mad
Member
Cricket earned the nation’s attention that summer. There was no need to buy it, like now.
But in a week or so, a bright, expensive month-long distraction will be presented as a panacea.
Of course, it is the opposite.
The same leadership class that blew ‘2005’ have also created this car crash. And the institutional memory of that colossal cock up has helped to make this latest gamble so large it is ‘too big to fail’.
Whatever that means.
But I do know that failures in the leadership of English cricket rarely lead to a REAL change in the type of people in charge.
Until that happens, expect the game to create opportunities only for the few, not the many
.
It's called having their cake and eat it.
Spurious complaints about switching formats so they came up with these blocks we've been saddled with for what seems an eternity now. Of course we had blocks when the original T20 cup was introduced in 2003 but it was a mercifully small block of matches and actually quite refreshing at that scale I wasn't totally averse to it. The Blast is such a chore for both players and cricket fans now.
So the players got their way with this (though I suspect they were being leaned on by the broadcaster, and the switching formats complaint was all just a ruse)
And now the players don't like the bed they've made for themselves. They've become intractable and are leading the county game to ruin - when the obvious solution is to play a bit of everything all through the summer.
Anyone go to Derby last night? Does the following sound accurate?
I am at Derby v Birmingham/ Warwickshire tonight for our golden money maker. There is less than a 1000 here.
The hospitality is full loads of 30 year old single men on a freebie getting drunk on 3 pints of carling..
It's horrific. This format is dead. It's done it's time.
Every county now losing money on this format.
So where do we take it???
Who cares or even knows about a 10 hour day 50 hing this ribbishover tournament??
Nobody can be bothered to spend 4 hours watching this dross.
The game is dead. It's failed. T20 was great 22 years ago quid to get in bit of hit and giggle.
Now well I am more content to watch staplegrove v Taunton deane tomorrow for free on you tube than have to suffer a load of drunken hipster virgins than watch this.
The sport is dead.
GerryShedd wrote:
To be fair, I don't think that OH-D is doing favours for his county bosses. As Chair of the PCA, he is expressing the views of his members, with which he may or may not agree.
But not representing them fully and with the requisite nuance that is required and that is a decision he's made for whatever reason
Players need to remember cricket is a game to be enjoyed when it is on. It is not about PB's it isn't golf or the 100 yards dash it is a tactical game best enjoyed when it is just played played played. All this fitness work in November they do and they can't manage 75 days (many of them just 3 hours duration) on the field in a six month span is ridiculous. I agree about the blast driving back overnight stuff maybe the groups need to be smaller and more localised no-one aside from Lancs or Yorkshire should be sent to Durham unless they're up there for a tour of the northern counties
I get all the arguments against 3-day cricket I really do. But 4 of them in June or July when the light holds until 8pm would be better than lopping off a couple of fixtures would it not?
What worries me most is games finish inside 2 days quite often or are all over as a contest by then. Nobody sets aside weeks in April to watch any of these games. Loads used to set aside weeks in June July and especially the school holidays to go away to watch county games at the seaside and all that has criminally been tossed away.
When they say 12 remember what this means is just 6 home games. 2 of these will be in quite often chilly and occasionally snowy April and 2 in September in fading light. One of the others will clash with a personal commitment leaving just one flipping home county championship game to look forward to in all likelihood and you have to pray a) the weather plays ball and b) the game survives as a contest beyond tea on day 2
Yeah it's a disgrace the county chiefs wheeling out the players to provide sob stories when what they really want is to clear the decks for June July and August so they can have wall to wall whackaball.
This'll be made up of 6 weeks of pre-hundred T20 stuff which will be kinda like where the domestic players get to be talent spotted and then 6 weeks of the hundred proper which will be mainly IPL circus show ponies and a few picks from the domestic game.
