GerryShedd
Super Moderator
A bit of an aside - but the fact that I will be going to Hove this week reminds me of my last visit which was way back in 1981. It was 21 July, which was a memorable day for English cricket (check it out!). I was reminded of the visit by the fact that the Test teams this week wore black arm bands in memory of Dilip Doshi. He played for Warwickshire in that match and the Bears' last wicket stand between him and Willie Hogg (another name from the past) ended when the two batters and a runner were all stranded at the same end. Never seen that before or since!
I wonder if (assuming Bethell is left out of the England team) Warwickshire have been told they can play him for the last two days at Hove or that they will/must play him.
Regarding Archer, there are lots of conflicting reports as to whether he will play in this Test or be held back until the next.
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
I really don’t like the idea of players coming in to play part games.
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.
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.
Regarding the Q&A session, there were no punch-ups or shouting matches, all very civilised!
What I have written below is an attempt to summarise the main points but is not comprehensive. Also, just before the end I gave up and went for my lunch!
Question - why is this up for debate now when the Strauss High Performance Review that made similar proposals was rejected just a couple of years ago?
Answer - that was being imposed by the ECB whereas this is coming from the counties and the players. The counties are seeing lower attendances and the players say the schedule imposes unsustainable pressures.
Question - with few players playing all formats, is the schedule really unsustainable? Players seem to find the energy to go off and play franchise cricket.
Answer - only about 20% of players go off to play franchise cricket. As well as the volume of cricket, it's the switching between formats that is a problem.
Question - couldn't there be a clearer move to specialist squads - red ball and white ball - to ease the pressures?
Answer - there would be a danger that four or five counties would choose not to have a red ball squad so the 18 county model would disappear.
Question (or more a statement) - the preferred 4 day option is horrendous. We should stick to the current system with maybe a loss of a game or two if necessary. The Hundred can and should subsidise this.
Answer - the money received from the Hundred sale won't last forever. Once you have sold the family silver, you can't sell it again(!)
Question - how many attended the Bears v Pears Blast match? Wasn't this a worrying drop?
Answer - yes, about 10,000. This is partly due to the scheduling - too many matches in too short a time; plus the Blast has been under-promoted.
Question - in the favoured option, how will promotion and relegation be organised?
Answer - not yet decided.
The members' forum - what Stuart Cain said:
Any changes to the CC and Blast will last to 2031.
The Blast - proposal is three pools of six, keeping local derbies so 12 games then top two in each group go to quarter finals. Played May to July, with Finals Day in July. Two CC games also in June. Minimum 24 hours between games.
County Championship - preferred option is Top 12 teams split into two 'top tier' groups of 6, while bottom 6 in a 'lower tier'. Each team plays 10 group games and then the groups split: top 3 in each of the top tiers merge and play 3 games in a September 'finals series' to decide on the County Championship winner. Bottom 3 and those in lower tier involved in relegation/promotion play-offs.
One Day Cup - leave pretty well unchanged but look again in three years to see what has happened to 50 over cricket at international level.
The Members' Committee added a request that the ECB needs to invest in the Blast - effectively to re-launch it.
Mr Cain mentioned the decline in attendances as a factor in the need to make changes to add interest and create "jeopardy" so that matches mattered.
It was stressed that two-thirds of counties will need to vote for any proposals so Warwickshire's preferred options may not be agreed.
There was then a Q&A session - I will do another post to summarise what was said.
Alex Loudon who went out with Pippa Middleton but dumped her because his family said that she "isn't wife material".
Good that our latest import has taken some wickets. I thought that his first innings performance was very mixed - not a good start, then a spell of good control and then lost it again.
(Describing him as our latest import is easier than having to check how to spell his name).
Highveld wrote:
Are you sure we are all allowed to have opinions here? There are times when more freedom of opinion is allowed in North Korea, especially about under performing mediocre opening batsmen!
I could always delete your post just to prove your point.
Seriously, as a moderator, I think the only posts I have deleted are where someone has accidentally double posted. Otherwise, everything has stayed on the site. And as far as I know, no posters have been eliminated by having falls from windows or anything similar.
There's a difference between not being allowed to express an opinion and other posters making it clear that they disagree with that opinion.
Yes, I've been meaning to do a summary of what was said but haven't had the time. will try to do it later.
Highveld wrote:
I feel some of the comments above are mean and classless. Moeen has made a great contribution to English cricket, not just on the field, but as a hero to a large part of the local population.
While his return was not the success we'd all have liked, we should be respectful to him as a person and for his contribution to our sport.
There are several players who have done less, and made less effort for the club over the last 3 seasons.
I agree with this. Whilst this forum should endorse freedom of speech, being mean and unkind and expressing opinions as if they were facts don't show us at our best.
And he missed a stumping yesterday.
One measure of a good keeper is that you don't notice him for 99% of the time. On that basis, Smith did well.
Dan Moseley not in the team.
Sad to hear of the passing of ‘Syd’ Lawrence from motor neurone disease. Another gone before his time.
Well said!
I agree that coaches (who are often more like instructors than genuine coaches) are taking over in lots of sports. I see that in tennis, coaches are now allowed to coach during matches, which stops players from reading for themselves what is happening and responding.
The best book on sports coaching (for me) is The Inner Game of Tennis by Tim Gallwey, written half a century ago but still worth a read. I went to a workshop that he ran in California and, when he came to the UK, I set up a meeting for him with the ECB. The plan was for him, as an American who knew nothing about cricket, to apply his coaching ideas to cricket. In the end, the ECB couldn't afford him, which was a great shame.
Averages for the Blast so far:
https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/tournament/averages-batting-bowling-by-team/vitality-blast-men-2025-16846?team=1479
Kai Smith stands out as the man who hasn't contributed. Surely bringing Rob Yates in would strengthen the batting and add a bowling option.