mad
Member
Best wishes to him. Be interesting to see if the sides character will change much. Will we be a bit chirpier in the field? Don't recall hearing him shout much. Will games drift more? First season for him could be quite tough but hopefully he'll be able to throw the ball to trusty OHD and Rushy and will he lead from the front or step down the order?
Excellent analysis and also agree with Bristol Bear about need to avoid wishing away other counties. Makes some Warwickshire fans seem entitled especially with Warks poor record overall in regard to producing test players.
The impact of two divisions will not have helped those counties marooned in Div 2 like Derbyshire who had we retained one overall 18 team division would almost certainly have produced more test players by now.
Also bear in mind the TCCB selection process that denied treble champion winning Bears ANY representation on the winter tour of 1994-1995 brings into question the reliability of the selection system
Also the class system in the UK. Warks will have historically drawn from a pool of Midlands based players in competition with Worcestershire and Derbyshire whilst Surrey have historically been advantaged by their first access to the constant stream of privately educated and trained players from schools down south. Lancs and Yorkshire each draw from an entire region and don't have their own Worcester or Derbyshire to compete for their players at least not until Durham gained first class status without which Ben Stokes would likely have never found his way in. The next Ben Stokes might well be at Derby now
Wonder if we're in for Josh Cobb?
Private Investment in Domestic Cricket in England and Wales - We know what is coming over the horizon. The impact on the County game needs proper consideration
Is there any indication as to where Warwickshire's members committee sits on this serious matter? Ownership of the ECB's shiny new toy, as explained below, is likely to impact future schedules more widely so where are the updates from Warwickshire CCC to its owners - the members?
What The County Cricket members Group are asking in December 2023:
CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN THE HUNDRED
The ECB have clearly stated their ambition to bring private investment into domestic cricket. Likely buyers are said to be IPL franchise owners, oil-states and hyper wealthy people looking to own their own franchise cricket team. How it is done is being discussed in private with county bosses with many different options.
At the moment the ECB is answerable to the 18 first class counties, MCC and the national counties. Changes impacting the domestic cricket structure or schedule needs 12 out of 18 counties to agree. Changes to the Hundred are thought to require 14 out of the 18 counties to agree (though some reports say that might only be 12). 15 of the 18 counties are controlled by their members as they have the power to appoint and remove the board.
Why seek private investment?
Funding more women’s cricket with better pay until such time it grows to be commercially viable on its own terms.
Improving access at grassroots to reach more disadvantaged communities
Paying higher wages to compete with global franchise leagues
Paying down debt
It is easy to forget that the ECB had £335m of revenues plus the revenues of the 18 counties and the MCC. There is a lot of money in our game. Just 5 years ago the ECB made only £125m so the money has increased a lot.
Is it about control?
Whatever the motive, the consequence is that control of cricket will pass over to the new owners alongside the ECB. It may take time and several steps but those putting huge sums in will want effective control of key aspects such as
When and for how long the Hundred is played
Who plays in it
Who runs it, decisions on TV rights etc
Is it cynical to think the main motive is actually to transfer control of cricket away from the counties and their members to the ECB and private owners?
He who pays the Piper Calls The Tune!
This summer, there’s no championship cricket from 4 July to 22 August. Last summer there was not a single first class cricket match in the whole of August.
It is easy to see that players contracted to the 100 on new higher pay will be restricted from playing for other teams. Instead of England releasing its players, permission will be needed to play for England. Will there be Test cricket in peak summer?
IPL ownership might bring higher TV revenues from India, Indian superstar players and other world class players. All this will come at a price. As ICC TV rights have increased in value, the Indian board has insisted that the lion share is retained by India because Indian cricket fans are the ones funding it all.
There is talk about expanding the Hundred so that in time there can be a team for every county (except Middlesex???). But TV rights are more valuable if the league is just 8 teams with all the best players. If there is a second division with promotion and relegation then the elite teams are less valuable to investors.
Do we want important decisions being made mainly for profit reasons?
Key questions to ask about these proposals
What do we need the money for?
Why sell for a lump sum now rather than banking all of the future profits?
Can we make better use of our current income?
What control will we lose as a result?
What is the impact for counties especially those who don’t host a Hundred team?
What happens to the £1.3m annual payments to counties
Can an 18 team Hundred exist alongside counties playing the Blast?
What stops further expansion until it consumes and controls all cricket?
Cricket fans deserve honest answers to all these questions before any decision is taken. Selling stakes in teams that are given all the best conditions to flourish must inevitably condemn the counties to a permanent second tier existence if indeed they continue to exist.
Football fans rejected the ESL because competition, history and integrity mattered more than money.
County governance
If the counties were to be bought instead of the Hundred teams then county members would have to vote 75% in favour with at least 50% of members voting amongst the 15 member owned counties.