The new investors getting cold feet over the format and the fact it is only a month of the summer. They'll change the format that's the easy part. The clearing the decks of this annoying thing called proper cricket is what this sending the players out wailing is all about. Likes of OHD and Steven Croft at Lancashire likely being promised a few favours if they help to get this baby over the line and overlook the detrimental effect this'll have on county cricket more widely - overlook the nuance that some players would rather like more cricket to play especially proper cricket in summer months
Just let someone else play FFS Olly
As each sob story is trotted out one wonders why they don't have it written into their contracts as individual players that they'll only play a certain number of games in a certain timeframe. Then let the county clubs arrange salaries, fixtures and squads to cope with what players will or will not tolerate being able to put their bodies through. Squads are massive now, the loans system used like never before, rotation of playing squads is surely the answer as is unblocking the schedule so there is less travelling to do in mid season
Sean Jarvis CEO of Leicestershire said of today's meeting of county CEOs that there was a discussion but no vote. He expected the vote on the Blast to be held on Monday. The discussions on the county championship led him to believe that no reduction was where it was heading.
Reasonable and fair rather than outspoken
Perhaps plenty of counties feel like Somerset's chair
I sure hope they do for all of our sakes. It should not be up to the eternal failure counties to dictate what the shape of county cricket should be like going forwards
You say balanced my heart sank several times reading that propaganda puff piece
Why is there never any nuance with these broad brush PCA statements?
What they hate is back to back T20 games and overnight travel back from the far north for games at Edgbaston the next afternoon.
So why doesn't the PCA lobby for this to be got rid of and why doesn't it lobby for the championship to be left well alone. It is already cut as far back as it needs to be shoved to the nether regions of early spring and the middle of autumn. Can't the PCA see that a bit of everything in June July and August is better all round. Nobody wants to watch 3 T20 games in a week just look at the paltry crowds this year but you can't have players having 6 days off each week in the middle of summer either
You have to wonder how much OHD is being paid to peddle this nonsense and encourage hapless county CEOs to back the horseshit sandwich of a future schedule
There are plenty of players who don't think they have enough games scheduled and yet this is completely masked by the PCA statement.
As it should be. Why on earth does Edgbaston treat its Warwickshire members with such disdane and then wonder why domestic crowds are down across the board and don't get me started on the bullshit coming out of Old Trafford
Lancs are only allowing members to vote from 3 options all of which reduce the county championship. To me that's no choice whatsoever. Why no option to cut the blast that the ECB and the county chiefs have themselves scuttled and leave what's left of the flipping county championship alone FFS? Mind you this is Lancs who lets remember have won it once in near on a century. Surely Warwickshire have more respect for the county championship than Lancs.... Or maybe not with the current lot in charge they'll likely just roll in behind this fudge. Heads ought to roll for what this lot have done to the county game last 10 years
After an extensive review and engagement process undertaken between the First-Class Counties, the Professional Game Committee and the ECB, we can present the final options to refresh the Men’s Domestic Playing Programme in 2026 that enhances player welfare, minimises injuries and maximises the opportunities to grow attendance.
The Players’ Cricket Association’s (PCA) recent survey showed 83% of players across the game believe that the schedule is detrimental to their physical well-being. A further 72% believe the schedule does not support high performance and 67% worry about mental well-being. If we want to continue watching our best players at their best, and nurture the next generation of Lancashire homegrown players, we must act now to give them the environment they need to thrive.
MEMBERS' FORUM SLIDES
Previous to today (13 July), the Club held two Members’ Forums on the domestic playing programme, which concluded the following:
A recognition that pinch points in the schedule are the major issue, particularly with bunching back-to-back County Championship matches and with late night, long travel and back-to-back Vitality Blast matches.
A recognition that to retain 14 County Championship matches would need two matches played during The Hundred.
A desire to grow audiences for both Vitality Blast and County Championship and recognising that the schedule - particularly with fixture bunching - has meant that we are nowhere near capacity for all matches, excluding the Roses T20 match.
It is worth noting that following the overall engagement process, we understand there to be only five counties that favour retaining the status quo and not taking the opportunity to refresh and invest in our competitions.As a result, we now are seeking Members’ views on proposals presented by the Professional Game Committee and to vote according to preference with a deadline of midnight on Wednesday 16 July 2025 as follows.
Vitality Blast proposal:
One option that currently has overall support from the Counties to refresh the Blast, which is as follows: Change from current format to:
Three groups of six teams.
Lancashire, Yorkshire and Durham always grouped together (another example of three teams that would be grouped are Surrey, Middlesex and Essex) to retain local derbies.
The other three teams in each group rotate yearly.
12 matches per team (six home).
