mad

Nov 23, 2022, 4:52:58 PM UTC

Club advertising 8 game blast passes for 85 quid it's not bad at all that. This will be aimed at getting a similar crowd in to what the 1oo does plus maybe a few hundred county fans on buses down from Leeds, Manchester and Derby. It's much earlier in the year though so probably looking at 15,000 crowd similar to the Worcester home games but higher than for games vs these opponents individually. They'll want to aim higher than that and if some world champions/stars are on show they might but I'm just being realistic

I had assumed they'd try double headers with two matches against the same opposition to cut down on play and travel days etc... What they're doing isn't aimed at reducing playing days as I had thought but is an interesting way to try to sell more advance tickets than would normally be sold for these fixtures particularly for the time of year. If the weather is crap Derby don't lose out on staging costs as they can stand down their match day staff. If the weather is good Warwicks will benefit from staging an event with potentially double/triple the attendance for the same (give or take some overtime) staging costs

Blast off double header

Nov 23, 2022, 12:47:22 PM UTC

https://edgbaston.com/news/edgbaston-to-host-first-ever-blast-off-double-header/

I actually like the ambition here. Whilst slightly inconvenience to Derbyshire fans I think it is testament to how well liked Edgbaston has become as an events stadium. It's an attempt to replicate the kind of crowds we get for the Worcester game which we never seem to get for Derby/Yorkies etc... Might attract more away fans and neutrals. I know many will balk at this but I think it's a good idea I'm open minded about it at least. Guessing other grounds will try something similar on other weekends too

T20 World Champions

Nov 13, 2022, 12:56:55 PM UTC

Excellent tournament completed by England. Great for Warwickshire now Moeen and hopefully Woakes are made availabile for the Blast ought to help boost attendances for sure. I go back to one of the comments from a gentleman at the first HPR forum in September that as soon as he saw how England were going to prepare for the Ashes last year (+ the injuries, bubbles etc...) he immediately switched off because it was obvious to him that England would get bounced around and walloped by the Aussies.

As it turned out aside from the heat in Adelaide and to some extent Sydney the conditions were quite similar to English conditions but the poor prep did for them

Contrast with how well England have prepared for this tournament. Yes they have turned themselves into a fantastic white ball team/squad and probably by some distance the best in the world at coping with all conditions (no mean feat in a format as fickle as T20 where results are less predictable) wheras in Test cricket you get the sense there isn't much of a gap talentwise between each of the top 4-5 test playing 11's in world cricket and home advantage plays a massive part still.

Elated for Moeen and Woakesy but also for Adil Rashid now a double world cup winner and alongside Stokes probably the key player in England becoming so dominant overall in the limited overs formats

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Nov 9, 2022, 8:45:46 PM UTC

Kent Cricket’s Chair, Simon Philip, has provided an update (Nov 9th) on the two High Performance Review recommendations which concern the structure & scheduling of county cricket.

Yesterday, I attended a virtual meeting for the 18 First-Class County Chairs to discuss the High-Performance Review.

As previously stated, there are two key areas for our Club – structure & scheduling.

For any changes to be enacted to these, 12 of the 18 First-Class Counties must be in favour. As previously covered in the cricket media, it is clear that there is no requisite majority for a reduction of LV= Insurance County Championship or Vitality Blast cricket or for the One-Day Cup to be played at the start of the season.

We are committed to finding solutions that improve the performance of England Cricket – there are 14 other recommendations in the Review that are non-contentious & may well have a significant positive impact on the performance of our Men’s International teams. However, at this time, there are no proposals or votes on the table concerning the amendment of the domestic schedule & structure.

Until this changes, the status quo prevails.

If any proposals do emerge in future, they will be assessed by the Board & the impact on the Club, our Members, supporters, players and stakeholders will be considered. Members will be consulted in that eventuality.

However, in the absence of any proposals currently, there is nothing on which to consult.

Winter assignments

Nov 7, 2022, 10:54:13 AM UTC

Couple of wickets for Rob Yates on Saturday and he batted out a potentially tricky closing few mins to finish 0 not out as Bayswater-Morley began their reply in Perth against Claremont-Nedlands one of Dermot Reeve's old clubs. That 2-day game finishes next Saturday.

In Adelaide Dan Mouseley is 25 not out (assuming rain interrupted day) for West Torrens against Adelaide University a game which completes next Saturday. On Sunday his side lost to Glenelg in the group stages of their 50-over one day cup, Mouseley scoring 26 and taking a wicket towards the end of Glenelg's reply but alas in vain. They have two further Sunday group matches to play.

