mad
Member
I wonder if Keith Barker is available for a loan?
I like all the streams and commentators in general I think they do try to be fair minded and you have to accept a Surrey focused stream will be more up to speed on their players. I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing just worth having in the back of one's mind when tuning in. On Surrey I've always liked that Mark Church very warm and convivial commentary style last year when Warks got absolutely pumped by them you could tell he a bit like the majority of county fans sounded a bit embarrassed when it gets so one sided. I think the Surrey members will be rather pleased Warks are giving them a game this time as they did to be fair at the Oval in 2022 when Warks were in decent positions to go on to win several times.
Counties like Worcestershire to get a paltry one off £5 million to lose the whole of August and be silenced forever. It is shameful and it is unclear yet whether the £1.3 million original per annum hush money will continue to be provided by the ECB to Worcestershire. If that is not provided per annum on top of the £5 million they'd be mad to accept this deal
Hain gets an absolute shocker
Go to 2 hours 19 mins here listen to a discussion between Alan Higham and Kevin Howells
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001z1sq
Sorry to sound alarmist but in 2022 county members pulled the emergency stop lever on the dreadful Strauss Review. Some of the circulated chatter from leaks do concern me about the impact of private investment. The horrifying prospect of cricket following the failed model of rugby union and water companies and suffering to the same extent is very real and pressing indeed. We are in this position precisely because of failed policy over 15 years now at ECB level and many of those same people are running the game into the dirt now - you only have to look at the impact on Blast attendances post Covid. Was supposed to be different with the two Dickies but is it really any better than the dreadful Graves and Harrison?
I hope folks have had chance to read Barney Ronay's piece this morning;
The problem is the collateral damage to all the other bits. The Hundred is unavoidably parasitic. It requires every other format to be subjugated and run down, although part of this is a deliberate managed decline to ensure its own success. People who have supported the game and kept it alive like the other formats. Test cricket is still the greatest cash cow. It is currently being asked to subsidise the thing that will cut its legs off, a Hundred that provides no players, no pathway, no midsummer stage in return.
It is obviously something that of all the counties our very own Warwickshire (the hierarchy) along with usual suspects Lancashire are pursuing most strongly - the threats of breakaways etc...
If you are a Warks member and want to avert a future without Worcestershire or Kent or Sussex to play then start getting active now. Tomorrow they will throw county cricket to the wolves it seems and Warks members need to be active and make their voices heard
Stuart Cain and George Dobell were just interviewed on 5 live extra during the lunchtime break will post up when the link for 30 days becomes available with a timestamp.
Sounds like Warks will plump for a mix and match approach to the 51% private investment in the 100 maybe retaining a majority stake 26% maybe not
Dobell "Cricket needed a Mick Lynch in September 2016 (The Iceberg Moment)" and "the battle's lost" there is a lot of resignation to the inevitable now even amongst the hard core county cricket defenders. Make the most of May I suggest - oh no cricket at Edgbaston...
Any thoughts
https://www.youtube.com/live/LEqcgqmt56I?si=mtXBIZGXRrTUoDja
Really interesting to watch this is quite a wide ranging discussion. Do listen in.
Once again we at Warwicks are blessed with some of the best people in the game around
Cost. Remember Lancs closed two thirds of their ground for championship games last season so probably won't stump up cost for stewarding
Great news I like the way the counties collaborative efforts with this one there are people at both clubs who really care aren't there. I would like to think they could do this kind of thing at first class level as well to sort of help sides out with ground issues. Worcester ought not be being asked to host games in early to mid April same for several of the smaller county ground set ups like Derby or Durham.
Surely and I'll get on my soap box again here, a schedule in future can be designed whereby sure the bigger test grounds host quite a few of their championship games early April as is necessary for ground availability, flat pitches, to get game time under the belts of potential test call ups etc...
No way should Worcester or Derby be being asked to host while rugby season is still in full swing in early April. Those counties rely on the few hundred (and on warm days maybe 1,500) hardy souls who turn up and that will be given more of a chance to eventuate in warmer June July and August as will the chances an outfield will have dried out from a deluge the fortnight beforehand or persistent spring rain that is unable to be shifted and cleared up until about June as in Worcester's case.
Worcestershire simply would not be even considering looking for a new ground if we had a sensible schedule with the bulk of their cricket hosted in June July and August. If that means more back to back games and the utilisation of squads and loans to cover things then that is how it should be scheduled. The faceless PCA might issue missives to the contrary but what would they prefer? Continual slide into irrelevance and inevitable closure of 6-7 of these wonderful county cricket clubs or a bit more effort from the 'professionals' they are supposed to represent?
Just like to say that on the livestream and commentary I think we are blessed to have one of the best teams in the country - panel of commentators and summarises from BBC radio WM/CWR they've been superb for years and years and the guests they have on all excellent to listen to. This match they also have Melinda Farrell on who I think takes the coverage up a notch further still. Brilliant coverage please continue this would almost almost be worth paying for which one day we may have to do
Proper team innings there from Yates including how he got out . You Bears
Yes I have them second favourites for the title if Surrey slip up and assuming Essex get whacked some hefty points deductions for one reason or another
So we'll probably go and give them a right hammering
Indeed. I totally approve of the vision the club have with this. And that's coming from someone who lives just three miles from Edgbaston. I'd quite like this to be followed up with a 4-day game during summer at an outground like Rugby School in the near future.
