There's no relegation in the hundred or the IPL or the Blast so why should players be under that level of pressure in the championship? Make it fun again and a proper Championship 17 games even make some of them 3-day matches to make them fun fun fun and to fit them in the schedule and to take the matches to the seaside and festival grounds and to ensure New Road and Canterbury have more than 4 measly white ball fixtures in the entire month of August. August being more fun for playing and watching cricket than early April (normally anyway)
I had a bit of a pop at David Hopps earlier this season for his comments about Bears style of play grinding out wins/mostly draws. I take it back. He was right ultimately to be concerned in this way not specifically about Bears but about the whole county championship.
One thing that annoys me is this insistence in high performance in the traditional formats of the game almost to the level where the players are literally meant to go right to the edge (all very Strauss that) and yet in these new fangled formats which have most resources chucked at them there is far less pressure on the players or the teams once they are in - it's all geared towards fun, signing autographs, posing for selfies etc... just like county cricket as I remember it in the 1990's. The games are never going to all be of a high standard (despite the hype) especially when it only lasts 200 balls in fact many games will be pure dross but that matters not whoever finishes in the bottom two won't go down. Same with the boring IPL and big bash - when you've seen one display of fireworks you've seen them all I've seen Brendan McCullum in T20 and Gilchrist do the same in tests and Keith Barker in county matches not to mention Lara.
If there's one thing county cricket can learn from the hundred it is it must be a priority to make the matches fun for the players and spectators not drive them close to the edge in search of higher and higher performance at smaller and smaller margins and at great cost to player mental health and the attractiveness of the game to spectators. This is what I recall of county cricket in the 1990's when it was fun - 4 competitions for all 18 counties to aim to win at the start. Maybe they wouldn't be so keen to drift off to mickey mouse competitions then.
Not a lot we can do about the global stuff other than allow it to go over our heads and carry on supporting the Bears and county cricket. Pity then that there's very little of it to watch at the moment - 2nd xi masquerading as a first team in the RLODC/age group and local Saturday league stuff apart
If we did reduce the CC how would we feel if it was the 7 grounds with hundred sides that were cut from the championship plus Middlesex. That would be fairer than what I've seen proposed which is to cut the Worcestershire's and the Derbyshire's out of the CC. It would be dreadful for us as Bears fans for sure but fairer because at least there'd still be hit & giggle to watch at our grounds. Agree with comments about the 16.4 being a bit like watching wrestling on the TV in the 1970's you have to wonder at what point the stage managed nature of games become will too obvious
Fair play to Milo. Doesn't bode well for the 16.4 though if his calibre of lad is being brought in. Sub par big bash let alone competing with IPL. What a waste of money the 16.4 is proving to be.
When you see players of his ilk getting called into the 16.4 you begin to have to wonder why on earth aren't there 18 counties playing this format? What exactly was the point of an 8 team model with drafts and stuff when (no offence to Milo who is very talented and super fielder and Keeper too) county trundlers are in it? Why on earth would it be worth having a draft if - getting on for 2/3rds of the county pros - get a game anyway?
The behaviour of Lancs CCC has been far more reprehensible than any tweets from individuals of the LAG. Their statement last Thursday was effectively a big fuck you to the members and to county cricket as a whole. They should be ashamed. Good on the LAG for bringing attention to their shameful attitude to wider county cricket
Have any other so called self professed big county CEO dared put their head above the parapet and made their position clear yet? Can't wait to start on them next
Warwickshire under 18's take on Cricket Wales at Moseley CC in their third 3 day championship match - Tuesday August 9th to Thursday August 10th. This is following their defeat to Gloucestershire at Portland Rd a fortnight ago and last week's defeat away to Northants
I hope Lancashire get a right volley off him for their use of his name in the afformentioned piece. How dare they...
Still a hard fight to win this one but one we must persist in fighting. 14 is already two too few in my opinion and must be the very bare minimum compromise. Move the earliest April fixture and the latest September fixture back into August while we're at it. Any fewer and they can't seriously call it a championship any more and that would be sad indictment of those mismanaging the game
The next step will be to fight for a "15th CC game" to help the outgrounds out as it would be designated outground week and would be something gained back for proper cricket fans
The ECB do have a lot to answer for with regards their disgraceful treatment of the test players especially in those horrendous bubbles on the Gold Coast and how it has left the likes of Ben Stokes literally scarred for life man. Why the county championship should pay the price for those ECB mistakes is beyond me
I have already now decided I will never set foot inside Old Trafford again. One by one I will find out which counties respect and which counties do not respect their members/supporters of the wider game and I will cross them off my list.