In Melbourne they finally got going and instead of playing 2-day matches have gone straight into 50-over stuff. Ethan Brookes fell cheaply but also snagged a wicket for Prahran. Jordan Bulpitt also got a wicket for Kingston-Hawthorn. Next weekend they'll play back to back 50-over games on Saturday and Sunday to try to catch up their season after all the rain they've had in Victoria.

Liam Norwell

Oct 29, 2022, 7:28:27 PM UTC

🎙NEW EPISODE🎙
On the 200th episode of TCCP, Aaron sat down with Sir Liam Norwell to discuss:

His early cricket days in Cornwall 🏏
The highlights from his time at Glos 🙌
The glorious 2021 County Championship 🏆
The Great Escape + lots more! 🐻

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-mh5bt-12fc464

Excellent listen this set aside 2 hours

Winter assignments

Oct 29, 2022, 2:59:08 PM UTC

Another good weekend for George Garrett who took 3-50 overnight for his East's Redlands side in Brisbane
Lots of big scores in Sydney first grade cricket including the game Jacob Bethell was in he took 1-60 for Sydney CC and will get his chance to bat next Saturday.

In Perth Rob Yates made 14 but may well get an opportunity to bat tomorrow morning as his Bayside-Morley side had already dismissed South Perth for 150 so there's a chance of an outright win possible in that game. This is the one weekend where they play Sat & Sun after this the 2-day games run consecutive Sat-Sat

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Oct 29, 2022, 11:45:12 AM UTC

It's been clear for a while that tempting 12 counties into voting for these reductions wasn't going to be realistic. To prevent smaller counties being picked off it was vital members at the big counties stood up and resoundingly said "no!" The mood at Edgbaston's second forum on Wednesday showed the posture of the club had shifted quite markedly in line with many of their fellow counties and reflecting more closely the mood of the members from the first forum.

Well done to all who signed the petition/s those we have will be kept on file in the event these drastic unecessary cuts loom into view again (which of course they will - they'll be back again for sure like vultures) all who lobbied their county representatives and the counties themselves for opening up dialogue and realising the potential gravity of the situation. A big pat on the back for all who reminded the counties why they exist in the first place.

Expect some gnashing of teeth from certain people at the ECB.

It was always about the schedule and not necessarily the overall volume of cricket that is the issue for the players. The schedule has in recent seasons been a pain for the spectator too. Players must realise why they are paid - it is to entertain spectators not to attain high performance in the gym - and as such I think it is the duty of counties to remind players that the best schedule to meet the needs of paying spectators and maximise revenue won't always be blocking all the formats up into nice little windows. Three home Blast games in a week is far from ideal for attracting crowds to the big grounds which is why some of it needs to be alongside some CC cricket. There has to be a certain amount of switching between formats.

In Australia their state sides will routinely play a 4-day Sheffield Shield game and a day later a Marsh Cup 50-over game and then fly to the next city to do the same a few days later. Their Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup aren't locked inside neat blocks. We did this in England too until relatively recently.

Why isn't it possible to have a mix of CC and RLODC games in the early part of the season April May, then a mix of CC and Blast games in June and July then some CC in August during the latter stages of the Hundred when most players are back with their counties. Then the final three rounds of CC in September.

I think particularly for competitions with a knockout element you cant really justify having that in a dedicated block because it causes too many teams (the ones who get knocked out) to be inactive for too many weeks in the season.

Winter assignments

Oct 28, 2022, 10:44:29 PM UTC

Nice to see Dan Mouseley has tweeted ahead of his stint with Glenelg CC in Adelaide. Jammy sod probably my favourite of the big urban beaches in Oz alongside Scarborough and Cottesloe in Perth, the Sydney ones all being so busy for example

Good luck to him and all those away. For 5 weekends running now Melbourne's been rained off so hopefully Ethan Brookes and Jordan Bulpitt are keeping themselves busy

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Oct 28, 2022, 11:32:50 AM UTC

Yorkshire have updated their members today October 28th. Interesting way they've guaged members feelings on various aspects of the HPR . It's about as scientific as this sort of thing can get I'd say. Seems a practical stance

— 28 October 2022
Following the Members’ Forum held at Headingley during the final LV= Insurance County Championship game and a subsequent survey to Members, the Club’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Dawson has provided the below update.

