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Hundred ticket sale delayed due to coronavirus concern.
Cricinfo.
Tuesday, 31 March 2020.
PTG 3068-15193.
Tickets for the inaugural season of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (EWCB) new competition the Hundred will not go on general sale on Wednesday week as planned. Priority tickets for the tournament went on sale in a window in February, with the EWCB reporting that initial sales had "surpassed expectations" as an initial allocation for men's Finals Day tickets sold out within 24 hours (PTG 3031-16010, 18 February 2020).
But with the coronavirus pandemic delaying the start of the English season by at least six weeks and the ability to stage the Hundred in the planned window in doubt, Sanjay Patel, the competition's managing director said: "In the midst of an epidemic which is affecting the nation in unprecedented ways, it would be wholly inappropriate for us to promote and sell tickets to the Hundred”.
"We appreciate this may cause some disappointment to fans that were keen to purchase tickets in the April sales window, accessing early bird prices and securing tickets to the most in-demand games. When it is appropriate to go back on sale, we will of course offer the same ticket offers and accessible pricing. Like the rest of the nation, we all hope that it is not far away before cricket returns to our screens, stadiums, parks and clubs”.
Several counties had already taken their ticketing platforms offline due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, with many clubs currently operating with a skeleton staff. While Tom Harrison, the EWCB's chief executive, has signalled that the governing body's intention is to prioritise the most lucrative competitions, i.e. the T20 Blast and the Hundred, Durham chief executive Tim Bostock suggested last week that if the season is squeezed into a two-month window, it may make sense to delay the new tournament's first season to 2021 (PTG 3067-15186, 30 March 2020).
Delay Hundred and use funds to help domestic game, urge county chiefs.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Monday, 30 March 2020.
PTG 3067-15186.
County chiefs have urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) to postpone The Hundred until next year and use the money that would have been spent on it to help county and club sides deal with the financial impact of coronavirus. Several county chiefs have urged the EWCB to postpone the launch of the new 100-ball tournament to 2021 and reallocate the funding to help county and recreational clubs with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic (PTG 3061-15158, 25 March 2020).
The EWCB will hold several meetings this week to look at how to plug the financial gaps caused by the suspension of the season. The season has been put on hold until 28 May (PTG 3057-15136, 21 March 2020), but there is a feeling among many counties — some of which have started to furlough non-playing staff and begin discussions over wage cuts for players and within the EWCB that, even if The Hundred could get under way in July or August, it would be better not to launch it half-heartedly (PTG 3064-15176, 28 March 2020).
Tim Bostock, the chief executive of Durham, said on radio: “Protecting The Hundred is important, although in the conversations I’ve had with the EWCB, if it ends up being a two-month season, which is possible, a view will be taken about whether this is really the right time to launch The Hundred”.
About £UK90 million ($A181.4m) a year was due to be spent on The Hundred, including £UK40m ($A80.6m) on marketing and £UK20m ($A40.2m) on players and coaching staff. Although some of that has been spent or is wrapped up in contracts that cannot be terminated (PTG 3059-15147, 23 March 2020), a significant amount could be diverted into an emergency fund. EWCB officials are modelling how much they can save against how much will be lost by not running the competition.
There is some room for manoeuvre in the EWCB’s broadcasting deals with Sky and the BBC, which are worth about £UK200m ($A403m) a year. They are five-year deals and there is scope within the contracts to provide extra matches down the line or for the EWCB to receive slightly less in the remaining years of the contracts.
Some counties have started to furlough their non-playing staff and discussions have begun with the Professional Cricketers’ Association and player agents over potential pay cuts for players (PTG 3066-15184, 30 March 2020).
County players’ salaries vary greatly with some of the youngest players earning about £UK18,000 ($A36,260) a year while the most senior can earn up to about £UK160,000 ($A322,325). Counties are able to claim £UK2,500 ($A5,035) a month for each of their players through the government’s job retention scheme (PTG 3065-15178, 29 March 2020). There is a recognition though that the players are the most valuable asset to cricket and they need to be looked after so that they are ready to play cricket as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.
Meanwhile Lord’s have put their building development work on hold. The rebuilding of the Compton and Edrich stands at the Nursery end of the ground (PTG 2939-14586, 8 November 2019), which will increase capacity by 2,000, was supposed to be ready in time for the start of the EWCB’s T20 ‘Blast' at the end of May but this hiatus means that those seating areas may not be available even if cricket does return later in the season.
Major building work is also taking place at the Oval to develop the Peter May, Lock and Laker stands at the Pavilion End of the ground (PTG 2158-10955, 9 June 2017). Some work is still taking place on site but only within the accepted social distancing regulations and so some delay is inevitable, having a knock-on impact to this year’s planned internationals, Blast and Hundred matches.
Hundred may be delayed to 2021 if EWCB season cut to two months.
Ali Email.
The Guardian.
Wednesday, 25 March 2020.
PTG 3061-15158.
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) new competition the Hundred faces the prospect of being pushed back to a 2021 launch date should the coronavirus pandemic reduce this year’s EWCB season to two months or fewer. This cut-off point has been revealed by Tim Bostock, Durham’s chief executive, following talks between the counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board last week that resulted in matches being suspended until 28 May at the earliest.
Amid the uncertainty the EWCB finds itself working through numerous scenarios for possible starts in June, July and August, with international cricket, the T20 Blast and the Hundred given priority in order to maximise revenues for the sport. Should the August scenario come to pass then Bostock believes the ECB’s new eight-team 100-ball tournament may have to make way, while the prospect of any County Championship cricket being staged would also be slim.
Bostock told The Cricket Collective on TalkSport 2: “It’s pretty clear international cricket comes first, then after that it’s the Blast and the Hundred. That’s where the revenue is. “Protecting the Hundred is important, although in the conversations I’ve had with the EWCB, if it ends up getting squeezed and a two-month season – which is possible – a view will be taken about whether this is really the right time to launch the Hundred".
“[The ECB chief executive] Tom Harrison has been really pragmatic about this. I certainly get the impression if we get a two-month season the pragmatic view would be what’s the point of launching this competition now? Let’s launch it properly next year. If it’s a four-month season, there’s a lot of county cricket in the schedule I’ve seen. Three months as well. Only if we get to a two-month season will [the County Championship] be a problem – ie there won’t be any”.
Once clarity emerges regarding the length of the season, the decision will then be heavily influenced by the cricket deemed most desirable by Sky Sports and the BBC, the two broadcast partners who have just begun a rights deal with the EWCB that is theoretically worth £UK1.1 billion ($A2.1bn) over the next five years.
Consideration will also be given to whether unveiling a new flagship event in 2020 will give it the best chance to thrive amid the prospect of withdrawals of overseas stars and crowds still being potentially limited unless there is a full relaxation of the government’s social distancing measures. As well as modelling various scenarios, the EWCB is trying to establish the projected economic damage of Covid-19 to the sport. But the message from the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is that any talk of a return to the negotiating table to discuss player wage cuts is hugely premature.
The PCA announced new terms with the EWCB last September under which the salary cap will rise to £UK2.5 million ($A4.9m) and the minimum spend on squad salaries will be doubled from £UK750,000 to £UK1.5m ($A1.5-3m) by 2024, as well as the introduction of a £UK27,500 ($A54,290) minimum wage for full-time professional men, and new rookie contracts. And so while professional rugby, for example, has seen a number of clubs cut their salaries by 25 per cent in the past week, the PCA is seemingly reluctant to discuss reducing its hard-earned gains until a resumption date – and thus the financial impact on the revenue-driving formats – is known.
