Big changes to county cricket in the pipeline

[Arachibutyrophobic]

Originally Posted by Summer of '77

That's not entirely correct. Parts of the 1986/7 Ashes were broadcast live on the Beeb.

I'm glad you came up with this. I had one of those sinclair portable TVs in the mid 80s and I have vague memories of watching it live under the desk during a maths lesson. With all this talk of no foreign test ever having been shown live I thought I must be going a little potty in middle age.

[Fatslogger]

Originally Posted by Arachibutyrophobic

I'm glad you came up with this. I had one of those sinclair portable TVs in the mid 80s and I have vague memories of watching it live under the desk during a maths lesson. With all this talk of no foreign test ever having been shown live I thought I must be going a little potty in middle age.

There were portable TVs in the 1980s? Wow. I don't remember that. What time of day was your maths lesson though?

[mawallace]

Yes it was 1984 the Sinclair tv came out. How things have changed. See here

http://www.vintagecalculators.com/ht...alculator.html

[Arachibutyrophobic]

Originally Posted by Fatslogger

There were portable TVs in the 1980s? Wow. I don't remember that. What time of day was your maths lesson though?

I suppose it must have been the Perth test and a morning maths lesson.

[paulsre]

I reckon we won't see any changes to the domestic structure and competition scheduling in 2016.

An Ashes win of course does absolute wonders for dampening demands for domestic overhaul.

Add to that what seems to have been a successful t20 Cup and generally a successful summer for county cricket.

Then throw in existing agreements with Sky, sponsors, outgrounds etc.

Plus a general resistance to change.

Despite the many scare stories there doesn't seem to have been any actual formal proposal from the ECB to the counties for an upheaval. It was actually stated in 2012 that the formats would remain the same for at least 2013-2016.

[mawallace]

I watched Cricket Writers on Tv on Sunday. I thought they all have a rather one sided view of the propsed changed. Effectively they said tthat it would be the counties fault if the changes did not happen. Plus they tried to argue it would be aagainst the games interests not to change bit it was vested interests that was holding them back. I thought it was all rather one sided

[Aidan11]

Originally Posted by mawallace

I watched Cricket Writers on Tv on Sunday. I thought they all have a rather one sided view of the propsed changed. Effectively they said tthat it would be the counties fault if the changes did not happen. Plus they tried to argue it would be aagainst the games interests not to change bit it was vested interests that was holding them back. I thought it was all rather one sided

I was thinking the same as I watched it. Then again I didn't expect anything else from the Mail buddies who were sitting a bit too close together in that program. Not in a sexual way, of course.

[paulsre]

Surrey are already selling memberships for 2016.

http://www.kiaoval.com/membership/be...surrey-member/

Given that, surely one can conclude that next year's fixtures structure will be basically be the same.

[Arthur Figgis]

Middlesex are as well, at 2015 prices, and free admission to the last two games of 2015.

I'm thinking of getting a country membership next year- I live 50 miles away from Lord's but work just down the road.
If we're going to be in the same division, then it doesn't work out that much more than 4 days' of Championship plus a T20, plus possibly a 50 over game- and then I have an excuse to pop down for any more days as a neutral, and don't have to worry about being signed in to members areas for the T20. I wouldn't pay the full membership (or even want to be a full member- can't have people doubting my allegiances!). And of course I'll wear my Surrey members' tie any time I popped down there.

[Summer of 77]

Originally Posted by paulsre

Surrey are already selling memberships for 2016.

http://www.kiaoval.com/membership/be...surrey-member/

Given that, surely one can conclude that next year's fixtures structure will be basically be the same.

I'd like to think so, although the Membership Benefits states only:

"Members can gain free admission... when the Surrey Team are playing one of the following matches:

LV= County Championship (4 day game)
NatWest T20 Blast (1 day, 20 overs per side)
Royal London One Day Cup (1 day, 50 overs per side)"

So, one or more of those competitions could yet be shrunk without Surrey laying themselves open to a charge of misleading potential subscribers. But the fallout would nevertheless be considerable.

[Summer of 77]

Just noticed that Middlesex's new 'County Membership' category offers free admission to all home LVCC and RLC matches under the heading "Over 35 Days of Action".

Now that IS a statement of clearly defined entitlement, from a county based just a cover drive's distance from the ECB head office.