“It was fantastic to see so many of our members at the Members’ Forum in September and the passion in the room was clear for all to see. The overwhelming feeling in the room was not a surprise, with a strong desire to retain the integrity of the County Championship, and as such maintain 14 games per season.

“Yorkshire CCC is the most decorated Club in County Championship history, and we continue to see the competition as a real source of competition, skill and enjoyment for many. Added to this, the Club and county game continue to develop fantastic players for England, with Harry Brook the latest example of this.

“Following the Forum, we sent a survey to opted in members and left paper versions in the Long Room. We were absolutely delighted with the level of responses with just short of 600 people having their say, and we’ve summarised the findings to this below.

“We have also received signatures from well over 400 members to requisition an EGM, asking members to vote on two resolutions related to the High Performance Review.

“Whilst the EGM will not take place until Friday 11 November, it is clear from the consultation that we have carried out it is the wish of our members that the Championship must be preserved and that we should not be supporting a reduction in the number of games.

“The ECB have confirmed that there will be no changes to the schedule for 2023 and that they will continue to consult with all stakeholders over the coming months.

“We look forward to hearing from members once again at the EGM in November, and would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to contribute to any of our consultations so far.”

MEMBERS’ SURVEY RESULTS
594 responses

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 2

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to the 50-over competition to be played in April, with a knock-out element introduced? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 4

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to the County Championship, with the total number of fixtures reduced to ten? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 1

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to playing First-Class festival games in August, with home games likely to be played at Scarborough? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 3

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the recommendations from the High Performance Review proposals with regards to reducing the Vitality Blast to five home group games, all to be played from Thursday to Sunday? (1 = Highly Unsatisfactory, 5 = Neutral, 10 = Highly satisfactory)

Average score – 4

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Oct 28, 2022, 6:14:11 AM UTC

Yes that made me chuckle at the time. Maybe it's a Trigger and Rodney situation. "Alright Dave/John"

Hopefully there'll be a summary from the club over the coming days. I've been quite critical of summaries they've provided over the past few weeks - I appreciate it is tricky to get right but the slanting/wording has seemed way off track to me in the emails and webpage summaries so far

Just as an example one comment from the floor that was very well made I thought was about Rob Yates who'd had a pretty wretched season but on reintroducion to the team for games 13 and 14 he was able to sign off the season with a good score and be able to take confidence into the winter.

A ten or twelve game CC would have robbed him (and others) of that opportunity. Also season 2021 after the first ten games I don't think anyone would suggest Warwickshire were the best side or looked like deserving champions elect, you might place them a respectable 5th or 6th but those additional games 11 to 14 when it was on the line enabled them to reach the summit and furthermore game 15 the bwt final at Lord's enabled them to demonstrate winning the title had not been any fluke and the Bears showed they were deserved winners full stop.

A ten or twelve game CC season would be inadequate for all sorts of reasons. These are just a couple

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Oct 26, 2022, 10:09:37 PM UTC

Many of the points Worcester made were backed up by several points made this evening at Warwickshire's forum in the banqueting suite. How do people feel the forum this evening went?

Chris Rushworth?

Oct 24, 2022, 6:10:32 PM UTC

I'd say more out of the blue rather than bizarre. One of the countries leading championship wicket takers signing for a Div 1 county which has had issues in it's bowling for the last 4-5 seasons. Even when we won the title in 2021 the bowling looked powder puff in the first 10 matches. Next to getting Keith Barker back I can't think of a better signing. It saves us having to take a punt on an unproven Aussie Sheffield Shield stock bowler like we went for this season. Overseas options for next season now - top order or spinner the priority?

Chris Rushworth?

Oct 24, 2022, 4:13:26 PM UTC

Not nice to speculate but a personal issue will generally involve the relations. Let's hope he'll find he's happy at Warwicks as he sure won't let anyone down.
Maybe I'm reading too much into the signing but one thing it does suggest to me is Warwickshire are confident the championship will not be reduced any time soon. We wouldn't be making such a signing for a measly ten game championship really now would we?

On BBC north east Rushworth spoke recently quite firmly against the Strauss review. Think I posted the link here a fortnight ago.

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Oct 24, 2022, 4:05:00 PM UTC

From Worcester. A similar statement from Warwickshire showing firm commitment to retention of a 14 match county championship would be appreciated. I especially like the section 👇 in bold I hope this is mentioned to Warwickshire at the forum on Wednesday should they still be insisting on supporting the brainless idea of reduced championship matches

Following widescale discussion during multiple Members’ Forums and following the Board’s consideration – Worcestershire County Cricket Club can confirm the following:

The Sir Andrew Strauss-led High-Performance Review (HPR) has many aspects that we support looking through the important lens of improving international performance.