Tony Irish, the PCA chief executive, said: “We will represent the players strongly and collectively. Player contracts are in place and we don’t think it’s appropriate to start talking about reductions or lay-offs at this point in time. Different sports are dealing with this in different ways but we need to play the ball that is in front of us, and that is that there is no cricket until 28 May. Naturally we want to make sure the game survives and remains in as good health as possible”.
Cricket could use its enforced pause to find a way forward.
Vic Marks.
The Guardian.
Sunday, 22 March 2020.
PTG 3059-15148.
September 2019. Was there ever a better time to be a professional cricketer in England? The game was buzzing after the country’s World Cup victory, another preposterous win at Headingley against Australia and a massive television deal done and dusted (even though some of us were wary of the contents).
The players were overrun with options as their agents flitted from one T20 franchise to another to secure more lucrative deals. The Hundred offered English cricketers and quite a few others an irresistible windfall. Famous coaches were hired from afar with no expense spared. By the standards of the past, the game was awash with money and a player could plot his own unique career path, which need not be so dependent on the old county system.
But now the corridors are packed with uncertainty. Pay cuts are on the horizon, as has been the case among Premiership rugby union clubs, and the T20 gigs are in doubt. So too are the international matches that have always been the lifeblood of the game. Cricketers, we discover, are not key workers. In fact there has been an interesting recalibration of what constitutes a key worker. For some reason this does not extend to hedge fund managers, Premier League footballers, estate agents or even sports journalists.
For the moment our cricketers are in limbo, at least until 28 May, after Friday’s England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) announcement (PTG 3057-15136, 21 March 2020). The EWCB must try to salvage something from the 2020 season, although it is a task way beyond its control. Yet the sport’s governing body is attempting to outline a variety of options that are dependent upon when the playing of cricket becomes a safe and acceptable activity again (PTG 3055-15129, 19 March 2020).
One option is to play county games – and Test matches, which are so much more important in terms of income – behind closed doors. This is not the time for wisecracks along the lines of: “Don’t they do that already?” The situation is too grave and in any case that cliche of sparse crowds is not universally true. Going behind closed doors is a horrible option but in these times that does not necessarily mean it should be ruled out immediately.
How many people would have to be in the ground to allow such a match to proceed? At least 100 perhaps, even if we expel the annoying camera operator whose job is to follow the dismissed batsman off the field at close quarters? Would that figure be acceptable to the experts – or the players?
There may well be no red-ball cricket this summer at domestic level, such is the understandable eagerness to satisfy the TV companies. The grounds could be empty for months. Even if no cricket is permitted, might it be possible in our towns and cities for the open spaces of some of our grounds to be available as exercise areas, provided a safe distance is kept? In fine weather could the big screens be used to provide open-air cinemas? It will be important for the clubs to remain relevant by engaging with their local communities. And they will want to generate some income.
For the counties the T20 ‘Blast' fills this function better than anything else and there is surely every chance this competition will be switched to the later part of the season. If there is no red-ball cricket it may be possible to experiment – or revert to – a knockout 50-over competition that would give county members something more substantial to watch.
And then, of course, there is the Hundred. As the overseas players become more hesitant or just more unavailable – the withdrawal of David Warner from Southern Brave (the team based in Southampton) may not be the last absentee among the Australians – there may be a case to postpone it until 2021 (PTG 3058-15144, 22 March 2020), though some may prefer a permanent abandonment. A postponement will not happen unless the virus demolishes the entire season. The EWCB has invested so much in this competition, which helps to explain why its reserves to deal with unforeseen events have slumped from £UK70 million ($A141.9m) to around £UK10m ($A20.2m), that it will be determined to proceed with it come what may. The TV deal dictates this is the case.
However, the EWCB may tacitly welcome an inbuilt excuse for a lukewarm start to its new competition. It can blame it on the pandemic. If the Hundred does take place, there will at least be an insatiable hunger for some live sport on our TV screens.
The challenges, as in every walk of life, are immense and it may be that cricket in England uses the hiatus to seek reform. Some may pursue a reduction in the number of first-class counties and a restructuring of championship cricket. Others may argue for a serious rethink of the Hundred; it may even be the twelve-month contracts for county cricketers will be reconsidered. Amid the enforced pause there will be plenty of time for plotting a way forward in the next few months even if finding a consensus is tortuous.
Beyond the professional game we should spare a thought for all those recreational cricketers, the true devotees of the game, who will be denied their afternoons and evenings of competition and camaraderie (PTG 3057-15137, 21 March 2020). There is barely a silver lining in sight except that in the barren, stressful months ahead we may all come to appreciate with fresh clarity what we are missing.
No big pay days for players if The Hundred cancelled.
Tim Wigmore.
London Daily Telegraph.
Monday, 23 March 2020.
PTG 3059-15147.
Players contracted to the Hundred face having their contracts and salaries void if the tournament is cancelled. The player contracts for the Hundred do not guarantee that the players receive their wages if the competition, due to begin on 17 July, is called off.
The contracts for the Hundred include a force majeure clause, which allows the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) to cancel the tournament due to a dramatic and unforeseen event “which is beyond the reasonable control” of organisers without paying the players. Clause 16.4 of the contracts stipulates that “In the event the Hundred is cancelled as a result of a Force Majeure Event, TeamoCo and/or the EWCB shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement with immediate effect on written notice to the Player without incurring any liability to the player”.
Agents and lawyers contacted believe that this clause would mean that players would not need to be paid, with the global coronavirus pandemic seeming to meet the definition of a force majeure event. The contracts stipulate that such a force majeure event would need to take place prior to the competition beginning - as is the case with the coronavirus - otherwise players would be entitled to their full salaries.
Contracts for the Hundred are structured in two parts - an initial 20 per cent payment of the salaries, and then the remaining 80 per cent paid once the tournament begins. But of the initial 20 per cent, only one-quarter of the player salaries has to be paid before February 3, 2020, with the other three-quarters of the 20 per cent paid between 3 February and the end of August.
While players would have no need to reimburse the first payments in the event of the competition being cancelled, there is considered a strong likelihood that cancellation would mean that the EWCB could invoke the force majeure clause and avoid having to pay the second tranche of the 20 per cent at all. Were this the case, then players might only end up receiving five per cent of their salaries if the Hundred was cancelled.
The EWCB remain committed to getting the Hundred tournament on if at all possible. But while the competition is still nearly four months away, and it is conceivable that it could even take place later than its scheduled window of 17 July-16 August, the coronavirus situation is such that there are no guarantees that the tournament will be able to take place at any date in the summer.
The contracts for the Hundred are structured in a different way to county contracts, which it is believed would be owed to players in full even if the county season had to be cancelled altogether. But, as reported last week, the Professional Cricketers Association accepts that player salaries may need to be cut for the good of the sport if other commensurate cuts are made elsewhere (PTG 3056-15132, 20 March 2020).
If Hundred contracts are cancelled, it will be a particular blow for county players, with many due to receive a doubling of their overall salaries from the 2020 edition of the new competition. The average county salary is in the region of £UK50,000 ($A101,130). Several county players who have not represented England - notably Phil Salt and Tom Abell, who both received £UK100,000 ($A202,255) contracts, and Benny Howell and Tom Helm, who received £UK75,000 ($A151,885) deals - received significantly more than that in the player draft for the Hundred.
