LeicesterExile wrote:
In the Blast a pool of 6 teams would result 10 games not 12.
To make the County Championship meaningful with a better chance of resulting in improved Test side the matches should be played in every month of the season.
In the Blast, it would be 10 matches against other teams in the group plus two matches against teams in other groups.
Reabank wrote:
Thanks Terry
So in summary, drop 2 T20 matches (no strong views on this). Plus drop the 2 four day games that currently take place in July. (which seems wrong to me). As members we should get to vote on all this. Anything about how much Warwickshire intend to cut the cost of membership to reflect the reduced number of games?
No mention of any cut in membership fees! Or any reduction in player rewards for less work.
As for a vote, this would depend on enough members asking for a Special General Meeting.
Regarding the attendance reductions, I recall that when the Hundred was launched, it was expected that the new fans brought into cricket via the Hundred would (some of them, at least) migrate to watching other forms, having caught the cricket bug. This clearly hasn't happened.
I do wonder if the 50-over cup is relevant if nothing changes for it. England's poor showing in the last world cup was put down to the players not playing enough of those types of games amongst other things so it looks as though even though those England players could be free, they will no doubt appear in The Hundread. This further undermines that competition as in last years semi v Glamorgan, we had, missing from out team, Woakes, Moeen, Briggs, Davies, Hain, Bethell and Mousely and would probably have mashed Glamorgan into oblivion whereas Glamorgan could put out a decent team who had been playing together through lack of call-ups. Not sure about a CC final, especially in September which will stretch the season even more and the weather just cannot be relied on. As in the Sheffield shield, would the winner be the best team in the CC standings if the final was a draw which has a good chance being in September. I think the best team should be the team who finish first as it has been since 1873 or we will get a scenario like they have had in T20 where a side who wins it overall have actually won fewer and lost more than side who win their groups but get eliminated. In the CC we could get a situation like they use to have in Rugby where Wasps, for a few seasons used to scrape into 4th (Last qualifying position) some 15 points behind the top side and go on to win the final. If a draw is all the top side in the CC needs to win the title in a final, they might just be happy to bat forever and take time out of the game.
Thanks Terry for the summaries
Worcestershire have just posted this on their website, I thought it was informative and well balanced.
Middlesex have held the Special General Meeting to vote on the proposals and the result is - no idea, you have to be a Middlesex member to read the report of the meeting!
https://www.middlesexccc.com/news/2025/06/report-on-members-forum-and-sgm-held-at-lords-last-night
Highveld wrote:
Worcestershire have just posted this on their website, I thought it was informative and well balanced.
I love that they think they play Warwickshire in the Blast!
Even if we take it at face value none of what Stuart Cain outlined is at all likely to grow Blast attendances at places like Edgbaston or Old Trafford anyway. The trajectory is lower crowds for it at the big venues as the 100 sucks up all the hype. A three week window about nowish would work now that exam season is virtually over and more families can think about bringing their little uns along on a schoolnight. Either that or Friday night Blast (Thursdays in London) with some 3-day county matches in between throughout the sunnier months of June and July. Removing County matches altogether from June July and August just to provide yet more guff will not in any sense grow crowds at Edgbaston. The logic is totally flawed. The players demanding this are being highly unreasonable. If they want limited playing time then write this into their individual contracts and just let the counties schedule fixtures to benefit the members and paying spectators as best as possible, which is a bit of white and red ball cricket throughout late April, May, June, July and August and the first 2-3 weeks of September
3-day cricket has to be better than lopping off entire fixtures from the calendar surely
In the USA the MLB season has 162 regular season games, between April and September, that follows a c45 day pre season with over 20 full games and extra private intra-squad games. A team going to the World Series could play, upto an extra 21 games through October. This is combined with multiple long distance flighs accross the USA on an evening after a game, with the first game in the new city the following day.
An average, evening, MLB game lasts about 3 hours, with players been at the stadium at least 3 hours before the start for various warm ups and practice drills. Even at the minor league level, which tends to be more regionalised, sides can be playing upto 100 games betweem May and early September.
So the actual workloads on county cricketers is not as high as the PCA may claim.
Back of the days or a 3 day county championship, sides could often play upto 11 days in a row, with 3 championship games, 2 interupted with a sunday league game, with the 11th day been a Gillette or B&H cup game. This often required long road journeys between games, after a full day in the field, and even long trips on both Saturday and Sunday nights in the Sunday game was not at the venue of the championship game.
It was not unknown to have to go from Leeds to Hove or Manchester to Taunton for a Sunday game.
I thought we already had a number of players who are unavailable for many more days than they are availeable to play.
Hello all
I'd echo Gerry's sentiment that the only way to prevent a 12 game county season with no four day cricket in July and August is to call a SGM. For that we need 250 members to sign up. I'm happy to collect names from this forum. As to what the SGM would be about I'd say, a proposal to change the club rules to prohibit the board from voting for any ECB plan to either reduce the number of days of first class cricket in a season or reduce the number of days played in June, July. If you would like to sign then I think you can message me directly from this forum by clicking on the blue "message" underneath "Reabank." I think I need names and membership number only.
Thanks, Reabank. I've sent you a message.
Regarding the players, I can't think of any group of employees who wouldn't vote for less work for the same pay if they had the chance. So I don't blame them, even though they have half the year in which to recover from their efforts.
Good luck starting this off guys. Alas I haven't been a member since early 2000s but would have supported this SGM push.
Richard Bentley on County Cricket Matters Facebook page is also collecting signatures for Warwickshire
I am in exactly the same position as Tayls and like him wish you all success.
Reabank wrote:
Hello all
I'd echo Gerry's sentiment that the only way to prevent a 12 game county season with no four day cricket in July and August is to call a SGM. For that we need 250 members to sign up. I'm happy to collect names from this forum. As to what the SGM would be about I'd say, a proposal to change the club rules to prohibit the board from voting for any ECB plan to either reduce the number of days of first class cricket in a season or reduce the number of days played in June, July. If you would like to sign then I think you can message me directly from this forum by clicking on the blue "message" underneath "Reabank." I think I need names and membership number only.
Sent my details over
GerryShedd wrote:
Thanks, Reabank. I've sent you a message.
Regarding the players, I can't think of any group of employees who wouldn't vote for less work for the same pay if they had the chance. So I don't blame them, even though they have half the year in which to recover from their efforts.
Gerry, I do think a sportsman or woman is in a different position than people in "normal" jobs. Firstly they are being paid doing what they enjoy doing as a leisure activity. Their career is very short and will not be paid to play until they draw the state pension! Secondly, I have said many times they need to realise they are in the entertainment business and should be playing when spectators can attend - like today for example. Back in the 50s and 60s they played 6 days a week 120 overs a day. Nowadays they can hardly manage 96 overs and have a drinks break every hour!
Interesting that Somerset are not supporting the proposed reduction in Blast games and are supporting the only option on the table that retains 14 County Championship games.
I think Somerset have one of, if not, the largest program for 2nd team and U18 cricket, so they want opportunities for their players and exposure for their sponsors.
GerryShedd wrote:
Interesting that Somerset are not supporting the proposed reduction in Blast games and are supporting the only option on the table that retains 14 County Championship games.
Fair play to them.
I’m pleased with the position Somerset are taking and wish we could find the 6 more to block it but it’s in Somerset’s financial interests to keep the number of games because they don’t host the Hundred and get good attendances at CC and Blast.
I really hope we can hold an SGM and torpedo this!