However, at the county level, reducing County Championship fixtures is not supported. Our preference and desire is to maintain 14 games rather than reduce to 10 games, as proposed in the HPR.

We totally support the best v best overriding principle in the HPR and believe this can be achieved with two divisions rather than three leagues of six counties. We favour a true meritocracy with two up and two down from each division.

Worcestershire does not support reducing the number of Vitality Blast games from the current level of 14 games. That would be particularly harmful to counties like ours that do not have alternative games to host.

A reduction in County Championship and Vitality Blast fixtures would harm the holistic health of cricket in our county and beyond.

Our preference would be to truncate The Hundred (if possible) to reduce strain on the overall schedule. There is very limited appetite amongst our members to play first-class Festival cricket during this period.

Reducing the level of competition for select players (seamers, internationals) is a serious consideration properly highlighted in the HPR. This can potentially be achieved for these players by other means, such as limiting their number of fixtures, as in other sports, rather than wholesale reductions for all.

It should be noted that many of our players choose to play cricket for other teams when not appearing for us, indicating that for many, they desire more cricket. More analysis and consultation with players is required on this important issue.

The concentration of the schedule, and in particular the switch from one type of cricket to another, is an important factor that needs improving with better scheduling of competitions rather than a per-se reduction in overall games.

The schedule will not change materially in 2023, therefore, we have time to work through and properly consider any putative change for 2024.

We look forward to working with other counties, the PCA and the ECB to arrive at an appropriate solution in the best interests of cricket

https://wccc.co.uk/club-update-high-performance-review/

Chris Rushworth?

Oct 24, 2022, 3:43:29 PM UTC

Durhams disgraceful treatment by the ECB is the reason he's been out of the top division for a few seasons. He's a true county loyal pro. Some personal issues so he wants away from the north east and Warwickshire definitely in need of strengthening their seam attack so it's an ideal fit in many ways. His experience will rub off on the youngsters around him similar to the way Bresnan did.

Warwickshire will be a decent shout for dark horses again next season just like the acquisition of Danny Briggs made us potential dark horses in 2021

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Oct 22, 2022, 12:25:37 PM UTC

Yes it has to be 14. And in order to go half way with Strauss we revert to a top division of eight which is closer to his stupid idea of six. It's not that hard is it??? 1 up 3 down next season gets us there and then we can all relax again until the next change and the one after that...

14 CC games ideally with a couple at the back end of August after a shortened three weeks long 100 comp. The RLODC can then remain at the beginning of the school hols just slightly shortened to three weeks for the group stage and Quarter finals. Semi finals midweek at the end of August & the final in mid-September

Scheduling oughtn't be as tricky as the ECB have often painted it out to be - cynically some might suggest that's exactly why they've made it a dogs dinner - to make it appear more of a mess than it needs to be - to provide an excuse so that Strauss comes in and mops it up

Winter assignments

Oct 21, 2022, 5:37:22 PM UTC

Ethan and Jordan hoping to get going tonight in the Victorian Premier League, lots of rain still around however. Rob Yates is in the XI for Bayswater-Morley in Perth and some nice words from Brisbane during the week on FB;

🚨 DEBUTANT 🚨

Congratulations to George Garrett who made his debut over the weekend against local rivals Wynnum Manly District Cricket Club. George is one of our overseas players this year hailing from county side Warwickshire County Cricket Club. We look forward to seeing George showcase his fast bowling skills out on Peter Burge Oval this season! George was presented cap number 690 by fast bowling stalwart Jon Stimpson.

Campaign to Save First Class Cricket

Oct 20, 2022, 1:47:06 PM UTC

BIG INTERVIEW: Chairman Warren says Northants will consult supporters over Strauss review
"At the right time we will consult our supporters, we will do a forum and explain everything… I need to protect the club, that is my priority”

Gavin Warren says Northants shareholders and season-ticket holders will be consulted before the club votes on the recommendations made in Andrew Strauss's controversial High Performance Review of English cricket.

And the County chairman has made it clear that his and the club's board's focus will always be what is best for Northamptonshire, insisting: "I need to protect the club, that is my priority."

Strauss's HPR was revealed last month, and in it the headline calls were that he felt the number of matches should be cut from both the County Championship and Vitality Blast, from 14 in both competitions to 10.

The proposed schedule changes require the support of at least 12 of the 18 first-class counties, with a vote to be held after a further period of consultation.