Not paying players will go a little way to mitigating the financial damage to the EWCB if the tournament is cancelled. In total, each of the eight franchises were due to spend exactly £UK1 million ($A2.1m) on players - their 14 draft picks and the one wildcard, the latter which is planned to be picked immediately prior to the tournament. Across the eight franchises, this added up to a total player spend of £UK8m ($A16.2m). If the EWCB ends up only paying five per cent of total player salaries in the event of the 2020 edition of the Hundred being cancelled, that would amount to a saving of £UK7.6m ($A15.4m).
On Friday, the EWCB announced that the entire domestic season would be suspended until 28 May (PTG 3057-15136, 21 March 2020). But the situation with the coronavirus is such that there are widespread fears that the suspension of the season may ulimately be extended.
Hundred ticket sale delayed due to coronavirus concern.
Delay Hundred and use funds to help domestic game, urge county chiefs.
Elizabeth Ammon.
Hundred may be delayed to 2021 if EWCB season cut to two months.
Cricinfo.
Tuesday, 31 March 2020.
PTG 3068-15193.
Tickets for the inaugural season of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (EWCB) new competition the Hundred will not go on general sale on Wednesday week as planned. Priority tickets for the tournament went on sale in a window in February, with the EWCB reporting that initial sales had "surpassed expectations" as an initial allocation for men's Finals Day tickets sold out within 24 hours (PTG 3031-16010, 18 February 2020).
But with the coronavirus pandemic delaying the start of the English season by at least six weeks and the ability to stage the Hundred in the planned window in doubt, Sanjay Patel, the competition's managing director said: "In the midst of an epidemic which is affecting the nation in unprecedented ways, it would be wholly inappropriate for us to promote and sell tickets to the Hundred”.
"We appreciate this may cause some disappointment to fans that were keen to purchase tickets in the April sales window, accessing early bird prices and securing tickets to the most in-demand games. When it is appropriate to go back on sale, we will of course offer the same ticket offers and accessible pricing. Like the rest of the nation, we all hope that it is not far away before cricket returns to our screens, stadiums, parks and clubs”.
Several counties had already taken their ticketing platforms offline due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, with many clubs currently operating with a skeleton staff. While Tom Harrison, the EWCB's chief executive, has signalled that the governing body's intention is to prioritise the most lucrative competitions, i.e. the T20 Blast and the Hundred, Durham chief executive Tim Bostock suggested last week that if the season is squeezed into a two-month window, it may make sense to delay the new tournament's first season to 2021 (PTG 3067-15186, 30 March 2020).
Delay Hundred and use funds to help domestic game, urge county chiefs.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Monday, 30 March 2020.
PTG 3067-15186.
County chiefs have urged the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) to postpone The Hundred until next year and use the money that would have been spent on it to help county and club sides deal with the financial impact of coronavirus. Several county chiefs have urged the EWCB to postpone the launch of the new 100-ball tournament to 2021 and reallocate the funding to help county and recreational clubs with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic (PTG 3061-15158, 25 March 2020).
The EWCB will hold several meetings this week to look at how to plug the financial gaps caused by the suspension of the season. The season has been put on hold until 28 May (PTG 3057-15136, 21 March 2020), but there is a feeling among many counties — some of which have started to furlough non-playing staff and begin discussions over wage cuts for players and within the EWCB that, even if The Hundred could get under way in July or August, it would be better not to launch it half-heartedly (PTG 3064-15176, 28 March 2020).
Tim Bostock, the chief executive of Durham, said on radio: “Protecting The Hundred is important, although in the conversations I’ve had with the EWCB, if it ends up being a two-month season, which is possible, a view will be taken about whether this is really the right time to launch The Hundred”.
About £UK90 million ($A181.4m) a year was due to be spent on The Hundred, including £UK40m ($A80.6m) on marketing and £UK20m ($A40.2m) on players and coaching staff. Although some of that has been spent or is wrapped up in contracts that cannot be terminated (PTG 3059-15147, 23 March 2020), a significant amount could be diverted into an emergency fund. EWCB officials are modelling how much they can save against how much will be lost by not running the competition.
There is some room for manoeuvre in the EWCB’s broadcasting deals with Sky and the BBC, which are worth about £UK200m ($A403m) a year. They are five-year deals and there is scope within the contracts to provide extra matches down the line or for the EWCB to receive slightly less in the remaining years of the contracts.
Some counties have started to furlough their non-playing staff and discussions have begun with the Professional Cricketers’ Association and player agents over potential pay cuts for players (PTG 3066-15184, 30 March 2020).
County players’ salaries vary greatly with some of the youngest players earning about £UK18,000 ($A36,260) a year while the most senior can earn up to about £UK160,000 ($A322,325). Counties are able to claim £UK2,500 ($A5,035) a month for each of their players through the government’s job retention scheme (PTG 3065-15178, 29 March 2020). There is a recognition though that the players are the most valuable asset to cricket and they need to be looked after so that they are ready to play cricket as soon as it is deemed safe to do so.
Meanwhile Lord’s have put their building development work on hold. The rebuilding of the Compton and Edrich stands at the Nursery end of the ground (PTG 2939-14586, 8 November 2019), which will increase capacity by 2,000, was supposed to be ready in time for the start of the EWCB’s T20 ‘Blast' at the end of May but this hiatus means that those seating areas may not be available even if cricket does return later in the season.
Major building work is also taking place at the Oval to develop the Peter May, Lock and Laker stands at the Pavilion End of the ground (PTG 2158-10955, 9 June 2017). Some work is still taking place on site but only within the accepted social distancing regulations and so some delay is inevitable, having a knock-on impact to this year’s planned internationals, Blast and Hundred matches.
Hundred may be delayed to 2021 if EWCB season cut to two months.
Ali Email.
The Guardian.
Wednesday, 25 March 2020.
PTG 3061-15158.
The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) new competition the Hundred faces the prospect of being pushed back to a 2021 launch date should the coronavirus pandemic reduce this year’s EWCB season to two months or fewer. This cut-off point has been revealed by Tim Bostock, Durham’s chief executive, following talks between the counties and the England and Wales Cricket Board last week that resulted in matches being suspended until 28 May at the earliest.
Amid the uncertainty the EWCB finds itself working through numerous scenarios for possible starts in June, July and August, with international cricket, the T20 Blast and the Hundred given priority in order to maximise revenues for the sport. Should the August scenario come to pass then Bostock believes the ECB’s new eight-team 100-ball tournament may have to make way, while the prospect of any County Championship cricket being staged would also be slim.
Bostock told The Cricket Collective on TalkSport 2: “It’s pretty clear international cricket comes first, then after that it’s the Blast and the Hundred. That’s where the revenue is. “Protecting the Hundred is important, although in the conversations I’ve had with the EWCB, if it ends up getting squeezed and a two-month season – which is possible – a view will be taken about whether this is really the right time to launch the Hundred".
“[The ECB chief executive] Tom Harrison has been really pragmatic about this. I certainly get the impression if we get a two-month season the pragmatic view would be what’s the point of launching this competition now? Let’s launch it properly next year. If it’s a four-month season, there’s a lot of county cricket in the schedule I’ve seen. Three months as well. Only if we get to a two-month season will [the County Championship] be a problem – ie there won’t be any”.
