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Weekend Championship cricket cut by 44% in 2019... could it be the beginning of the end?
SAM MORSHEAD: Research by The Cricketer shows that 16 of the 18 counties will see less weekend Championship action next season than they did in 2018, and two-thirds of clubs are set to stage four days or fewer over the course of the campaign.
This July 7, spare a thought for members of Worcestershire and Essex. And particularly those with 9-5 jobs.
For the men and women who fit into both categories and just happen to most enjoy the red-ball form of the game, the county fixture list has not been kind.
Actually, that’s an understatement. With just one weekend day of Championship cricket to look forward to next year, New Road and Chelmsford regulars might feel shortchanged by their annual subscriptions (£195 and £188 respectively).
It is a problem which in 2019 does not only affect just those two clubs, and is not the counties’ own doing.
Across the country, members will find first-class cricket at a premium on Saturdays and Sundays. Kent will only host two in total at Canterbury on their return to Division One, while two-thirds of clubs are set to stage four days or fewer over the course of the campaign.
In fact, research by The Cricketer shows that 16 of the 18 counties will see less weekend Championship action next season than they did in 2018. And 24 have been set aside for days three and four of matches, which if we've learned anything from the term just gone cannot be anywhere near guaranteed.
Overall, there will be 43.75 per cent less weekend red-ball cricket in 2019 - down to 72 scheduled days from 128 this year - and the significant shift, unprecedented over the past half-a-decade, has not gone unnoticed.
Fans of several counties have written to The Cricketer, explaining their discontent. Some are questioning whether membership, which often does not include entry to T20 Blast matches, represents value for money anymore.
Many have already made the decision. Posts on social media speak to the frustration being felt by long-term supporters who feel they are being abandoned.
If it is not yet a tipping point for the ‘traditional’ fan, it could quickly become one...
Full article linked below:
https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/countychampionship/weekend_championship_cricket_cut_by_44_percent_in_2019.html
I had to read this over and over again, surely it just couldn't be true? But then I looked at the fixture list for Chelmsford and the true horror struck.I guess in comparison we've got off lightly? I think we all realised these changes were outlined at some stage in the future, but to me, it's alarming with the speed of which they are being expedited.Pretty sure, it was Nasser Hussain that said they take more in gate receipts at ONE T20 game than 3 years of red ball games. Fair enough, but where does that leave the loyal member that's supported the club through thick and thin down the years?
ReplyDeleteNasser Hussain is right, Whether we like it not T20 is and is always likely to be the one variation of the game that will keep many clubs solvent.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that T20 is normally played in a block which if placed correctly in the fixture list should leave ample room for four day cricket.
Trouble is it's clear the ECB would much rather not have to fit in all those annoying four day matches.How long will it be before some bright spark suggests that teams only play each other once. Not a nice thought but you can see from the ECBs POV how they would love the extra freedom in the calendar.
Ultimately it will be down to us to show exactly how we feel about the form of cricket we love being pushed to the sidelines. Quite how we will manage it remains to seen but if we want to see cricket in the longer form we will have to act soon. Otherwise it could be lost forever....
Info think the threat of County Cricket being throttled to death in 2020, has to a large extent come a year early. We are. as you both saying, fighting across the country as well as county to save our sport. Frankly we need to stem the tide, as the moment ECB winning every battle, I think their strategy has been planned over many years. We need somehow to start out witting them
ReplyDeleteHow?
DeleteThere is a deliberate effort to kill off the county championship going on.
ReplyDeleteThere is some welcome news in that several, I think about half a dozen to date, counties gave moved fixtures to include some week-end play. It does not solve the problem , but is a welcome small step in the right direction. So far I gave not heard anything like this from Notts. I hope and pray common sense and flexibility will spread to Trent Side too
ReplyDelete