Five home and away games in the group.
Plus, one home and away match against a team from another group.
Matches spaced out into six weekend blocks (Wed-Sun), making it easier for fans to attend and improving player recovery.
The Board, Executive Team and playing staff preference is to vote YES to this proposal.Please vote YES to support the change or NO to not support the change.
County Championship proposals:
Members are asked to rank three options from 1 (most preferred) to 3 (least preferred). Any vote not ranking all three options won’t be counted. All options reduce pinch points and bunching to help player welfare.
Lancashire Cricket initially lobbied the ECB at meetings to maintain the 14 matches, via having two rounds of the County Championship to be played alongside The Hundred. However, sadly this is not something that is supported by the majority of counties. As such, our primary objective through this process from this point has been to find a more suitable schedule for the players and staff to drive high performance and ultimately create more attractive competition to watch, cementing the County Championship as the best red ball competition in the world.
For further detailed information on the above options, please click here. (slide 7)
The Board, Executive Team and playing staff preference is to vote for OPTION A to the proposal, as this would provide a re-fresh and investment into the County Championship, with a £1 million prize money pot available – the biggest for any red-ball domestic tournament in the world. It would also provide a five-day showpiece final, which works well in both the Sheffield Shield (Australia) and Ranji Trophy (India). We hope you consider this option, but Members should review the proposal and vote however they would want to.
Summary of what Members need to do:
Vote YES or NO on the Vitality Blast proposal.
Rank all three County Championship options from 1–3.
Deadline to vote: Wednesday 16 July 2025 at midnight. Votes submitted by the deadline will be counted in Lancashire’s official submission to the ECB.We apologise for the short notice communication of this vote, as the Club only received communication from the ECB late last week. We have since worked hard to arrange an urgent Forum – held earlier today at Emirates Old Trafford – as well as providing clear communication and a voting mechanism. The forum today was our third one on the domestic schedule review and the Club has made a conscious effort to communicate with Members on this subject, as we know it’s a topic that is highly debated. Lancashire is one of the few counties that are providing a vote for Members on it.
We understand that some Members will not be happy with any of these options and would like to express this as part of the vote. However, maintaining the status quo is not an option, and it would be insincere for us to include this within a vote when there is no possibility of this proceeding. Feedback from Lancashire’s men’s programme (players, coaches and medical team) comprehensively agree that the current schedule is not appropriate, which was demonstrated earlier this month when playing back-to-back Vitality Blast games and then seeing injuries to Liam Livingstone and Saqib Mahmood – as just one example.
We encourage Members to think which of the three is their preference, demonstrate it through this vote and have their voice heard. The Club acknowledges that the deadline to vote is tight, and we would have preferred to give Members more time, but we are working towards ECB deadlines. All parties agree that for the integrity of this year’s competition, it’s important to establish next year’s schedule as soon as possible.
If Members have any questions during the voting period – including if any Members require any assistance to vote - please contact the Members’ Representative Group on mrg@lancashirecricket.co.uk.
VOTE HERE
Lancs are only allowing members to vote from 3 options all of which rescue the county championship. To me that's no choice whatsoever
After an extensive review and engagement process undertaken between the First-Class Counties, the Professional Game Committee and the ECB, we can present the final options to refresh the Men’s Domestic Playing Programme in 2026 that enhances player welfare, minimises injuries and maximises the opportunities to grow attendance.
The Players’ Cricket Association’s (PCA) recent survey showed 83% of players across the game believe that the schedule is detrimental to their physical well-being. A further 72% believe the schedule does not support high performance and 67% worry about mental well-being. If we want to continue watching our best players at their best, and nurture the next generation of Lancashire homegrown players, we must act now to give them the environment they need to thrive.
MEMBERS' FORUM SLIDES
Previous to today (13 July), the Club held two Members’ Forums on the domestic playing programme, which concluded the following:
A recognition that pinch points in the schedule are the major issue, particularly with bunching back-to-back County Championship matches and with late night, long travel and back-to-back Vitality Blast matches.
A recognition that to retain 14 County Championship matches would need two matches played during The Hundred.
A desire to grow audiences for both Vitality Blast and County Championship and recognising that the schedule - particularly with fixture bunching - has meant that we are nowhere near capacity for all matches, excluding the Roses T20 match.
