The ECB have lost sight of county cricket's loyal support

PAUL EDWARDS: As this season enters its final six weeks, I think it's fair to consider how it has been among the most poisonous and divisive I can recall

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I still do a little teaching. For one thing, it pays a few bills but for another, I rarely return to my first profession without being heartened by the enthusiasm, talent and kindness of young people.

And one of the principles I encourage my pupils to consider when teaching them English Literature or History is that the answer to any question of reasonable complexity is almost never simply yes or no. 

In other words, however strong the arguments might seem to be in favour of one interpretation or another, there is always a qualification that can be found or, to put it more simply, always something that can be said for the another point of view.

The effect of this approach on my own political and social opinions barely matters. But as this season enters its final six weeks, I think it's fair to consider how it might help us deal with a summer which, in addition to its normal delights, has been among the most poisonous and divisive I can recall. 

And also, since I am sometimes accused of not putting my head above the parapet, how it has led to me taking a particular, if qualified, side in a debate that is being conducted, in pretty uncivil terms, in Lancashire, a county I know very well and for which I have a huge fondness. 

In other words, by the end of this column, you will know where I stand on one of the issues currently harming our game.

I'm in decent company when it comes to being dispirited by the current debate over the future structure and scheduling of county cricket in England.

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There is little doubt over the chosen format for county fans (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

In his discussion with Andrew Strauss and Ian Ward on Sky Sports during the first day of the Test against South Africa Michael Atherton said how saddened he was by "the toxicity in the game at the moment."

Then he went on as follows: "I find it very frustrating whether it's on social media or the media or just the conversations around that there is quite a divide there.

"And I don’t think the ECB have been helpful in bringing the new short-form competition in and the way it was brought in.

"It was kind of promoting divisiveness and I hope we can get rid of that because we do a lot of good things here. When you look around the world, very few places have the variety and the support and the good cricket that the LV= Insurance County Championship can offer."

As ever with Atherton, there is a lot there: emotional commitment, astute analysis of the ECB’'s conduct and an accolade for the much-derided, much-loved Championship.

On the second point, it's surely astonishing, and a reflection of the ECB's outlook that they expect any reorganisation of divisions to take effect next year.

A few weeks ago, when Hampshire were beating Yorkshire at Scarborough, a colleague observed that the home side would be in danger of relegation if they lost. "How can we possibly know?" I countered.

"I am not a member of any county club. If I joined one, I'd want to join 18"

The assumption there will still be two divisions of 10 and eight in 2023 with two-up two-down, is fairly shaky. What's more, it might affect a county's vote in September. This is a point I know I've made before but the notion that changes will take immediate effect still seems to me an indication of the governing body's essential arrogance.

County cricket justifies itself in many ways; it might be dependent on the revenue it receives from Test matches etc. but it provides the players for those games in the first place and it is certainly not a Petri dish for the ECB's experiments.

This is why it is vital that, as far as possible, the counties decide on their common concerns and objectives and then listen very closely to the ECB's suggestions in September, when the important meetings will be held. Some of the ideas might well have merit. But then they should return to their HQs and be bound by a vote of the members on those proposals.

One of the most useful things to come out of this stramash is that people have noticed afresh that 15 of the 18 counties are members' clubs. This might be valuable. Why do you think no German football club wanted to join the short-lived European Super League last year? Because they knew their members would not wear it.

Lancashire has been at the forefront of this debate, although I'm sure some of its officials could have done without the publicity.

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The clouds are forming over Old Trafford (George Wood/Getty Images)

An SGM is to be held at 9am on August 30 (the day after a Test and on which Lancashire may well be playing away in a Royal London Cup semi-final).

The first proposal on the table binds the chair to consult with the membership before any vote on next year's structure; the second binds Lancashire to vote against any reduction in first-class fixtures without the explicit approval of the membership.

I am not a member of any county club. If I joined one, I'd want to join 18. But if I were a Lancashire member, I would vote against the first motion at the SGM and in favour of the second.

I imagine my position on this might upset some of the many friends I have at Emirates Old Trafford. But one or two of those in power at Lancashire might consider why they have alienated so many moderates. I am not alone in this.

My position should not be taken as some sign that I approve of the current structure of the county game. At the Members' Forum, Lancashire's director of cricket, Mark Chilton, spoke with quiet eloquence of the workload his players have shouldered this year: six Championship matches in six weeks; five T20 games in eight days between May 27 and June 3; nine days' cricket between June 7 and June 19; six days cricket between June 23 and June 29. 

That schedule should be considered by anyone who thinks county cricketers are pampered. At the same time, people might observe that on some of those days, a player might not appear on the field at all; or that in a normal summer some days will be lost to rain; or that squad rotation is an accepted part of professional sport and has long been so in Premier League football.

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The Blast has captured the imagination (Harry Trump/Getty Images)

My own response to Chilton's very fair points is that the crowded schedule has not been caused by some sadistic fixture planners but because we are the only country in the world that has two short-form tournaments hogging a trifle over two months of the season and squatting the middle of the season.

In 2022, that season comprises 176 days from April 7 to September 29. I do not think it is unreasonable to ask that 70 of those days be devoted to the County Championship. (That's 14 four-day games plus two days travelling to and from away games, although the latter isn't always needed.)