Once clarity emerges regarding the length of the season, the decision will then be heavily influenced by the cricket deemed most desirable by Sky Sports and the BBC, the two broadcast partners who have just begun a rights deal with the EWCB that is theoretically worth £UK1.1 billion ($A2.1bn) over the next five years.
Consideration will also be given to whether unveiling a new flagship event in 2020 will give it the best chance to thrive amid the prospect of withdrawals of overseas stars and crowds still being potentially limited unless there is a full relaxation of the government’s social distancing measures. As well as modelling various scenarios, the EWCB is trying to establish the projected economic damage of Covid-19 to the sport. But the message from the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is that any talk of a return to the negotiating table to discuss player wage cuts is hugely premature.
The PCA announced new terms with the EWCB last September under which the salary cap will rise to £UK2.5 million ($A4.9m) and the minimum spend on squad salaries will be doubled from £UK750,000 to £UK1.5m ($A1.5-3m) by 2024, as well as the introduction of a £UK27,500 ($A54,290) minimum wage for full-time professional men, and new rookie contracts. And so while professional rugby, for example, has seen a number of clubs cut their salaries by 25 per cent in the past week, the PCA is seemingly reluctant to discuss reducing its hard-earned gains until a resumption date – and thus the financial impact on the revenue-driving formats – is known.
Tony Irish, the PCA chief executive, said: “We will represent the players strongly and collectively. Player contracts are in place and we don’t think it’s appropriate to start talking about reductions or lay-offs at this point in time. Different sports are dealing with this in different ways but we need to play the ball that is in front of us, and that is that there is no cricket until 28 May. Naturally we want to make sure the game survives and remains in as good health as possible”.
Cricket could use its enforced pause to find a way forward.
Vic Marks.
The Guardian.
Sunday, 22 March 2020.
PTG 3059-15148.
September 2019. Was there ever a better time to be a professional cricketer in England? The game was buzzing after the country’s World Cup victory, another preposterous win at Headingley against Australia and a massive television deal done and dusted (even though some of us were wary of the contents).
The players were overrun with options as their agents flitted from one T20 franchise to another to secure more lucrative deals. The Hundred offered English cricketers and quite a few others an irresistible windfall. Famous coaches were hired from afar with no expense spared. By the standards of the past, the game was awash with money and a player could plot his own unique career path, which need not be so dependent on the old county system.
But now the corridors are packed with uncertainty. Pay cuts are on the horizon, as has been the case among Premiership rugby union clubs, and the T20 gigs are in doubt. So too are the international matches that have always been the lifeblood of the game. Cricketers, we discover, are not key workers. In fact there has been an interesting recalibration of what constitutes a key worker. For some reason this does not extend to hedge fund managers, Premier League footballers, estate agents or even sports journalists.
For the moment our cricketers are in limbo, at least until 28 May, after Friday’s England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) announcement (PTG 3057-15136, 21 March 2020). The EWCB must try to salvage something from the 2020 season, although it is a task way beyond its control. Yet the sport’s governing body is attempting to outline a variety of options that are dependent upon when the playing of cricket becomes a safe and acceptable activity again (PTG 3055-15129, 19 March 2020).
One option is to play county games – and Test matches, which are so much more important in terms of income – behind closed doors. This is not the time for wisecracks along the lines of: “Don’t they do that already?” The situation is too grave and in any case that cliche of sparse crowds is not universally true. Going behind closed doors is a horrible option but in these times that does not necessarily mean it should be ruled out immediately.
How many people would have to be in the ground to allow such a match to proceed? At least 100 perhaps, even if we expel the annoying camera operator whose job is to follow the dismissed batsman off the field at close quarters? Would that figure be acceptable to the experts – or the players?
There may well be no red-ball cricket this summer at domestic level, such is the understandable eagerness to satisfy the TV companies. The grounds could be empty for months. Even if no cricket is permitted, might it be possible in our towns and cities for the open spaces of some of our grounds to be available as exercise areas, provided a safe distance is kept? In fine weather could the big screens be used to provide open-air cinemas? It will be important for the clubs to remain relevant by engaging with their local communities. And they will want to generate some income.
For the counties the T20 ‘Blast' fills this function better than anything else and there is surely every chance this competition will be switched to the later part of the season. If there is no red-ball cricket it may be possible to experiment – or revert to – a knockout 50-over competition that would give county members something more substantial to watch.
And then, of course, there is the Hundred. As the overseas players become more hesitant or just more unavailable – the withdrawal of David Warner from Southern Brave (the team based in Southampton) may not be the last absentee among the Australians – there may be a case to postpone it until 2021 (PTG 3058-15144, 22 March 2020), though some may prefer a permanent abandonment. A postponement will not happen unless the virus demolishes the entire season. The EWCB has invested so much in this competition, which helps to explain why its reserves to deal with unforeseen events have slumped from £UK70 million ($A141.9m) to around £UK10m ($A20.2m), that it will be determined to proceed with it come what may. The TV deal dictates this is the case.
However, the EWCB may tacitly welcome an inbuilt excuse for a lukewarm start to its new competition. It can blame it on the pandemic. If the Hundred does take place, there will at least be an insatiable hunger for some live sport on our TV screens.
The challenges, as in every walk of life, are immense and it may be that cricket in England uses the hiatus to seek reform. Some may pursue a reduction in the number of first-class counties and a restructuring of championship cricket. Others may argue for a serious rethink of the Hundred; it may even be the twelve-month contracts for county cricketers will be reconsidered. Amid the enforced pause there will be plenty of time for plotting a way forward in the next few months even if finding a consensus is tortuous.
Beyond the professional game we should spare a thought for all those recreational cricketers, the true devotees of the game, who will be denied their afternoons and evenings of competition and camaraderie (PTG 3057-15137, 21 March 2020). There is barely a silver lining in sight except that in the barren, stressful months ahead we may all come to appreciate with fresh clarity what we are missing.
No big pay days for players if The Hundred cancelled.
Tim Wigmore.
Tim Wigmore.
London Daily Telegraph.
Monday, 23 March 2020.
Monday, 23 March 2020.
PTG 3059-15147.
Players contracted to the Hundred face having their contracts and salaries void if the tournament is cancelled. The player contracts for the Hundred do not guarantee that the players receive their wages if the competition, due to begin on 17 July, is called off.
The contracts for the Hundred include a force majeure clause, which allows the England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) to cancel the tournament due to a dramatic and unforeseen event “which is beyond the reasonable control” of organisers without paying the players. Clause 16.4 of the contracts stipulates that “In the event the Hundred is cancelled as a result of a Force Majeure Event, TeamoCo and/or the EWCB shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement with immediate effect on written notice to the Player without incurring any liability to the player”.
Agents and lawyers contacted believe that this clause would mean that players would not need to be paid, with the global coronavirus pandemic seeming to meet the definition of a force majeure event. The contracts stipulate that such a force majeure event would need to take place prior to the competition beginning - as is the case with the coronavirus - otherwise players would be entitled to their full salaries.
Contracts for the Hundred are structured in two parts - an initial 20 per cent payment of the salaries, and then the remaining 80 per cent paid once the tournament begins. But of the initial 20 per cent, only one-quarter of the player salaries has to be paid before February 3, 2020, with the other three-quarters of the 20 per cent paid between 3 February and the end of August.