Far easier to just move all the best parts into the new teams and lean on county chairs dependent on the national team’s money to vote for it.
County members are cricket’s independent guardians. They appoint the boards & chair who in turn oversee professional managers running the game. Before these fundamental & irreversible changes to who controls and benefits from cricket are made, county members must agree to them and not have them imposed against their will just like when the 100 was created.
The County Cricket Members Group is a voluntary group of concerned members who want our counties to grow, thrive and improve. We recognise the need to change as the world changes. We encourage cricket lovers to join their local county and become involved. We say this to our county chiefs.
Talk to your fellow members and supporters openly and honestly about the pros and cons of these proposals. Listen to your members’ concerns and respect their wishes if they are not persuaded.
DO WRITE TO THE CEO and CHAIR to make your concerns heard - if you have them.
IT IS VITAL THAT MEMBERS SCUTINISE THESE PROPOSALS PROPERLY PRIOR TO THESE CHANGES BEING APPROVED
There may very well be well founded reasons for proceding but it shouldn't be bigger counties demanding an ever larger share of the pie and it also should not be smaller clubs being bought off by bribes for short term staving off of liquidation.
I want Warwickshire CCC to continue their superb record since 1989 - that is competing and winning titles in competition with 17 other county teams once every 7 to 10 years or so rather than finishing top against only 7 other sides once every 3 to 5 years.
A very astute bit of recruitment I would suggest especially given the spin bowling talent coming thought now
The Grumbler is worth subscribing to if anyone hasn't yet. I'm a bit more optimistic than the writer here but I do think members need to be given a voice and a say in what the shape is to come from 2025.
Crucial period over the winter when the powers might well be thinking nobody is taking any notice now the fixtures are out
The PCA need to get real
They can't have it both ways
They've now got a heavily chunked up season with very clear demarcation between when formats are played. Which is what they've been calling for because those poor overworked players for some unfathomable reason can't get their heads around switching between different formats
Yet they still seem to make unreasonable demands like wanting 4 days rest between T20 games of 3 hours duration
The counties are desperate to schedule T20 when they have a chance of selling tickets to the general public quite understandably - outside of the school holidays this will tend to be Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun and not school nights like Mon, Tues, Weds
Followers of the county game ought not be expected to put up with a situation where they only see 3 hours cricket per week for long stretches of the summer for their membership
If the PCA was serious about wanting rest and travel days between stints playing cricket in front of spectators then they'd back a more "appointment to view style schedule" where a T20 or 50 overs match is bolted onto a championship fixture like we had for quite a good length of time in the previous period before the powers that be deemed it appropriate to shunt ever more of the championship to the margins of the season. You could then schedule adequate rest and travel days between playing stints
Interesting that the Glamorgan game is at Edgbaston probably to do with the Edgbaston situation but I wonder if it's also a hint as to which outground location is being considered??? - Stratford perhaps has a festival in the town that Thursday that might clash???
Overall it looks a reasonably kind Championship schedule for Warks. Surrey who we struggled to get to grips with last couple of seasons, Lancs and Durham all dangerous sides we only have to face once. There's a very familiar feel playing the likes of Notts, Somerset, Essex and Hampshire twice and of course the bonus of a double header and potential for decent points haul against newly promoted neighbours Worcestershire. On the flip side we miss out on the potential of maximum batting points at Canterbury however and if we do have a decent early to mid season and find ourselves in contention up at the top - not having the opportunity to deliver a K.O. blow to Surrey/Durham in the final stretch could end up being a drag.
Prospect of three 50 over matches at an outground tbc will be very interesting to see where they opt for. Could set up and remain for the three games to save set up costs
Dates for the 5 home matches are yes.
https://midlandshurricanes.com/news/hurricanes-warwickshireccc-partnership-announced
Hopefully the remaining games in April/May are Friday starts. Somerset forum last week indicated they had 9 matches with meaningful (Day 1/2/3) weekend cricket. This could be as many as 11 at some counties.
As expected Warwickshire begin the championship season with back to back home fixtures;
Friday 5 to Monday 8 April – Warwickshire v Worcestershire
Friday 12 to Monday 15 April – Warwickshire v Durham
Three further fixtures we know about are
Friday 26 to Monday 29 April – Warwickshire v Nottinghamshire
Thursday 29 August to Sunday 1 September – Warwickshire v Kent
Tuesday 17 to Friday 20 September – Warwickshire v Essex
See what the away fixtures bring. I doubt we'd get both Worcestershire and Durham. Likelihood is we'd only get one of those away due to seedings and only playing 5 opponents twice
https://edgbaston.com/warwickshire-ccc/reciprocal-membership/
Good that Taunton and Leeds is added. I guess also includes Scarborough/York should there be championship fixtures there?