What will make or break the experience for most is of course the weather. Having multiple games at the ground will help avoid the set up of the site for spectators being a waste of time and resources.
We would have to be extremely unfortunate (or possess a ground like New Road) to suffer three completely rain ruined days during August.
Lancashire held a forum yesterday
They put together a pdf document for public consumption of what we might refer to as 'positive spin' about the discussions taking place currently on the future of the 100 and private investment in it and impacts (they try to suggest there will not be any negative ones) for the counties
Club Update on the future of The Hundred and external investment – Frequently
Asked Questions
What is NOT on the table for discussion:
• Is the Hundred going to continue to be played between 2024 and 2028?
Yes. This is already contracted.
• Will Manchester Originals continue to play at Emirates Old Trafford between 2024 and 2028?
The Manchester Originals have a non-exclusive lease to play for three-and-a-half weeks during August between 2024 and 2028. Lancashire Cricket continue to have the right to play county cricket at Emirates Old Trafford on non-hundred match days (4 days).
• Is there any discussion to try and reduce the number of domestic red ball games from 14?
No. There is no such discussion happening.
• Is there any chance that The Hundred competition could increase?
There is the potential for the competition to increase from 2029, to allow one or two additional teams. However, Lancashire Cricket would not support this if the length of the window that the current tournament is played in increased as a result.
• Is there any proposal for Lancashire Cricket to sell any shares to a third party?
No. There are zero plans for Lancashire Cricket to de-mutualise or sell any shares.
• Is there any proposal for any assets as part of Emirates Old Trafford to be sold?
No. There are zero plans for Lancashire Cricket to sell/transfer/put any assets of Emirates Old Trafford at risk.
What IS on the table for the Club to consider:
• Would the Club consider receiving an equity share giving it control of the Manchester Originals
and why?
Yes, this would cost the Club zero. The Club would not be giving up anything in return, cash or
otherwise. Currently Lancashire Cricket has no control over Manchester Originals, therefore bringing the men’s and women’s teams into the Lancashire Cricket department would enable day-to-day control of something that it has limited influence over currently. It would also enable a strategic approach to player recruitment for the benefit of Lancashire Cricket and enable an aligned growth strategy for domestic women’s cricket across the North West. This would also give us opportunities to leverage greater sponsorship for the benefit of Lancashire Cricket.
• Would the Club receive a cash injection if the ECB sold any of its remaining shares in
Manchester Originals and would the Club have to give up anything to receive this?
Yes, the Club would receive a cash windfall in this event. This cash would be used for the benefit of Lancashire Cricket which could include for example debt reduction. The Club would not have to give anything up to receive this cash windfall.
• If the Club accepted a free equity stake in Manchester Originals and the ECB sold some part of its current stake to a third party into Manchester Originals, would that impact Lancashire Cricket’s ability to compete and play across all county cricket or reduce the number of games in the County Championship?
No
.
Any thoughts?
Complete Control is what they want and then they'll be wanting more after being handed this too.
I find it astonishing that the county chiefs and the ECB would string the game along like this. Promises to Somerset and Durham and presumably Kent, Leicestershire and Worcestershire too of the distant prospect of relevance and "purpose"
The ECB hopes the model it has drawn up connects the counties and the Hundred, and keeps purpose among counties that do not currently host a team to strive to have one in future.
FFS!!!
What the counties want is first-class county championship, first team 50-overs and T20 Blast cricket to host for their members, supporters and community throughout the peak summer months
A brilliant and utterly comprehensive dismantling of The Hundred and all the fallacies that surround and sustain it
Well worth a read
https://beingoutsidecricket.com/2024/02/20/is-the-hundred-a-success/
the greatest success The Hundred has had is in persuading people to say that it’s successful.
In fairness it's perhaps best they hold off until they are absolutely sure on this. You are right though and it does smack of the hierarchy considering the fixtures all rather secondary in consideration as compared with whatever else is going on that particular month. An indictment of the domestic game at present especially the 50 over format
I do wonder if they revert to Edgbaston for these games once they factor in all the imponderables and weigh up the costs. They may leave it longer to decide depending on the spring weather conditions - it hasn't been particularly dry so far and we've only had a few short cold snaps so the subsoil under ground won't have compacted like it can sometimes do over the winter
Look at the situation over at New Road they are almost certainly not going to have their ground ready for April 18th their opening county fixture versus Durham especially with rain to come this next fortnight. They'd normally switch to Kidderminster but mid-April is quite early for use of a club outground so I wonder if conversations are happening regarding a switch to Chester le Street or failing that Edgbaston? New Road was listed as a venue for a Warwickshire county game a few years ago and I think Edgbaston has staged several Worcester home games in the past
Cheers I have a vague memory of him being parachuted into a game a year earlier perhaps just for one day of a 3-day SEC or friendly game as is allowed in that format. I might have the wrong kid though or he may have just sub-fielded that day