While players would have no need to reimburse the first payments in the event of the competition being cancelled, there is considered a strong likelihood that cancellation would mean that the EWCB could invoke the force majeure clause and avoid having to pay the second tranche of the 20 per cent at all. Were this the case, then players might only end up receiving five per cent of their salaries if the Hundred was cancelled.
The EWCB remain committed to getting the Hundred tournament on if at all possible. But while the competition is still nearly four months away, and it is conceivable that it could even take place later than its scheduled window of 17 July-16 August, the coronavirus situation is such that there are no guarantees that the tournament will be able to take place at any date in the summer.
The contracts for the Hundred are structured in a different way to county contracts, which it is believed would be owed to players in full even if the county season had to be cancelled altogether. But, as reported last week, the Professional Cricketers Association accepts that player salaries may need to be cut for the good of the sport if other commensurate cuts are made elsewhere (PTG 3056-15132, 20 March 2020).
If Hundred contracts are cancelled, it will be a particular blow for county players, with many due to receive a doubling of their overall salaries from the 2020 edition of the new competition. The average county salary is in the region of £UK50,000 ($A101,130). Several county players who have not represented England - notably Phil Salt and Tom Abell, who both received £UK100,000 ($A202,255) contracts, and Benny Howell and Tom Helm, who received £UK75,000 ($A151,885) deals - received significantly more than that in the player draft for the Hundred.
Not paying players will go a little way to mitigating the financial damage to the EWCB if the tournament is cancelled. In total, each of the eight franchises were due to spend exactly £UK1 million ($A2.1m) on players - their 14 draft picks and the one wildcard, the latter which is planned to be picked immediately prior to the tournament. Across the eight franchises, this added up to a total player spend of £UK8m ($A16.2m). If the EWCB ends up only paying five per cent of total player salaries in the event of the 2020 edition of the Hundred being cancelled, that would amount to a saving of £UK7.6m ($A15.4m).
On Friday, the EWCB announced that the entire domestic season would be suspended until 28 May (PTG 3057-15136, 21 March 2020). But the situation with the coronavirus is such that there are widespread fears that the suspension of the season may ulimately be extended.
The Hundred and The Blast only.... Stewart
The Hundred and the T20 Blast may be the only domestic competitions played this summer, says former England captain Alec Stewart.
Stewart, now Surrey's director of cricket, does not expect the season to start for at least three months because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will meet on Friday to discuss how the 2020 season may be rescheduled.
The County Championship is due to start on 12 April.
The ECB must also decide what to do about the 50-over-a-side One-Day Cup scheduled to run alongside The Hundred in July and August.
“I’m expecting a season to potentially start in July, but it’s only potentially as we don’t know where this pandemic is going to go,” 56-year-old Stewart told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Eight Surrey players are currently in self-isolation after showing symptoms of Covid-19 and the rest of the squad stopped training on Tuesday in line with government guidelines.
All 18 first-class counties could face an uncertain future with the loss of matchday and competition revenues with a shortened season.
The counties have been in discussions with the ECB finance team over how they can be supported during the uncertainty.
At the ECB's request, the clubs have also been working on a range of projections that would reflect the impact of various scenarios.
Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove said on Tuesday that one of those contingencies could be “no cricket at all this season”.
But Stewart said: “I think they’ll look at getting The Hundred on and the T20 Blast. They’ll be the two priorities because of the financial implications to the game.”
The Hundred, the ECB’s new 100-ball format of the game featuring eight city-based sides, is due to begin in late July, and international and domestic players have been drafted to the eight teams.
“The ECB are doing a relentless job behind the scenes to try and make sure they make good, educated decisions,” Stewart said.
“I don’t think anything’s going to be taken off the table. Surrey are one of the better-off counties financially, but at the same time their overheads are greater.
“We’re being told they can manage at the moment, but the longer it goes on, then drastic measures may have to take place.”
Rob Key: The Hundred could be prioritised if coronavirus disrupts domestic cricket season
The Cricketer | 15/03/2020
The Hundred could become the main competition of the domestic summer if the coronavirus heavily disrupts the calendar, believes former England and Kent batsman Rob Key.
Growing concerns regarding the impact COVID-19 could have on the season has led to the England and Wales building a number of contingency plans in the event the campaign is blown apart.
Sporting events across the world have been postponed and cancelled due to the outbreak, which has been labelled a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation.
If the campaign is dramatically affected by the virus then Key expects the new 100-ball competition to be preserved, given the level of investment that has gone into forming the tournament.
"They'll be desperate for The Hundred," he told Sky Sports. "There's been so much excitement around The Hundred anyway, you just want to make sure it has a fair crack.
"I think generally there's no point putting on sporting events if nobody's going to come and watch - you want to make sure you can provide something that's entertaining.
"Those are the decisions you're going to have to make with all sports. We'll have to wait and see how the ECB do it.
"Counties have struggled for a while, that's never been any different. They've always relied heavily on the broadcast revenue of companies like Sky and making sure the county game's not decimated.
"Every part of our lives is going to be affected in some way, but generally in the long term I think it will be all right."
Eight new teams are set to competing in the competition, which is due to get underway on July 17. A handful of high-profile overseas players are set to take part, including Steve Smith, Andre Russell and Rashid Khan.
Interest in the new innovation has been good, with ticket sales having already gone through the 100,000 barrier.
If The Hundred does end up taking priority this summer, how it affects the other three competitions and England's own schedule remains to be seen.
The men's national team are set to face West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland across various formats this summer.
There is also the T20 Blast, which remains a major cash-cow for the domestic game, and the downgraded One-Day Cup, to consider as well the increasingly sidelined County Championship which is due to begin on April 12.
Kids to play ‘countdown cricket’ in new EWCB program.
Wisden Magazine.
Wisden Magazine.
Friday, 28 February 2020.
PTG 3041-15057.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (EWCB) has launched a new program called 'Dynamos Cricket' that will aim "to inspire kids aged 8-11 to play cricket”. It says the program will act as a next step in the progression of kids graduating from the existing 'All Stars Cricket' scheme for 5-8 year-olds. According to the EWCB, up to 35,000 children will take part in the new program at one of two 6-12 week, 60-90 minute, courses. The first course will begin in mid-May, while the other will run alongside The Hundred, beginning in July.
A statement from the ECB added that alongside the development of their cricketing skills, kids “will have the chance to play a fast-paced and exciting game of countdown cricket – a new format that mirrors The Hundred”. In partnership with a footwear manufacturing company, every participant will receive a Dynamos shirt with their name and a number on the back, and access to the Dynamos app, which will provide cricket tips, activities and quizzes. In another link with The Hundred, kids will also receive trading cards that will feature players from the new 100-ball competition.
Program participants will be afforded the chance to apply for "experiences at The Hundred", be it attending training sessions or taking part in Q&As with players. They will also have the opportunity to be involved at matches, including taking part in the guard of honour before the start of play. Plans call for Dynamos Cricket sessions to be run by trained, and police-checked volunteers, but the EWCB is encouraging parents to get involved.
Nick Pryde, the ECB’s director of participation and growth said in a statement: “2020 promises to be another unforgettable year for the game with the launch of The Hundred and Dynamos will give kids a chance to experience for themselves just how exciting cricket can be. Dynamos Cricket is a key part of our plans to grow the game in England and Wales and we hope that thousands of children will fall in love with the game this summer”.