It is worth noting that following the overall engagement process, we understand there to be only five counties that favour retaining the status quo and not taking the opportunity to refresh and invest in our competitions.
As a result, we now are seeking Members’ views on proposals presented by the Professional Game Committee and to vote according to preference with a deadline of midnight on Wednesday 16 July 2025 as follows.
Vitality Blast proposal:
One option that currently has overall support from the Counties to refresh the Blast, which is as follows: Change from current format to:
Three groups of six teams.
Lancashire, Yorkshire and Durham always grouped together (another example of three teams that would be grouped are Surrey, Middlesex and Essex) to retain local derbies.
The other three teams in each group rotate yearly.
12 matches per team (six home).
Five home and away games in the group.
Plus, one home and away match against a team from another group.
Matches spaced out into six weekend blocks (Wed-Sun), making it easier for fans to attend and improving player recovery.
The Board, Executive Team and playing staff preference is to vote YES to this proposal.
Please vote YES to support the change or NO to not support the change.
County Championship proposals:
Members are asked to rank three options from 1 (most preferred) to 3 (least preferred). Any vote not ranking all three options won’t be counted. All options reduce pinch points and bunching to help player welfare.
Lancashire Cricket initially lobbied the ECB at meetings to maintain the 14 matches, via having two rounds of the County Championship to be played alongside The Hundred. However, sadly this is not something that is supported by the majority of counties. As such, our primary objective through this process from this point has been to find a more suitable schedule for the players and staff to drive high performance and ultimately create more attractive competition to watch, cementing the County Championship as the best red ball competition in the world.
For further detailed information on the above options, please click here. (slide 7)
The Board, Executive Team and playing staff preference is to vote for OPTION A to the proposal, as this would provide a re-fresh and investment into the County Championship, with a £1 million prize money pot available – the biggest for any red-ball domestic tournament in the world. It would also provide a five-day showpiece final, which works well in both the Sheffield Shield (Australia) and Ranji Trophy (India). We hope you consider this option, but Members should review the proposal and vote however they would want to.
Summary of what Members need to do:
Vote YES or NO on the Vitality Blast proposal.
Rank all three County Championship options from 1–3.
Deadline to vote: Wednesday 16 July 2025 at midnight. Votes submitted by the deadline will be counted in Lancashire’s official submission to the ECB.
We apologise for the short notice communication of this vote, as the Club only received communication from the ECB late last week. We have since worked hard to arrange an urgent Forum – held earlier today at Emirates Old Trafford – as well as providing clear communication and a voting mechanism. The forum today was our third one on the domestic schedule review and the Club has made a conscious effort to communicate with Members on this subject, as we know it’s a topic that is highly debated. Lancashire is one of the few counties that are providing a vote for Members on it.
We understand that some Members will not be happy with any of these options and would like to express this as part of the vote. However, maintaining the status quo is not an option, and it would be insincere for us to include this within a vote when there is no possibility of this proceeding. Feedback from Lancashire’s men’s programme (players, coaches and medical team) comprehensively agree that the current schedule is not appropriate, which was demonstrated earlier this month when playing back-to-back Vitality Blast games and then seeing injuries to Liam Livingstone and Saqib Mahmood – as just one example.
We encourage Members to think which of the three is their preference, demonstrate it through this vote and have their voice heard. The Club acknowledges that the deadline to vote is tight, and we would have preferred to give Members more time, but we are working towards ECB deadlines. All parties agree that for the integrity of this year’s competition, it’s important to establish next year’s schedule as soon as possible.
If Members have any questions during the voting period – including if any Members require any assistance to vote - please contact the Members’ Representative Group on mrg@lancashirecricket.co.uk.
VOTE HERE
I quite agree
The players have boxed the domestic sport into a corner with their apparent insistence on chunking up the season into distinct blocks because - apparently they can't think straight when they chop and change formats - which I think is all a load of old cobblers.
I also think the stress players put themselves under would ease somewhat if they were able to enjoy a right old mix of matches through late spring summer and early autumn rather than the intense focus on this format in spring and then that format in mid summer. The players would be freed up more mentally and the role of the coaches, backroom staff and captains would become more important which is as it should be. Those are the guys who should be under pressure to deliver rather than the players. I think the chunked schedule of the season these days lets poor coaches off the hook too easily.
