Nottinghamshire May Members Forum

Nottinghamshire Members Forum Friday 11 May 2018

Top table comprised of Lisa Pursehouse, Mick Newell & Peter Moores

Summariesed here by JAG

Most of the meeting was based around the speculation to the format of domestic cricket.

 Currently from 2020 the draft proposals have the 20/20 Blast reduced from 7 to 5 home games. The New 100 ball competition is proposed to clash with the 50 over competition.

A working group has been set up to discuss the proposals with the players who had not been consulted. That group consists of Martyn Moxon, Wasim Khan and the Brains of the ECB.  

 They will seek the opinions of the first Class counties MN stated that the Nottinghamshire view is to retain promotion and relegation but the general view from other counties is to go for the conference format favoured by Yorkshire & Sussex. PM said he wanted to see the four day game protected.

 How will the franchises fit in with ground usage? LP said that there will be a 38 day window, and that during that time there will be three test matches. If a county has a test match during that window then the clubs would have to play all their 50 over home games on an out ground. Nottinghamshire are looking to use Welbeck and Grantham. If the club did not have a test match during the window then they would play two home 50 over matches at Trent Bridge and two at out grounds.

 The pricing for the new franchise competition will be aimed at attracting families and Nottinghamshire will have an input into the pricing policy for matches at Trent Bridge.

 Due to the confusion LP may write to the membership again to confirm the above.

 Payments to non test match hosting grounds. There are 9 test match venues. There will be six test matches a year, with two guaranteed at Lords and one at the Oval. Glamorgan and Hampshire  have invested a lot of money to get test match status. Recently Glamorgan have offered to give up test match status but have retained ODI status, whereas  Hampshire have been unsuccessful in their attempt to acquire test matches in the recent bidding. There has been talk of paying clubs unsuccessful £500,000 per year when they do not host test matches, whilst this is a possibility it has not been agreed yet. It has just been leaked to the media. The exact way of how the income is split amongst the counties from 2020 onwards has not been decided yet. JAG

 LP stated that because Nottinghamshire were building the Radcliffe Road improvements in the winter there was no home championship cricket in April and because they have three international matches this year the championship matches had an unbalanced scheduled. In 2019 Nottinghamshire have no test match so the schedule should be more balanced.

 There were a number of questions but all was pure speculation until the formats are agreed.

The first of this season's Members' Forum is being held on Day 1 lunch against Lancashire in the usual place.

So what do followers want to ask? What needs to be asked?

2020 assuming the Hundred takes place, can the CEO confirm that plans are to play at least one ODC game out of the county, at a rival FFC's headquarters - Derby?

2019 during the World cup, which Trent Bridge is a major venue for, where will Nottinghamshire stage home fixtures during that prolonged period - Derby? The newly improved status at Grantham (the pitch now First Class)? Oakham?

Why are the club hellbent on alienating existing members?

Will the scaffold ever come down off the Radcliffe Road, allowing the middle deck to open?

Why aren't there any velcro style, more traditional Notts baseball caps in the club shop?

If there's more than one batsman injured, after Billy Root, who is there ready to come in?

Why no weekend play during September?

Anymore?

Why is the forum on a week day, when the likely attendees are probably of the retired variety; no younger members as they'll be at school, college or work?