More Spin than ...
trentbridge.co.uk 14/02/2020
In excess of 100,000 tickets for The Hundred have been snapped up in the opening days of the competition's priority window.
Those signed-up to thehundred.com were given access to a priority window from 12 February to buy tickets across the men’s and women’s competition. Total sales for the competition moved past the 100,000 mark within the first 24 hours of widespread availability. Over two-thirds of these tickets were bought by under 45-year-olds, with around a fifth purchased for under-16s.
Meanwhile, every ticket available in the priority window for Men’s Finals Day, to be held at Lord's on 15 August, has been sold.
The current sales window remains open until 28 February, with tickets still available for all other matches throughout the competition. Sign up for the priority window here...
Following this window, cricket fans will have an opportunity to secure their tickets for the Vitality Blast from 2 March, as the competition returns following its most successful-ever year in 2019. However, those who sign up to Trent Bridge's priority access window for the Blast will have the oppportunity to purchase tickets from Monday 24 February. Sign up here...
“We are pleased the competition has been met so positively by sports fans," said Sanjay Patel, Managing Director of The Hundred.
"Our ambition is always to grow cricket and bring new audiences into the game. Our priority will now be to manage the strong demand for tickets alongside our desire to see large numbers of young families attending.
"Despite a busy summer sport schedule, The Hundred is clearly being viewed as an unmissable summer event."
One Window Closes As Another One Opens
Your priority ticket purchase window for cricket's newest competition, The Hundred, opens in 100 hours' time.
You will be granted pre general sale access to tickets from 10am on Wednesday 12 February.
With thousands of seats already snapped up by Nottinghamshire members during their priority window, we’re delighted to report that Trent Bridge is currently the best-selling venue outside of London for The Hundred.
During the priority window, adult tickets for each matchday at Trent Bridge start at £10. Tickets for 6-15 year olds are £5, for all matches and across all venues. Children aged 5 and under are free.
3.6% of Hundred Tickets Sold
04/02
In the Times
County members appear to have given their tacit support to The Hundred by buying 25,000 tickets for the inaugural edition of tournament.
Members were given the chance to buy discounted tickets for the radical new eight-team event, which begins in July, during a sales window that closed last Friday. The ECB will be pleased with the initial uptake given the vehement opposition to the tournament from many county members who believe that it will harm county cricket.
Surrey have offered free entry to Hundred matches as part of their county membership package but the other city-based franchises offered 50 per cent discount on ticket purchases for the 100-ball tournament.
These initial sales represent only 3.6 per cent of approximately 690,000 tickets available.
If the 3.6% is replicated at Trent Bridge, then that is approximately 600 bums on seats for each of the scheduled Trent Bridge events, so perhaps as few as 100 members (six tickets each) took-up the offer to, some might say, stab Nottinghamshire CCC in the back. Considering the effort that has gone into flogging the damned tickets, 100 out of 7000 members could be argued a poor return, especially as tickets for the under 5s are free and the discounting has been heavy. Multiply that by four to take in all four events and the return is still somewhat meagre. Some have suggested that the 3.6% of sales over all includes the Surrey memberships (which includes free entry to the Hundred, if you want it or not) that have been sold and so the percentage for venue Trent Bridge might be much less than 3.6% #OpposeThe100
To put into some perspective, T20 Blast Finals Day 2020 event sold out before the end of the 2019 season.
How Could Anyone Refuse Such a Generous Offer?31/01 With the deadline running down tonight, the deadline has been extended until 02/02/2020
either they can't cope with the volume of interest shown and want to give all members an opportunity to buy into the venture
or
there has been an underwhelming level of interest from Members and discounts will only get greater from here-on in.
09/01
As a Nottinghamshire member, you can save 50% on tickets for all Trent Rockets matches when The Hundred comes to Trent Bridge this summer.
Your exclusive offer is only available from 15 – 31 January, in a pre-sale window which gives you first access to tickets, at the very best price.
Your 50% discount applies to up to six tickets per game, allowing you to bring your friends and family along.
It applies to all men’s and women’s games and can be used for women’s games at The Pattonair County Ground, Derby and The Fischer County Ground, Leicester, as well as the five fixtures across four matchdays at our historic venue.
Prices for Nottinghamshire members and their guests will range from just £5 to £13.50 per matchday at Trent Bridge, if booked before 31 January.
Meanwhile, tickets for juniors aged between 5 and 16 that are purchased during the members’ pre-sale window will cost £2.50, meaning juniors can attend all four Trent Bridge matchdays for £10.
We’ll send you an email with details about how to access your exclusive offer on Wednesday 15 January.
THE HUNDRED ADDED TO MEMBERSHIPS AT SURREY
Published: 8th January, 2020
County 16-25 and Pride of Lions Members will be able to access all The Hundred matches that take place at The Kia Oval in 2020 as part of their Membership package.
The first match of The Hundred will be played at The Kia Oval on Friday 17th July as the Oval Invincibles, featuring Jason Roy, Tom Curran and Sam Curran, host Welsh Fire.
2020 Members of Surrey County Cricket Club in the following categories can access The Hundred as part of their Membership:
- Surrey and England
- County
- County 16-25
- Pride of Lions
03/01/20
Same again
24/12/19
As a Nottinghamshire member, we can confirm that you will benefit from first access and best price on tickets for The Hundred.
Your priority purchase window will cover all Trent Rockets’ games at Trent Bridge, The Pattonair County Ground and The Fischer County Ground across both the men’s and women’s competitions.
When your exclusive window opens in January, you'll be able to buy up to six tickets per fixture, providing the perfect opportunity to introduce friends and family to Trent Bridge, to cricket and to The Hundred.
We’ll be in touch with ticket information and further details about your offer in the New Year.
Humbug
ReplyDeleteAnyone "new to cricket" being exposed to The 100 but then going to watch some proper cricket would be confuse and likely to never to return to either again. Merry Christmas Notts
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased the 100 isn't included in Notts membership as it means we don't pay for it if we don't want to watch it. I'd like to give a game or two a go, and see what I make of it
ReplyDeleteYou could always watch it on TV, Then if its rubbish, It only takes a second to press the off button !
DeleteDon't do it Max. Every penny taken will encourage the continuation of anti cricket.
ReplyDeleteHear hear. We should boycott the Hundred. If successful, it will be the end of county cricket clubs.
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ReplyDeleteTrying to look at our "enemies" might be thinking. I guess if they get circa 10,000 average crowds they will claim success. It won't be as impression will be of empty grounds and it will fall short of the Blast. But they will say "not bad for first year, blah,blah, blah." Below that they are in trouble deep. Higher they will be happy, but still not clear where those people will come from, who are they ?
ReplyDeleteGot a Trent Deep Pockets Rockets replica shirt with Hales on the back for Christmas. But it's not my size, if anyone out there would like it ?
ReplyDeleteSomeone winding you up Stoney?
DeleteIs it flammable ?
DeletePost Christmas hangover thoughts, oh dear ! I had thought AGM was to be a big deal this year, now not so sure. Most members are probably unhappy about this things. But what can we do, other than not rejoin ? Essentially fixture wise the damage is done for 2020 and the current nanagement well dug in. I suspect re most issues the answer will be wait and see what happens. And it is probably a fair answer. Like it or loathe it, nobody actually knows how well the Hundred will do. Re Notts promotion hopes, they are potentially quite good, but depending on a number of players with genuine ability doing a lot better, plus hopefully at least one or two from green shoot youngsters developing well in the first team too and playing regularly.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else received another such e'mail ?
