Less and less first class cricket clearly shows a trend towards t20/hundred from June to end of August and first class cricket squeezed into April, May and September likely being 10 games.
Quite possibly my last season as a member for a good while unless things change for the better
David Griffin just now tweeted;
It's not just about workload but also about selling punters short.
Derbyshire in 1993
17 4-day games = 68 days
17 Sunday League games = 17 days
5 Benson and Hedges games = 5 days
2 NatWest games = 2 days92 days or 9,086 overs
Derbyshire in 2025
78 days or 6,736 overs
AND the season runs for about 3 weeks longer too
Those extra 3 weeks are when the weather is usually much colder being early April (or is it March) and well in to September. I joined in 1994 and the format then was very spectator friendly in its set up. I resigned a few years ago because of the combination of the changing format and parking problems.
Regarding the lack of cricket in schools, it looks as though our old friend Mark Robinson is going to be doing his bit down in Sussex:
https://sussexcricket.co.uk/news/mark-robinson-appointed-state-school-technical-lead
Regarding the steering group charged with coming up with proposals, The Cricketer reports:
"No consensus has yet been reached on the options set to be put forward for the makeup of the new men's domestic schedule....The steering group leading the review was hoping to finalise a shortlist on Wednesday (June 11).
However, The Cricketer understands that consensus wasn't achieved on Wednesday, with it hoped that initial proposals will be finalised by Friday (June 13), before the second round of consultations begins on Tuesday (June 17)."
I said that "it will be interesting to hear what Warwickshire (and other counties) have to say about how they will consult their members" about the proposals.
In his Chief Executive's letter to members, Mr Cain says:
"We have set up a Member’s Committee meeting to discuss on Monday 16 June. From there, we would like to have a wider Member’s discussion during lunch at the Somerset County Championship game on Monday 23 June."
So let's hope there is a good turn out of members on that Monday.
There's an article in The Telegraph today that is both informative and very moving. It's here if you can get behind the paywall:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2025/06/14/cricket-leaving-working-class-white-kids-behind/?WT.mc_id=e_DM607650&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_PrS_New&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_PrS_New20250614&utm_campaign=DM607650
It homes in on the story of James Minto, Durham's youngest player who, aged just 17, is his family's breadwinner after his mother's death.
On a broader perspective, it points out that:
"Last year’s announcement by Rishi Sunak of £35 million to fund state school and grass-roots cricket has not materialised under the Labour Government. It would have paid for inner-city cricket hubs but has disappeared into a spending review black hole."
Another Starmer "success" story.
GerryShedd wrote:
There's an article in The Telegraph today that is both informative and very moving. It's here if you can get behind the paywall:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2025/06/14/cricket-leaving-working-class-white-kids-behind/?WT.mc_id=e_DM607650&WT.tsrc=email&etype=Edi_PrS_New&utmsource=email&utm_medium=Edi_PrS_New20250614&utm_campaign=DM607650
It homes in on the story of James Minto, Durham's youngest player who, aged just 17, is his family's breadwinner after his mother's death.
On a broader perspective, it points out that:
"Last year’s announcement by Rishi Sunak of £35 million to fund state school and grass-roots cricket has not materialised under the Labour Government. It would have paid for inner-city cricket hubs but has disappeared into a spending review black hole."
It's a great read, it really is. Durham are doing great things up there with the pathway and academy and reading about the links with state schools, clubs and how that ties in with the pathway is impressive. And they've been doing it for a long time now. They back their own. Why can't we do this?
Unfortunately, this government like so many people in the UK, still think of cricket as 'A game for posh blokes', anyone who watched that Flintoff programme where he got those kids to play cricket for the first time, will know what I mean. One of them said, "What makes him think anyone from around here wants to play cricket", by the end of the series, you couldn't get the bat out of his hands. It wouldn't have such a poor reputation if they played it more in state schools.
The reality is that unfortunately it is a game mainly taught in private schools. The Durham approach sounds like a potential template many counties, including us, should look at mirroring
The Cricketer reports that counties have now received the revised options for county cricket's future. One ray of hope is that there is an option that still offers 14 four day matches.
The report says:
"The first-class counties will now split into six groups of three to discuss the options further. Meetings start this week.
The options include a conference option, an option which retains promotion and relegation and a hybrid model which involves conference, promotion and relegation. Most of the options would involve the county champions being determined by a final, while others would also keep the existing two-divisional structure.
The majority of those options feature a cut in the number of Championship games, but one retains the possibility of 14 matches per side."
I have never liked the idea of a CC final and if they had one, no doubt it would be squeezed into the late season sometime in mid-November. If that happened, would it mean semi-finals whereby a side that scrapes into 4th could be crowned champions as happened a few times in Rugby Union with Wasps. Or, would it maybe have the top 2 fighting it out but even that would seem unfair it the top side gained 20 points or more than the side in second. Whatever happens, you know full well that it will be the usual April-May and September games, either way, I think the ECB contempt for the 4-day game will prevail. If the ECB really are serious about wanting England to become the number 1 Test team, it must appear a competition that allows more Test player participation, being played at decent times when we mostly have decent weather which will also encourage spinners. Somehow I think it will be a case of, "Well that's it, like it or lump it but nothing is going to interfere with our precious Hundread, no matter how much money it loses which we will lie about".
In theory (at least) the decisions regarding the future of first class cricket lie with the counties and therefore (in nearly all counties) with the members. But I'm not sure the energy or the will is there for members to rise up and force counties to vote for any particular solution.
I hope there is the will. The trouble is, even if most members agree on a certain structure, will the Warwickshire committee or whomever decides on the final outcome, actually implement what the members want. The 'elephant in the room' in all this, is The Hundred which if it was eradicated, would mean a lot more time freed up but what I do not want to hear is players saying they need more time to rest if they then go and play in the Hundred which is nothing to do with their counties. Part of this is the players fault for embracing this new competition and just goes to show that if a player gets enough money offered to them, they do not care about their counties, playing for their country or anything as long as their pockets are filled.
I agree that The Hundred is the problem - any changes to it don't feature in this review.
Regarding the power of members, I asked (ex-Chairman) Norman Gascoigne about this when I interviewed him six or seven years ago. He said about any changes that might be proposed and possibly supported by the Club but opposed by members:
"The higher of 250 members or 5% of the club membership would be needed in order for a Special General Meeting to be convened. At the meeting a proposal could be put forward for a vote of no confidence. Or a resolution could be raised for the Board to vote against the ECB proposals. If the resolution was passed, the Board would be bound by it.”
I think what he said then still applies.
Good, that gives us the incentive and hopefully most of the members who attended, would not vote for a reduction in CC games. It would be interesting to have Wisden (The Cricketer) to have a survey where they put up 4-5 scenarios of what the fixture list could look like and have as many people as possible to e-mail their preferences and at least this way, anyone who doesn't want to buy the magazine, can still do it if their friends/family give them the address. Counties could also put up a few flyers to ask people to participate if they wished.
Of course the special general meeting route only works if 250 members sign up to request one. It's my impression that without that the club will consult members, but won't feel bound to listen to what we say.
I'm sure that it's right that the club is not bound to follow what members want without a special general meeting being called. But you could argue that if there aren't even 250 members willing to sign to request a meeting, we deserve whatever cricket is put in front of us, even if it's an expanded Hundred played all season.