So far it's;
Lancashire in the bin
So this is what the buffoons in charge of the Category A county grounds think. You can bet they've colluded to come to some sort of nonsense statement - Warks, Hants, Lancs, Notts etc... who think players need a fortnights rest between T20 matches
We have to hope the Category B and C counties tell these twits in no uncertain terms that less CC or less Blast cricket is off the table. 14 CC games is already too few
And before they edit it;
Club Statement: High-Performance Review and future domestic schedule
In light of the High-Performance Review being undertaken by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the on-going debate concerning the structure of the domestic schedule for 2023 onwards, Lancashire Cricket would like to update its Members and supporters on the Club’s position.
Lancashire Cricket fully understands and respects the strong feeling from within the Membership and from wider cricket supporters throughout the country regarding the amount of County Championship cricket that is played throughout the English domestic season.
At the time of writing, the Club has not held any formal meetings with the ECB that relate to the High-Performance Review, which is currently being carried out, nor have we had any formal discussions regarding the 2023 domestic schedule.
Tomorrow (Wednesday 3 August), representatives from all 18 First-Class counties will meet with the ECB for a first update session on the High-Performance Review and future domestic schedule.
The decision that will be made later in the year, and ultimately voted for by the First-Class counties, will not be a commercial decision. Rather, it will be one based on the development and welfare of our players, which must always be at the forefront of our minds throughout this process.
We all know the cricket schedule has become increasingly gruelling, both at a domestic and especially at an international level. Covid-19 also impacted the schedule around the world and has had a significant impact on player welfare. Additionally, there is an increasing number of T20 leagues which are being hosted around the world competing for priority slots within the calendar.
The recent retirement of England’s Test captain Ben Stokes from One-Day International cricket provided strong evidence of these pressures with Ben quoting in his statement: 'We're not cars - you can't fill us up with petrol’.
The Club believes that by ensuring our players are at their best, both physically and mentally, they will be able to perform at their highest ability throughout the season, leading to higher quality cricket being played across the board. In this regard, we are supportive of the process being led by Sir Andrew Strauss.
However, it is also vital that cricket listens to the voice of its fans. At Lancashire Cricket, we are committed to ensuring that the voice of our Members and Supporters is heard at the highest levels whilst this review is carried out.
Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive of Lancashire Cricket said: “We are listening to the views of our Membership and, alongside player welfare, these will be at the forefront of the discussions during our upcoming meetings.
“Following the conclusion of the ECB’s High-Performance Review and the meetings, which will take place between all 18 First-Class Counties, we will endeavour to support the creation of a domestic cricket schedule which is suitable for all counties, players, Members and supporters alike.
“As conversations between all stakeholders continue, we will keep Members updated on progress.”
Chair of the Members’ Representative Group, Colin Gore, added: “This is an issue of huge significance for Members and as a result, we have been speaking to the Senior Management Team at the Club regarding the on-going speculation around next year’s domestic schedule.
“In our most recent meeting last week, they confirmed that no decision has been made on this and that there is an all-county and ECB meeting this week, to give an update on the review.
“Lancashire Cricket and the MRG are well aware of strong feelings amongst Members and cricket supporters generally and the Club have said that these concerns will be put forward to the ECB. We do acknowledge however that a key priority for all stakeholders is the players themselves and ensuring their welfare is at the forefront of any decision.”
So this is what the buffoons in charge of the Category A county grounds think. You can bet they've colluded to come to some sort of nonsense statement - Warks, Hants, Lancs, Notts etc... who think players need a fortnights rest between T20 matches
We have to hope the Category B and C counties tell these twits in no uncertain terms that less CC or less Blast cricket is off the table. 14 CC games is already too few
Should definitely bring back the Knockout cup
I know ECB and PCA are then concerned about lack of 50 overs experience if certain counties get knocked out but that can be remedied earlier in the season. One way would be to have a league again and maybe have it a mix of 50 (or maybe 40 overs) matches and T20 matches. Kinda like the Blast now but as a league and with two trophies at the end of it. T20 blast finals day with the best 4 teams in the T20 format and an overall limited overs league Champion the team with the best record overall from the various formats combined. They do this in Grade Cricket in Australia where games can count towards more than one trophy.
There'd be 4 trophies counties would compete for each season then but without adding to the volume of cricket.
County Championship 16 matches
Limited overs League 16 matches (4 40 overs games + 10 T20 games + 2 50 overs games)
Standalone T20 Blast Finals Day (competed for by the 4 sides with best T20 records)
Knockout Cup (Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, Lord's Final)
George Maddy took a ball to the face in last week's Under 18's game v Gloucestershire. Hopefully he's been mended but if not we may well see Kai Smith starting in one of the first few away games
McAndrew's last game for the club. If he could sign off with a quick fire 6-fer that'd be welcome.
Don't think there's any need for panic. No game till Sept 11th now. Before then Somerset will collect 12 points today. Yorkshire are still within reach and still to receive some form of points penalty. Then Sept 5th is the cider derby at Taunton where we could do with the North Bristolians doing us a favour against the South Bristolians