ReplyDeleteYes, but our beloved DoC has crammed the TrentDeepPocketsRockets full of Notts CCC players to ensure the likes of us come on board, get behind it and embrace it. You know Princess Pursestrings doesn't like us being negative about the future of cricket
ReplyDeleteThose Notts Outlaws playing in Big Bash are showing form that wouldn't get them into the Notts team - more ducks than Slimbridge
DeleteYes, I notice that. Is this why Baz(Hales) has never really got a stint in the IPl which is the big one they all want ? Is Harold G dropped after conceding a load of runs in his last game, or, more likely crocked do we know? Also noticed one of the first picks for the Notts Pay Packets Rockets Darcy Short blasted a hundred, yet Notts Outlaws were happy to settle for same, safe fit of an ageing DC again. You could almost think all the top brass at the club are taking the 100 more seriously
DeleteAN OPEN MESSAGE TO THE POWERS THAT BE AT TRENT BRIDGE !
ReplyDeletePlease reduce the volume of emails you are sending me ( virtually daily)extolling the virtues of the forthcoming 100 Comp .
First game is many months away -and anyway ,is anyone bothered ? The Notts promotions office appear to be increasingly desperate to build up the interest plus also remind us to renew our Membership .
Surely there is more going in in the world of cricket apart from the most exciting ,spectacular game the WORLD has ever seen ,namely two sides bowling 100 balls at each other , under strictly controlled rules that no one will ever understand fully !
I agree
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWho says we are losing ? ECB in a right flap as Cricket Australia threaten to pull their players out of the Hundred. Even better, ECB desperately reducing prices for those matches and claiming 60% of capacities overall for first year would be success .This is absurdly low bar and would mean for all the fuss the Hundred would be less successful than The Blast
ReplyDeleteThe 100 is dead in the water - TRUE cricket supporters will vote with their feet and boycott this whole fiasco.
ReplyDeleteLike most Notts Members I have no real interest in the 100 Ball competition and assume it will be a failure .
ReplyDeleteHowever I thought it wise to see the very first 100 Ball match at Trent Bridge - 19th July .
I just need to see for myself what actually takes place and how close to proper cricket the whole thing is . I will then me in a stronger position to express an opinion on the pros and cons
So I have purchased 3 tickets and taken advantage of the 50% members discount . Trent Bridge is split into three price bands for the tickets . Naturally where I want to sit means a top whack price of £13.50 ( normally £27). I wanted to sit in the Upper Hound road stand but tickets were not available . Only tickets for the LOWER ground floor of this stand were available . So I have ended up in Rad Road middle tier . The top tier of this stand is again not available for booking . One advantage of the booking system ( via the ECB website) is being able to select actual seat numbers .
I just cannot see there being a big demand for good seats which are priced at £27 .
I have a strong feeling this will be the FIRST and LAST 100 Ball match that I ever attend !
What do others on here think of the booking system and the fact that big areas of the ground are not currently bookable ( mostly the better seats) .
What is the reason for this I wonder ?
My guess is that huge chunks will already have been reserved for parties of school children / other freebie 'hangers on' to make it look that there is a bigger audience there!
ReplyDeleteI reckon you're right - cosmetic ground filling
DeletePerhaps you are correct PJ . Pad out the audience to make it look like the demand for tickets is there .
ReplyDeleteIt still seems strange to me that certain parts of the ground at Trent Bridge are not yet 'bookable"
A lot of us have favoured parts of the ground with certain views and vantage points - somewhere where we nearly always sit -perhaps amongst regulars that we know and chat to .
This is the case in the Upper Hound Road stand -but I am not allowed to sit there even though I am willing to pay the top "discount" price of £13.50 . I have emailed Trent Bridge for an explanation but nothing has been forthcoming
So,we can fudge the Rockets full of our own players, possibly give freebies out but is Myopic Mick powerful enough to control the weather conditions also?
ReplyDeleteI don’t think the ECB or host counties expected the county membership to snap up these tickets in large numbers during this priority window. After all they hardly expect, in fact have said, they don’t expect, the success or failure of this new competition to hinge on the traditional county member. The new supporters they expect to attract won’t buy any tickets months ahead, it wouldn’t occur to them to do so this early. The summer holidays will be in full swing and the marketing of the competition will have to be full on before they do.
ReplyDeleteGood points Only Notts .
ReplyDeleteMost Members appear to have taken very little interest in the 100 Ball Comp judging by the poor ticket sales of 3.6%
The ECB are obviously casting a much bigger net to catch the so called new audience of young children with their mothers -fathers and even grandmothers etc . Does this NEW AUDIENCE really exist ?
What actually happens to the County Clubs if the 100 Ball Comp fails to attract a regular audience ? Basically for all the existing County Clubs to survive in excess of five years then the 100 Ball Comp HAS TO SUCCEED
And so, '75 Not Out' is there really a far more sinister motive behind the 100-ball Comp? Anyway the Counties voted for it and Members have not risen up in revolt so you get the Committee's you deserve unless you can all get together and force a re-think.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteReduced prices and free T-Shirts - yes, they're desperate! An ill-thought out venture that will directly adversely affect the T20 and the Royal London Competitions - crazy!
ReplyDeleteEvidently Notts CCC have sold more tickets for the 100 Ball competition than any other ground outside London .
ReplyDeleteI am sure we have all been bombarded on a daily basis with repeated info about how important it is to get your discounted tickets during the various discount periods .
Notts have 7,700 Members (2019 figure). I wonder how many of the 7,700 will attend a 100 Ball match . Perhaps Notts will release figures showing the number of seats already sold for the various 100 Ball home matches at Trent Bridge .
We could all then see which way the wind is blowing .
Notts ought to have no idea how many Members will attend the 100 as it has nothing at all to do with Notts. Data Protection may also be an issue!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes, F.R.B.B. the TB propaganda machine will be working overtime. There's more spin on their Twitter site than from a Shane Warne leg break.
DeleteJust checked the ECB website regarding ticket prices as from today for the 100 Ball match at Trent Bridge on Sunday 19th July .
DeleteIf you want to sit in the best seats in the RAD ROAD middle tier then the seats are priced at £39 EACH !
Something called the 100 CLUB is involved. Does anyone know what this 100 Club is all about ?
Even now with the so called priority ticket window open -you are unable to select seats in certain parts of the ground .
It seems to me that its going to cost MORE to see a 100 BALL match than watch a Blast T20 match . That is if you want a good seat with a good view in a .good stand
Perhaps the 100 Club is the size of the expected crowd!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete100,000 ? Find that quite surprising, that seems quite a lot of sales for what we would call traditional members, or I wonder whether the exclusive pre booking window also included white ball season ticket holders(or their equivalent at the other venues)
ReplyDelete25,000 were to County members - most of which we suspect are Surrey who have The Hundred included in their membership package, if they want it or not.
Delete100,000 spread over the whole of the two competitions (men's and women's) isn't huge numbers and then if you deduct a "sold out" Lord's final, then the numbers per fixture tumble. More spin than from Graeme Swann's solicitor!