This chunking has damaged what was our summer sport irreparably I fear. Were we to have some semblance of a proper season back again it would then take a few seasons to bed in. The chopping and changing obviously hasn't helped either. There are only a couple of counties - Surrey and Somerset - have been able to maintain or grow membership levels and spectator numbers for county matches during the past ten years. The one day cup has shown there is still a bedrock of county support out there who want to watch their side during the school holidays but that should be for first class cricket as well
And who can blame them if we had long summers like that year after year our attendances would be even sparser like they are for Sheffield shield games in Australia. Might be something in the idea of climate extremes playing a part in overall declining attendances. This year we've had a long sustained period of warm weather the last we had like this was 2020 COVID year and I think it had cooled by the time June rolled around that year anyway. This spring and summer has been delightful - too many others aren't. First class county cricket isn't in position to take full advantage of this spell of good weather like it was in the 1990's and 2000's when you'd get a lousy summer followed by a couple of half decent ones and maybe a belter like this year then a lousy one again
2023 was the season we had 3 home games in April wasn't it and it was a grey chilly damp spring that year. Then I seem to recall one of the middle of the season games was played in scorchio 35+ degree temperatures heatwave very uncomfortable. And some games were dead and buried after 2 days they may have limped into day 3 but as a contest it was over we had lots of games like this in 2023 and 2024 that just died a death as a contest - normally our championship attendances would be more middle of the pack 8th or 9th rather than 14th or 15th as they were in 2023. The trouble is there is no normal any longer. The big problem is there is no rhythm to the season any longer. Used to be home one week away the next. The county game misses this regularity through the summer season badly. To accommodate T20 once or twice a week I seriously think they should consider 3 day championship cricket just to keep the season kinda chugging along instead of all the fallow periods
Even if we take it at face value none of what Stuart Cain outlined is at all likely to grow Blast attendances at places like Edgbaston or Old Trafford anyway. The trajectory is lower crowds for it at the big venues as the 100 sucks up all the hype. A three week window about nowish would work now that exam season is virtually over and more families can think about bringing their little uns along on a schoolnight. Either that or Friday night Blast (Thursdays in London) with some 3-day county matches in between throughout the sunnier months of June and July. Removing County matches altogether from June July and August just to provide yet more guff will not in any sense grow crowds at Edgbaston. The logic is totally flawed. The players demanding this are being highly unreasonable. If they want limited playing time then write this into their individual contracts and just let the counties schedule fixtures to benefit the members and paying spectators as best as possible, which is a bit of white and red ball cricket throughout late April, May, June, July and August and the first 2-3 weeks of September
3-day cricket has to be better than lopping off entire fixtures from the calendar surely
It's a terribly bleak outlook he portrays. No wonder the crowds are so low although that's been a longer term issue than his tenure. 20 years now since we had above average county crowds on a regular basis down Edgbaston - one off games excepted. The ground never was full for CC games nor did it ever need to be but 13,000 for Lara's debut 4-day game which only lasted 3, Twose notching a double ton seems a lifetime ago - and is to be fair but this lot running the show since just before COVID have exacerbated the issue. Website's rubbish. Nobody outside a few nerdy types know when the fixtures are or what they are being played for anymore. A generation since the loss of free to air has grown up not having to know about county cricket the way they would have 30 years ago. Surrey buck this trend. Even Somerset crowds are beginning to fall after several years of increases it's a crying shame but county cricket has been deliberately set up to fail since almost getting it spot on circa 2009-2015
But this hierarchy have brought this on itself, destroyed county crickets foundations so that Edgbaston Old Trafford and a couple other of the bigger grounds can look a bit more full a bit more often for what they call 'major events' but which largely amount to exhibition slop
David Griffin just now tweeted;
It's not just about workload but also about selling punters short.
Derbyshire in 1993
17 4-day games = 68 days
17 Sunday League games = 17 days
5 Benson and Hedges games = 5 days
2 NatWest games = 2 days92 days or 9,086 overs
Derbyshire in 2025
78 days or 6,736 overs
AND the season runs for about 3 weeks longer too