As well as spectators it's also the players as eloquently described here

Already one county's chief executive has said that he will have to make employees redundant if the number of first-class games is reduced, though the news of Friday morning suggest this is extremely unlikely for 2023, at least.

https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/opinion/county_game_about_much_more_than_readying_england.html

Well done everyone

Will await strategic update from Alan but I'm still up for collecting more signatures at the Somerset game if we still need to get past 250

Well done everyone

Will await strategic update from Alan but I'm still up for collecting more signatures at the Somerset game if we still need to get past 250

Once the forms are signed, please give them to the club office. Keep a total of the number of signatures that you have handed in and let me know. If you are not going to a match now this season, please post the form and again let me know.

Those were instructions for Tuesday and still apply. You can always keep it until Sept 12th if you prefer or see other members who'd like to add their name.

Whatever you do take a photo of it for your own records or email yourself a copy before sending. We can then get our heads together over next couple of weeks and work out how many in total have been completed before including any that are not on the forum who we expect will have posted theirs. It's why we probably need 275-300 to be sure

Excellent please let us know when you get a response Stuart Cain was quick to respond to my email on Sunday. I'm sure he's well meaning too and wants to hold onto what we want to deep down but we can't just assume anything at this stage.

Please take a photo or copy of your forms before handing them in. We will need to tally up the numbers who sign it. Also if you think you'd like to write a personal letter to Stuart Cain Warwickshire County Cricket Club CEO please do so and feed back any responses if you're happy to do so. This is so important I think particularly Warwickshire but in general they rely on the passivity of the members. It's understandable as is the sense of fear/what on earth can be done? but this really is one important message to send to the club's management that in the event of cuts to the schedule we as members intend to hold them to account

Malc wrote:

I’ve got 15 signatures at the game today.

Nice one Malc. Looks like they took notice of the growing surge of resentment at this.

Hi Andy

Please read this leaflet:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/1LLH_hmJymiMn_kgx62pJOSO7p-M-nNCo/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword

To sign the Warwickshire SGM request: please print and complete the form here
https://docs.google.com/file/d/10QtoMHr1YDFuHzDEMf9y8omTKpRd2ESx/edit?usp=docslist_api&filetype=msword7

We need 250 signatures to call the meeting. Please take some spare copies to the ground if you are going to an event or at the county game on 12-15 September. Most members are not online. Many will not know about the threat to county cricket. Please take every chance to speak to people at the ground.

I will be at the ground on 12th September and encourage people to sign the petition that day before or after the members forum or you can complete it in advance and post it to Stuart Cain the CEO at Warwickshire. Alan will have a more strategic update to give in due course

Several people have copies of the forms now and they are available online we should easily reach 300 I reckon which will help if there has been any duplication. keep telling folks and get them signed. I was doing 10 signatures per sheet

This weeks grumbler is required reading everybody. A rallying cry if you will...

https://countycricket.substack.com/p/no-64-aug-24-the-grumblers-county

Especially concur with the following;

The Campaign to Save County Cricket
The ECB have lost sight of county cricket's loyal support (Cricketer)

Paul Edwards’ pieces always have a special poignancy.

In this one, he laments the deep division in the game at the moment. As do I, but at the same time, it is very galling that those who have treated the county game with such disrespect, and show no signs of stopping until it is stone dead, are now calling for calm.

We remember the original announcement, then the silence, the confusion, then the string of confused announcements, the people saying 'it's not for us' then the stories of a boardroom 'ambush' and NDAs. Then, of course, the realisation this year that we were right to be so fearful.

But, alas, such pieces, don't matter. The self-proclaimed ‘disruptors’ justify their carnage as a 'cost of business'. They sell the sizzle and then, like Teflon Tom Harrison, are out the door and banking their bonus before the price is truly paid.

It's not just cricket, it's business and, shamefully, it’s Britain.

We used to be better than this.

