Worcester Call to Arms

Worcestershire CCC are appealing for volunteers to help clean up Blackfinch New Road after the recent flood which engulfed the ground.

The County are looking for supporters to assist with washing the seating, wiping down the fencing and sweeping away debris.

Volunteers are asked to bring sponges, buckets and brooms to aid with the clean-up as cleaning equipment is at a minimum.

Anyone who can assist with this operation – from Wednesday to Friday this week – should report to the Worcestershire CCC reception in The View from 10am each day.

Worcestershire CCC will greatly appreciate any help that can be given in trying to ensure the ground is ready for the opening home Specsavers County Championship match with Nottinghamshire on April 27.

There will be a free bacon bap and hot drink available at Foley’s coffee house and eatery for any volunteer.

The flood peaked at Blackfinch New Road on Friday but the waters have now subsided off the square and outfield.Elizabeth Ammon The Times  09/04/18

It’s that time of year again. Spring is upon us and with it comes the County Championship and the laments about how the game is dying. Beyond the lazy portrayal of it being a competition watched only by a man and his dog and followed only by those over 70 there remain genuine concerns.

What used to be the flagship has been pushed to the margins. There are five rounds of matches before the end of May and then another six from the end of August onwards with only four being played in what could be deemed the height of summer. Enjoy them while you can though. From 2020 there will be almost no red-ball cricket throughout all of June, July and August while the ECB tries to fit in two T20 competitions the Blast and the new city tournament — with the 50-over cup being played alongside the new T20 competition. It’s hard not to wonder if the long-term strategy is to push the championship so far into the margins that no one notices it.

These are interesting times for the future of the championship. The ECB says that it is committed to a future with 18 first-class counties in it but its actions don’t appear to back up its words.

Yes, the medium-term financial security of the English game has been secured thanks to an impressive broadcast deal of £1.1 billion for which Tom Harrison, chief executive of the ECB, should be given credit. It means that all 18 counties will receive £1.3 million a year additional revenue from 2020 onwards. To a county cricket club that it is a significant amount of money.

And we’re over the worst of the financial crisis in county cricket. All counties who have published their accounts for last year have reported an operating profit (albeit in some cases a very, very small one) thanks to the redistribution of some of the ECB’s reserves out to the shires.

The new T20 tournament will be a success. It will be a grand spectacle that puts bums on seats. But it comes with consequences for county cricket.

Last month, The Times broke the news that some Test-match grounds will be receiving big compensation payments for the years they haven’t been allocated matches. The same grounds who will also be the host venues for the new T20 competition. It’s hard not to think that a significant chunk of the new money coming into the game will find its way to the eight biggest grounds. The other ten will have to fight harder than ever to remain vibrant and relevant in the face of these eight super clubs.

There should be a way to balance the ever increasing need for money coming into the game through T20 cricket with the need for a strong and vibrant first-class game played throughout the season (yes including the school holidays). A strong first-class system that, in case the ECB had not noticed, is where England’s stars come from. It is in its interest — because the England team pay the bills — to keep county cricket as strong as it can be.

There’s a great deal to love and admire about county cricket and a great number of people who do just that. There are regularly four-figure crowds at some grounds and outground cricket is particularly well attended. The number of county members has grown steadily and is now closing on 100,000. Last year 1.54 million people attended county cricket matches across the three formats. There has been a 64 per cent increase year-on-year in the number of followers of the County Championship’s social media channels, while the ECB, BBC and ESPNCricinfo have reported increases in their live coverage. Indeed counties have decided that the demand for live streaming of their championship matches is great enough for them to invest in the equipment needed to do it themselves.

In spite of the doom-mongers — and at times the ECB’s agenda — the county game remains the most well supported and followed first-class competition in the world — and one worth fighting for.
















BBC Sport 28/03/18

England and Wales Cricket Board to 'review' Glamorgan payment

The England and Wales Cricket Board has commissioned a review into the £2.5m Glamorgan received for not applying to host Tests between 2020 and 2024.

The "external review" follows a meeting between the ECB and representatives from all 18 first-class counties.

Surrey chairman Richard Thompson has quit his role as a non-executive director of the ECB and Andy Nash also left citing "significant differences".

Glamorgan chief executive Hugh Morris says he is not worried by the review.

"The board agree that it will be valuable to have an external review into the process around the payment," said ECB chairman Colin Graves.

"I recognise there have been questions raised and, while answers have been provided, we are determined that the process is fully reviewed."

'A binding contract'

Glamorgan have already received £1.5 million of the compensation payment and do not foresee problems obtaining the rest of the sum.

"We've very happy to help with that inquiry as much as we possibly can, we're in a position where we've got nothing to hide, we haven't hidden anything and we welcome the opportunity to contribute to that review," Morris told BBC Sport Wales.

"We don't believe (there's any danger of being forced to refund the money), we have a binding contract with the ECB and fully expect that to be honoured.

"We've used some of it for debt reduction (to the bank), we've reduced our debt over the last three or four years from £17m to around £2.5m.

"We've got a great stadium but there's not been as much maintenance as we would have liked and we've got an improvement plan to make sure everybody who comes to watch cricket here has as comfortable a time as they possibly can."

'In the best interests of the game'

Nash stepped down as a non-executive director of the England and Wales Cricket Board having been a member of the ECB's board since 2004.

In a statement provided to BBC Sport prior to the review announcement, Nash said: "When I resigned I said I did not think it appropriate to expand on my reasons in public re. the unacceptable shortcomings in corporate governance at the ECB. This remains my view.

"I met with the board's senior independent director and thereafter wrote to him giving detailing reasoning for my resignation. Further, I gave him my permission to share my letter with the full board.

"With two non-executive directors having now taken the ultimate sanction available to them to register their dissatisfaction, I agree with those who say the most appropriate course of action is for an independent external investigation to be set up to consider the matters raised.

"It is in the best interests of the game and the national governing body that the substantial matters raised by the non-executive directors and several counties are considered properly, openly and transparently.

"This is the best way for the game to be able to draw a line under the issues raised, to learn the lessons, unify and move on."

Thompson 'uncomfortable with recent decisions'

In a statement on Surrey's club website, Thompson said: "I'm saddened to have to stand down while still being a board member.

"I have been uncomfortable with recent decisions taken without full consultation and as such did not feel able to remain on the board.

"I remain totally committed to the game I love and importantly continuing to do all I can to help Surrey success grow on and off the field."

An ECB statement confirming his exit said: "The decision comes as ECB prepares for a new board structure from its annual general meeting in May 2018.

"In December 2017, ECB announced plans to reform its board following an independent review, with a reduction from 13 to 12 members, including four independent directors and five non-executive cricket directors.

"Directors who held other cricket roles within the domestic game - Peter Wright, Martin Darlow, Andy Nash and Richard Thompson - had three months grace in which to decide whether to remain on the board or in their other cricket role."

Graves added: "For a fully independent board structure, a number of directors with positions in cricket had to decide whether they continue to serve on the board or in those roles.

"Each of these has now made their decision and we can look to recruit new directors for that new-look board."

The ECB, meanwhile, has established a new 11-member T20 board, with former Nottinghamshire and England batsman Michael Lumb co-opted as an advisor on cricket matters.

It is the latest step in the establishment of a new eight-team T20 competition, which is scheduled to begin in 2020.