That vote is due to be held at the end of November, but is likely to be delayed until the new year.

Some clubs have already made it clear they are against Strauss's recommendations.

Warren says he and the County board are considering everything that has been proposed and he will be consulting with the club's fanbase when the time is right.

"What we need to do is understand it first, before we go out there and say 'this is what we think', because there is so much around it,” admitted Warren. "Things are not going to change for 2023, that is for sure.

And Warren admits he is still to be convinced too much county cricket is currently being played, both red and white ball, as Strauss suggests.

"The paper was very much about Team England, but what we are very much interested in is the development of English cricket, and there is a key difference there," said Warren.

"Of course we want our national team to be the best, but also you have to get the foundation right, you have to get the pathways right and we are certainly excited about a few of our youngsters at the club.

"People say 'we play too much cricket', but that is a bit of a throwaway answer, and I am still not convinced by that, I need more evidence."

Referring to the workload of the Northants players in particular, Warren will take on board the expert opinion of head coach John Sadler, and he suggests one solution could be counties employing more players rather than simply reducing the fixture list.

"Do the players play too much? They probably do," accepted Warren.

"Do we need to rest them? The feedback from John Sadler is yes we do, so the answer to that might be 'okay, let's get a bigger squad'.

"Is there an argument for clubs to carry those bigger squads so we can rest players more? To make them fresher. These are all things we need to discuss."

It had long been mooted that the review would call for a reduction in Championship cricket, but the call for the Blast to also be reduced from 14 games to 10 - with all counties losing two money-spinning home fixtures - was a big surprise.

And not one that Northants, or Warren, are particularly keen to see come to fruition.

"Do I want to reduce the number of Blast games? Of course I don't, because crowds are up and it is our role to put on top-class cricket in the county," said Warren.

"Crowd-wise, we had great attendances (in 2022) and we had to lock the doors for a couple of games.

"Nationally, the T20 attendance was down, but we were up at about 85 per cent occupancy or whatever it was, which is really good.

"The problem we have in the modern era is all the franchise cricket that is going on, with the IPL, the South Africa tournament, the UAE, Florida, where players are now getting sucked out and playing in these tournaments.

"That is the threat we have, that we lose the best players."

For many supporters of English county cricket, and plenty of Northants followers, the elephant in the room is of course The Hundred.

Thanks to the huge investment from the ECB and broadcasting companies the controversial competition is seemingly untouchable, and effectively takes out the whole of August in the calendar.

There has been no red ball cricket played in August in either of the past two seasons - with the only county cricket played being the One Day Cup - which Warren accepts is a ridiculous scenario.

And although the Northants chairman knows the ECB aren't going to offload their own product, he does feel there could be room for a little tinkering.

"The Hundred is not going anywhere, because it is such a big asset to Sky," said Warren. "It is locked in with the TV schedule, so that is going nowhere.

"I think the only thing we could do with The Hundred is look at the schedule of it, and potentially reduce the length of it by a week, or a few days, so that it only lasts for three weeks.

"If we are genuine about red ball cricket, then we need to be playing it in August.

"But they also then say they want it (the Championship) to be best versus best, but often the best players are not available anyway because they are playing for England.

"It is such a conundrum. Have we got opinions? Yes, we have a lot at the minute.

"But there is no point talking to and addressing our members, and we still call them members, they are our fans, because we are still going through the impacts of the High Performance Review, and what it means for us as a county."

One thing Warren is promising Northants faithful is that no stone will be left unturned to make sure the best decision is made for the good of the club as a whole when it comes to the vote.

"The vote is set for November, we are working towards November," he said. "Do I think we will vote in November? I think it is 50/50. I am certainly not ready to vote, but here we are in mid-October, six weeks away.

"So things might change in the space of six weeks.

"It is an absolute thorough process and we will do our proper due diligence on it, because I need to protect the club, that is my priority.

"At the right time we will consult our supporters, we will do a forum and explain everything to them, and you have to do that. They are the club's fans and you have to respect those fans.

"I have had a load of messages from people asking when I am going to speak, when I am going to talk to them, and I haven't got back to them yet because I am not ready to.

"When I am ready, Ray (Payne, CEO) is ready and John (Sadler) is ready then we will do, because it will be a cricketing decision as well.

"I have spoken to John quite a lot about it over the summer, and he has to have a massive input into it as well, because it is cricket versus finances and they have to balance each other out.

"It is all about the club being stronger for it, not weaker, that is the key thing."