[Rey]

Originally Posted by paulsre

Surrey are already selling memberships for 2016.

http://www.kiaoval.com/membership/be...surrey-member/

Given that, surely one can conclude that next year's fixtures structure will be basically be the same.

Any changes were always going to be for 2017, so I wouldn't read too much into this.

[Ali TT]

Originally Posted by Summer of '77

Just noticed that Middlesex's new 'County Membership' category offers free admission to all home LVCC and RLC matches under the heading "Over 35 Days of Action".

Now that IS a statement of clearly defined entitlement, from a county based just a cover drive's distance from the ECB head office.

And the rain gods

[paulsre]

Originally Posted by Rey

Any changes were always going to be for 2017, so I wouldn't read too much into this.

Well I agree, but for some reason over the past few weeks a rumour snowballed that the number of Championship matches was going to be cut next season. I don't know where it originated from.

[Prince of Denmark]

Originally Posted by Summer of '77

I'd like to think so, although the Membership Benefits states only:

"Members can gain free admission... when the Surrey Team are playing one of the following matches:

LV= County Championship (4 day game)
NatWest T20 Blast (1 day, 20 overs per side)
Royal London One Day Cup (1 day, 50 overs per side)"

So, one or more of those competitions could yet be shrunk without Surrey laying themselves open to a charge of misleading potential subscribers. But the fallout would nevertheless be considerable.

I'm fairly certain the smallprint elsewhere in the literature I received yesterday referred to "32 days of Championship cricket, seven Tw0 matches and four 50 overs matches" Home quarter and semi finals in the knockout competitions have also been free to members in recent years..

[geoff_boycotts_grandmother]

Originally Posted by Prince of Denmark

I'm fairly certain the smallprint elsewhere in the literature I received yesterday referred to "32 days of Championship cricket, seven Tw0 matches and four 50 overs matches" Home quarter and semi finals in the knockout competitions have also been free to members in recent years..

I doubt it, as matches could be over in 3 days.

[Rey]

Originally Posted by paulsre

Well I agree, but for some reason over the past few weeks a rumour snowballed that the number of Championship matches was going to be cut next season. I don't know where it originated from.

Tom Harrison confirmed this in his TMS interview.

Unlike a lot of county fans, I'm not dead set against a reduction in four-day cricket, as long as it isn't done in a cack-handed way.

[oldandfat]

Originally Posted by mawallace

I watched Cricket Writers on Tv on Sunday. I thought they all have a rather one sided view of the propsed changed. Effectively they said tthat it would be the counties fault if the changes did not happen. Plus they tried to argue it would be aagainst the games interests not to change bit it was vested interests that was holding them back. I thought it was all rather one sided

Being paid by Murdoch to appear on a Murdoch channel and discuss a Murdoch idea. The free press in action. None of them actually presented a cogent argument why it would be to the benefit of the game.

Would the economics even stack up? Salaries for squad (approx. 16) etc. How many do "star" names really put onto an audience? How many more watched the Bears because McCullum was playing? And he had a big media profile post WC and Test series. The likes of Finch & Faulkner are good players, not cheap and would not put an extra bum on a seat!
Might get some more through the gate at some venues (Bristol, Nottingham, Cardiff, Birmingham) but both London teams do well anyway, also the Roses matches were pretty full. Would lose at least one and probably two summer Tests to accommodate - my ticket for Trent Bridge was £85 (if average price) that is £1.4M in gate receipts a day lost - so if we lose 8 days of Test Cricket that is +£11M (more for bigger capacity grounds such as Oval, Lords & Edgbaston) before you start on corporate. If India are touring I would hazard the guess that their TV rights would be more than our domestic T20?

[mawallace]

Interesting to hear what Tom Harrison said on TMS Special

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/34007395

Harrison said: "The desirable position is to have a block in the summer given to a particular format, and controversially that means potentially playing one or two fewer first-class matches next year than this year and allowing the formats to breathe a bit.

"That will raise the performance levels and help us make sure Twenty20 is being played at the time of year where we can get the most fans into the grounds to see it."

He insisted, however, that participating teams would not be privately owned franchises.

Listen to him here:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p030701c

[Wandering Zebra]

Sounds ******** to me. They've put the T20 in the wrong place and the Fifty over games should be spread out a little bit more. That's it.