Well worth a listen to this podcast with Annie Chave and David Griffin - great hours worth of chewing the fat and clarifies a few things. According to David, the Derbyshire chairman will carry the will of the members to the ECB board as will the other chairs of the 15 member owned counties

Need to keep the pressure up though. Keep writing. Get those SGM's signed just in case

https://podvine.com/podcast/stumpsumpsandbeerpumps/chave-and-dave-a-county-cricket-special?time=3313

What many supporters are desperate for is a season that has a friendly, familiar rhythm and doesn’t change from year to year with competitions ripped up here and inserted there. It was only in 2017 that the number of Championship games fell from 16 to 14, and there has been recent tinkering with the size of the divisions and the number of teams promoted and relegated. The B&H Cup died in 2002, T20 began in 2003, the 40-over competition played its last in 2013, replaced by the Royal London Cup, which now runs in the shadow of the Hundred, which was born in 2021

Hallelujah

Anyone who hasn't yet signed the SGM forms will surely be there to sign it on the way into the forum on September 12th. The club must realise by the time the meeting starts we'll have around 350-400 signatures by then

Since there's a big gap now until the next game how about any recommendations for good reads on county cricket especially championship cricket.

Simon Chalke's Summers Crown from several years ago is very good

Here's another one which was reviewed earlier this summer I've not got round to reading yet

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/cricket/amateur-cricket/cricket-paul-edwards-30-years-24431674

Since there's a big gap now until the next game how about any recommendations for good reads on county cricket especially championship cricket.

Stephen Chalke's Summers Crown from several years ago is very good

Here's another one which was reviewed earlier this summer I've not got round to reading yet

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/cricket/amateur-cricket/cricket-paul-edwards-30-years-24431674

Warwickshire must reject these rushed proposals and instigate a proper 2 year consultation process.

Change must not be rushed through

Thanks for the link

Possibly my naivity but I have slightly more confidence in the committee acting in members interests

What needs to happen is Warwickshire reject the Strauss proposals and lead calls for a proper two-year consultation timeline starting now

This would necessitate no change for season 2023 and 2024

By close of season 2023 a decision needs to be reached as nobody is satisfied with the schedule - not members with the lack of summer / weekend cricket and not players with the uncertainty

Any changes can then be instigated in time for the start of the 2025 season - this would be the right and proper timescale for anything like this not just blindly following the mood music or panicking because of IPL etc...

At least that way there will have been the necessary time and emphasis on consultation and time for the counties to properly prepare sort contracts out etc... Instead of something cack handed being rushed through

Overall I enjoyed last year's campaign in this more 4 wins 4 defeats than this year 4 wins 1 tie 3 losses.

I think some of the youngsters burst onto the scene last year whereas I think some are just a bit too young this year. I have seen quite a bit of Hamza, Amir Khan, George Maddy and Kai Smith of late in B'ham league and 2nds fixs so maybe it's that

Today felt a bit more exciting being a crunch must win game and our fielding looked sharp especially early on. I think there are certain senior players in that middle order (not that old either) that look like they're in the final stages of their Bears careers - and it's showing in their carelessness in getting out - slapping to point when we just needed to go at 4's for ten overs not really what was wanted at that stage

Garrett still raw but maybe OHD moving (if at all true) may open up a slot for him

Several around collecting them today. Ought to be pretty close to 200 now plus the ones that'll be posted to the club.

Need to smash past 250 in case of any duplicates they'll check for. Should be do-able by the time of the Somerset championship game Day 1 by lunchtime when that forum starts.

I wonder if the club will alter it's posture like Lancs were forced to. Notts members have over 400 signed up to force the issue there. Warks won't want to be left the only ones not respecting member interests although that wouldn't surprise me much the way membership no's have fallen here since Dennis Amiss used to walk round chatting to the members engaging with them canvassing opinion. Nothing like that these days just a faux forum when they have something they've been hiding to finally reveal

Thanks

Just read sales of Blast tickets this year totalled 494,828 and was 481,113 lower than was achieved in 2019.
The 16.4 with all the marketing sucked up from other areas of the sport and the advantage of free to air and its near exclusive August slot has in 2022 sold / given away for free a total reported to be 500,000

The outrageous hype around a new format that hasn't developed a new audience, doesn't fill grounds to any degree but merely consolidates an existing audience around a smaller number of more easily controlled corporate entities.

Makes the SGM request imperative. It's one way of pressuring the board to act in members interests.

If 250 is the golden number it should be achievable maybe not tomorrow but within a week or so.

An entire sport being cannibalised in front of us. I wonder the ECB/Sky even slightly appreciate how toxic this is. l'd be very surprised if critical voices on this matter get airtime. The cats cradle of conflicting interests across cricket's governance and media is truly insane.

Needs government intervention but it's as bad in that place frankly