It is rather a shame you can't use it for when Warks are the visiting side however
It wouldn't half help offers like this if there was the prospect of multiple fixtures in the actual summer months to use it so it is pleasing to see some ODC games are included
Second Division with "theoretical" promotion
Does seem a tad OTT for a comp that exists for 1 month out of 12 to have such high stakes but has to be preferable to closed shop 8/10 with rubbish teams representing Wales and Brum and soon to be added to by Taunton Tesco Cheese Twists and Chester le Quality Street (The Purple One) having no incentive whatsover to improve on abject failure from the season prior
Four rounds with the kookaburra I've heard
And 8 rounds straight of championship cricket to begin the season followed by a wedge sized block of Blast from May 30th onwards
I've read somewhere that there will be 15 slots of championship cricket as opposed to 16 last year. The reason why they cant have 14 neat rounds where everybody plays is I think to do with the situation at Gloucestershire where the still (somehow, given all they've done to destroy the county championship since 2016) very lucrative Cheltenham cricket festival which requires a fixture in July. In 2024 there will only be one championship match AFAIK at that festival as opposed to two they had last season and have tended to have of late
My hunch is they'll have three 50-over games at Cheltenham in 2024 (fingers crossed we're one of them) perhaps even all four to compensate. Let's see what transpires on Thursday morning
Inside-edge wrote:
A draw in the championship is to go back to being 8 points next year.
Has anyone read any reasoning given for this? I know Lancashire were unhappy about some of the games which had joke bowling in them to bring about a positive result via a run chase but I can't see that alone being the reason why they've gone away from the change made last season.
In the back of my mind I'm thinking the final placings at the end of the 2024 season will be pivotal in terms of how they organise things thereafter. Maybe some of the the stronger counties want to ensure they're not sent down 'by accident' if there is another rain affected county season
Slightly increases the likelihood that Edgbaston will host first round or two so hope everyone gets a nice Xmas jumper or three. Worcester will have made a similar request to be away opening couple of rounds as per usual.
Two new teams they're expecting to add to the Hundred. Can't see it being all that popular for the hierarchy at Edgbaston. Would drain potential watchers of the B'ham crisp packet team who live in the South Midlands. Ditto if Durham get a team and it's impact on Headingley. Half empty stands incoming for this weird ass format methinks
Question we have to ask ourselves is why should Taunton get a team in this and not say Worcester or Leicester let alone Kent or Essex? And will they still be able to contain this thing within the confines of three/four weeks? Can some double headers become triple headers?
There isn't a huge amount of overlap any more is there. There used to be lots of overlap when Warwickshire had a full set of weekend fixtures with a Championship fixture (Day 3 of 4) on the Saturday and a Sunday League fixture and football didn't have any international breaks so football ran pretty much Saturday to Saturday regularly with the odd one or two midweek games (a few more if your team went on a cup run) and one game selected for live showing on Sunday. Be nice to have more weekend cricket to watch so as to have the dilema of whether to watch cricket or footy in May or August but it's become so rare of late particularly and ruinously for August
Premier League teams season's run deeper into May than used to be the case so I guess being aware of the fixtures when scheduling any Bears T20 games for Saturday/Sunday but the trouble is the cricket fixtures come out in a fortnights time or so and then in March or April Sky will decide to move fixtures so you end up with Bears and Blues/Villa home fixtures in May clashing unintentionally anyway
As regards August. Stuart Cain should focus on getting Warwickshire playing top level cricket in August again. Or does he want these local footy fans filling the ECB coffers by rallying behind franchises?
I'd say it's not a great look for the sport rather than not a great look for Warks. This is where county cricket is in 2023. Far too many professional players emerging into the county pathway system from far too small a pool of schools. It's all rather slightly incestuous and if any of this extra funding and free to air 'dosh' from the otherwise nonsensical '4th format' comp is all it's cracked up to be - barriers should start to be beaten back by a tidal wave of state school educated players thriving in the pathway system from Sandwell and Coventry and inner city Brum. Not holding my breath however. Notts have been hammered for years about poaching players and now Warks are getting the same daggers. But it's merely a symptom of where the game is at. Worcestershire or Kent beating us next year with George or Ethan having good games IMHO would represent a real wake up call mind
Very best of luck to him. He 'knows the division' he'd be a great signing for a newly promoted county I reckon (Kent maybe still finding their feet post COVID???) and especially a county that hasn't already got OHD and Rushworth on their books. I genuinely think he can be at that level. Lots of work for him to do mind. Just hope he doesn't do it to us... although I'd probably forgive him if he did
Yes very fair assessment if I was being mean I'd probably go 6.5 out of 10 overall but I think after the issues last season 7 is very fair indeed.