There are those who think 10 four-day games will be plenty. But the ECB, and even one or two counties, employ far too many people who can read a balance sheet but have no clue about a scorecard.

Even more worryingly, they have no understanding of the love and loyalty shown by county members or the commitment they show towards their team. They enjoy the Blast and they rather like the Royal London Cup but it is the Championship – the path to the Test team –  that matters most to them.

Without being presumptuous, I think I understand how such people feel at the moment. Even though I sit in the press box, I know that I am one of them.


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Comments

Posted by Andrew on 24/08/2022 at 23:02

Paul, you speak for many thousands of us who love the game and our counties. Thank you.

Posted by Ian England on 22/08/2022 at 15:10

I agree so much with the comments here. The ECB has The ECB has shown it has absolutely no regard for county cricket or the county cricket fan. The fact that there was zero publicity regarding the start of this years county championship came as no surprise

Posted by Simon on 21/08/2022 at 11:54

A thought provoking article. What needs to give is the Hundred. Until they get the best players from around involved, it is pointless when we have the Vitality, the Hundred to me appears a vehicle to promote the womens game at the expense of the Mens

Posted by Bob potts on 21/08/2022 at 08:46

I am a Durham member. I agree about the toxicity in cricket today. I believe that the ECB only care about money and not the wellbeing of domestic cricket. The 100 is the prime example. Unless you are one of the 8 counties you lose out. For certain those teams are actually Hants, Surrey, Notts etc and not the names they have been given. Rich wealthy clubs making even more money. Once upon a time if counties spent time and money developing young cricketers they would keep them for some time. There had to be qualification periods etc. Now the same wealthy clubs just tap up players which will eventually lead to less competitive cricket and a loss of Counties

Posted by Stephen Gregg on 20/08/2022 at 15:11

I have been a Gloucestershire member for over 40 year, and i absolutely disgusted how members have been treated this year. The club have nothing but disdain for its members- we do not even have a designated members area! Last year there was no scorecards at club, after much cajoling they did introduce them this year at£1.50! They stopped the year book in 2020 much to chagrin of all. All they seemed concerned with is moneymaking. It is cash free club so alienating lots of supporters from attending. After the debacle of the cheltenham festival when all club tents were priced out of the market many members vowed to resign their membership. I despair for the future of county cricket if every club is run the same way! If the vote is for a reduction in championship games, i fear their will be a mass exodus of county members and then county cricket RIP Stephen Gregg

Posted by Des Coulter on 20/08/2022 at 12:01

As an exiled Lancastrian, I am pleased to see Paul Edwards’ comments. I am also pleased to see that Lancs have now abandoned the ridiculous idea of holding an SGM at 9am on a non-match day. It is hard not to conclude that without the campaigning of the Lancs Action Group ( of whom I am not a member) Lancs would simply have held a members forum and then ignored what the members said if that was counter to what they wanted to do.

Posted by Graham on 20/08/2022 at 10:32

Even in the photos you've chosen to illustrate the article, there are many more empty seats than spectator (other than the one from the Blast). Attendance figures are hard to come by, but a total of 5,000 spectators across a four day game seems to be a reasonable estimate. Sky, with a 24 hour cricket channel to fill clearly think that televising the County Championship isn't worth the hassle of sending a production crew to. So yes, I'm sure if you ask the self-selecting group of County members they like county cricket, but almost no one else cares about it, and it's perhaps not surprising that the ECB has preferred to concentrate on staging actually popular forms of cricket, that draw decent crowds and worthwhile TV audiences.

Posted by Mr Philip Taylor on 20/08/2022 at 09:26

Excellent article. I am a Lancastrian and a lifelong Lancashire fan and I too think that county members are being overlooked by an ECB determined to get rich quick and jump on the bandwagon of the T20 Franchises. I think the Vitality Blast is fine. The One-Day Cup could be streamlined. But no way should the county championship be cut. It provides a grounding for future Test players. And after the batting shambles at Lord's against South Africa, boy do we need more of it, rather than less. As for the The Hundred. Lancashire players like Livingstone playing for Birmingham, Bairstow for Welsh Fire. How can you expect 'proper' cricket fans to warm to this circus?

Posted by Dave Taylor on 20/08/2022 at 07:14

Eloquent, reasoned and erudite as usual for Paul Edwards. Those things left unsaid present the strongest argument; it seems as if the ECB have taken a leaf out of the communist manifesto, which says it will be discussed at the highest level but the original idea will always be implemented. We all know that the last in will not be the first out in this case, despite economic, reasoned, objective arguments state that this should be the case. Harrison’s Hundred will survive as the cockroach post nuclear apocalypse does-nothing can be allowed to touch it. Yet common sense - as if that ever entered the equation- says that there are too many competitions and too much Test cricket. Of course, to make an alternate proposal become accepted then you must ensure the alternative presents an even worst case scenario, and I feel that this will happen. No one has mentioned the effect the leaked proposal will have on membership uptake. To only watch 5 home County Championship games is not worth a membership. Therefore you not only lose a loyal fan base but you have less people with whom to consult; something no doubt the cricket masters have already taken into consideration to make easier their riding roughshod over first class cricket. I will not be alive many more years but change is inevitable. But not all change is good.

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