GerryShedd
Super Moderator
The Cricketer reports that counties met recently to discuss the future of live streaming. It reports:
"One of the takeaways from the meeting of the counties – attended by the majority, but not all – with general consensus that it isn't feasible, at a time where finances are limited at several counties, to not be trying to make money from a summer-long streaming service that can essentially operate as a digital season ticket. That is particularly the case where the product is a bells-and-whistles, multi-camera operation, often expensive to run and, in some situations, good enough to be carried by Sky Sports.
While the monetisation of streams is seen as a necessary inevitability in the not-too-distant future, in whatever form that takes, some counties feel more comfortable than others about the use of a paywall because of the money that has gone into production values. At other grounds, where the crux of the coverage might be little more than a couple of static cameras, that might not be the case.
There are also those who are reluctant to put their product behind a paywall for the reason that keeping their product free to view acts as a marketing tool to encourage in-person attendance at matches and retains a connection between fans and the team, while paywalling also brings questions around the use of match-clips on social media."
As the rain was coming down today, I was trying to weigh up the season so far - excellent results in two competitions but very disappointing results in the Championship.
How are we doing compared with other counties? Are there any counties doing well in all three competitions? By “doing well”, I mean having got through to the quarter finals of the Blast and being in the top half of their table in the One Day Cup and in the Championship.
The simple answer is that there is only one county out of 18 that, by the definitions above, is doing well. You can forget Surrey who are having a disastrous One Day Cup campaign. Lancashire are struggling in both the Championship and the One Day Cup; and counties of the calibre of Notts, Essex and Hampshire didn’t make it to the Blast quarters.
So we are left with Somerset, only third in their Blast group but still through to the knockout stages to defend their title and currently top (level on points with three others) in the One Day Cup and second in the Championship. The other 17 counties, including the Bears, can at best boast two out of three successes.
I accept that, for most of us, success in the Championship would count for more than in the other competitions; and that's the one where the Bears have fallen short. But taken overall, it's not such a bad picture. In fact, across all competitions, Somerset have won 15 games, exactly the same as the Bears.
By the end of the season, success or failure will be much easier to judge with titles won or lost and relegation avoided or not. But, as at today, things don't look all that bad (says Mr Glass Half Full).
Five out of five for both teams.
Graham Smith reviews here and doesn't show his Glamorgan loyalties too strongly:
https://deepextracover.com/2024/08/metro-bank-one-day-cup-group-b-match-preview-warwickshire-v-glamorgan/
I must confess to a tear in my eye as I read about the passing of Billy Ibadulla, a true Warwickshire great. And what a lovely tribute to him here from another great:
https://edgbaston.com/news/khalid-ibadulla-club-president-amiss-pays-tribute-to-bears-great-billy/
Queue here for the bus to Rugby and back:
https://tickets.edgbaston.com/resources/samp/EDG/EDG_2024_Rugby_School_Festival_Bus_Travel_NZ8atlfrOmVR9PebOlxD3iGHI%3D.html
Still awaiting squad news; but I assume our new Kiwi will be in action.
Amongst those presumably missing will be the pace bowling sextet of:
Liam Norwell
Craig Miles
Chris Rushworth
Michael Booth
(all injured)
Hasan Ali
Chris Woakes
(absent elsewhere)
Sky are covering the Lancs v Kent match today - clash of the bottom teams.
Report of the AGM here:
https://edgbaston.com/news/warwickshire-agm-members-hear-clubs-ambitious-edgbaston-plans/
Great to see him claim seven wickets v Glamorgan yesterday.
When was the last time a spin bowler took seven wickets on the first day of a Championship game?
A new look for the Museum:
https://edgbaston.com/news/new-2024-displays-unveiled-at-warwickshire-museum/
I feel a bit sad that the ashes of one of the greatest cricketers to play for Warwickshire - Sydney Barnes - have been stuffed into the bell tower outside the museum rather than being part of a proper memorial. But, if it hadn't been for Phil Britt, the curator, they would have been totally lost. They were previously in the pillar of the old Barnes Gate that was demolished in 2010 when the ground development took place. Phil rescued them on the morning when the old boundary wall and the gate were about to be knocked down.
Here's my preview of the season:
https://deepextracover.com/2024/03/warwickshire-ccc-season-preview-2024/
As usual, (constructive) feedback is welcome!
After all the (justified) complaints last year, the Club seem to have got their act together - I received my membership pack yesterday.
I somehow think that this won't be greeted with unqualified acclaim on here:
https://edgbaston.com/news/davies-pride-at-being-named-new-bears-club-captain/
Happy New Year to all Bearsfans!
The latest email from the Chief Executive contains one or two bits of information:
"We’re investing a significant sum of money to improve the outfield drainage and hopefully prevent the disappointing scenes experienced on the final day last season.
We’ve learnt the lessons of last year and will be managing the fulfilment of Membership Cards in-house with plans to begin sending them out earlier than ever, well ahead of the start of the County Championship in April.
Off-the-field, we are freshening up the David Heath Suite with graphics and memorabilia celebrating the Club’s white ball history and replacing the seats on the balcony in front of the Lounge.
We are also replacing the big screen on the South Stand and introducing LEDs ribbons to the third tier. We know our screens have been poor for a couple of seasons so the new one will be bigger and sharper, with the LEDs also providing in-game information. As we re-develop, we will then move the new screen to a better long-term position."
Several counties are saying that the 2024 domestic fixtures will be announced next week on Thursday 23 November.
This might be worth a listen tomorrow evening - it's open to Somerset members but also to the rest of us who are just interested in the topic:
https://somersetcountycc.co.uk/news/club-news/reminder-somerset-ccc-and-the-future-of-cricket-virtual-forum/