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ReplyDelete'FRBB' - you make good points but it is clear that SKY (and the BBC) will do everything to give the APPEARANCE of success initally - even if they make a financial loss. They will hope that APPARENT success translates into REAL success and, of course, with SKY especally, the ONLY success they will be interested in is financial so you can bet that they will be keeping a very close eye on that element.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes, interesting breakdown from BIG Dave G that I for one, had not taken into account and just fell for the overhyped sensational headline, which is obviously what the marketing men want. So, yes, indeed more spin than........Abdul Qadir on a dust bowl in 45degs at Karachi?
DeleteAlso most Host Venues appear to have little remaining Seat availability!!! My guess is that the non-available areas are for already agreed 'freebies' (school groups etc.) - what I am certain of is that most Venues are not almost sold out already! Never under-estimate SKY!!!
DeleteSign your kiddies up to All Stars and get a barrow load of free tickets for the Trent Sockets
DeleteSorry - no free crisps though!!!
ReplyDeleteThere is a very good short film on You Tube called "Hundred or Bust" posted by Jack Pinnock.It concentrates on the possible and/ or probable effect of the tournament on county and other domestic cricket.
ReplyDeleteI think that Covid-19 means it is 'Bust'!!! I wonder if SKY /BBC / ECB took out appropriate Insurance and whether there will be a serious financial impact on all Counties.
ReplyDeleteI beg to differ. Worse case scenario (so far) with COVID-19 is 16 weeks with the schools shut. That takes us to June. The Hundred isn't scheduled until July. Starved of any live sport for those months, that new audience and the old audience are going to lap it up, full houses all the way. People will even go and watch the Lady Rockets at Derby. Some cunning plan by Graves and Harrison eh!
DeleteI cancelled my sports package today.its expensive at the best of times but chucking money around when there is nothing on and not likely to be for several weeks is a luxury I can do without.
Delete'Plan for the Worst' - perhaps you need to ring 111 as it seems the 'fever' has got to you already!!!
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ReplyDelete'Frbb' - wrong. They will have given thousands of tickets away to schools etc.
ReplyDeleteRather sad that poor Rob Key is si tied to Sky that even in times of real danger and misery he has trot out out their silly propoganda. When it comes to The Hundred I agree with Rett Butler, "Frankly My Dear, I don't give a damn"
ReplyDeleteCounty cricket was due to start in early April. There is now no way that will happen as the first half of the season will be cancelled. A new cricket season start date will be pencilled in for June commencing with the T20 Blast although time is running short even for that. The 50 over competition will almost certainly be cancelled completely this season hopefully to make room for some County Championship cricket and as long as the crisis has eased by then the Hundred will then become the main attraction of a truncated season. The sport starved public will flock to the venues ensuring the competition will be played to full houses. After this there may be time and we must hope there is time to conclude a shortened County Championship in late August and September weather permitting. That’s as I see it anyway.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t suggest there would be freebies, on the contrary the sport starved recently housebound public will willingly pay for their tickets/admission and ensure probably full houses. TV may affect some attendances however.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf priority was given to The Hundred by the EWCB, under current circumstances, would be an admission of intent and serve as a death warrant to the long term existance of half of the counties remaining as full-time professional businesses/first class counties. You can't have first class counties without first class cricket.
ReplyDeleteMoney, as we know well in these times, is not everything .However without it our sport could collapse nationally and internationally. This applies to other sports, theatre, music, cinema and most forms if public entertainment. The money from the Hundred is not now a nice to have, it is essential. For that reason, and with a heavy heart, I support the Hundred being given top priority if anything can be played this season. Also add that our difference with ECB, which is over now for me, is as nothing compared to the need to save every life we can as a society .Dear Old Bill Shankley was so wrong and Len Braund so right, when the latter said to Fred Tate "It's only a game Fred"
ReplyDeleteAgree Rich, it's gotta be the T20 blast and The Hundred which as a bit of a purist goes against the grain but we have to accept this season is different to any there's been in the recent era of games. The problem with these packed stadiums and the international stuff is the social distancing element, so will these games end up being played behind closed doors? But then presumably the counties miss out on all the hospitality and food and drink sales they would ordinarily profit from? It's gutting when you look out of the window with a decent spell of weather we have and the pre season match planned to start a week today.But people's lives are at stake so as stated above we have to remind ourselves it's only a game at the end of the day
DeleteFirstly a message to wish you safety and good health at this time wherever you are for you, your friends and family
ReplyDeleteThere are some things more important than sport and cricket the primary one being life
All amateur cricket and sport in NSW has been cancelled. This is the correct decision. As an umpire and referee I wholly endorse this decision in the interests of my wellbeing, that of my wife, family and friends.
I thought that Vic Marks was a decent writer until I read this. He fails to grasp the nettle that is coronavirus. He glibly talks about cricket going on "behind closed doors...." really, really? So social distancing doesn't apply to cricketers and the back up staff, dressing rooms, umpires etc. and when they've all had a day mingling and musing over cricket they go back to self isolating partners , that's a good idea then. So long as we can keep the cash cow fed.
I couldn't care less if cricketers aren't making the big money The Hundred offered. My sympathies, thoughts and love goes out to doctors, nurses, hospital staff, teachers, care home workers, teachers, dentists and many others who are working selflessly to save us all.
Meanwhile in Australia the beloved NRL [National Rugby League and A League soccer] press on with the same head in the commercial sand as if the coronavirus doesn't apply to them... One rugby league commentator actually said "look we've all got to come together for the sake of"...well something. In fact coming together is absolutely the last thing we should be doing .
I have adopted one or two practices advised by Alastair Cook and added personal ones hence; weights, gardening, reading , listening to music, the radio, some TV , lone walks, participating in meetings on-line and talking with friends and family on WhatsApp/skype. It's not watching live sport but that will return and if post World War II is a guide the crowds will be up when that renaissance occurs
I like Victor's idea of the big grounds showing films if things safe enough, on days with no cricket. It would give some pleasure to people who really need it, extra income to cricket. It would also bring people into the grounds who do not normally come in. A good thing. It is feasable because Leics have done it. I guess the cost issue ? Would it make or lose money ? A possible ?
ReplyDeleteThere's as much chance of open-air Films at Grounds as there is cricket - what is the difference? No gatherings of more than 2 people will remain equally applicable to all activities - and once the restrictions are relaxed I guess they will be equally relaxed for all activities.
ReplyDeleteWell yes very true. The idea is to have the films if and when it is safe for cricket to start again. Clearly not on the same dayd ! Not sure if it is really possible, but it could be a way to raise more money for the game if the season is curtailed even further. But not sure tbh. Not sure about anything anymore !
ReplyDeleteYes, Rich, Notts and many other Venues will have to really give a great deal of thought as to how to maximise their incomes - I have always been a great believer in Day / Night cricket with Trent Bridge's wonderful atmosphere when lit up. I see no future at all for the 'Six' Restaurant - it is a 'loss leader' and likley to remain so. I would also favour seeing if we can save on Stewarding costs - surely there must be volunteers willing to undertake some of the Stewarding duties. When cricket (and other sports) resumes the 'world' may be quite a different place with some better values. The whole wage structure within First Class cricket will need to be reviewed to thin down the huge payments and privileges a few at the top are getting.
ReplyDeleteGood post PJ ; reduce pay across professional sport which won’t happen and value carers, nurses and doctors which may happen for a while until the country forgets
ReplyDeleteOh to be a fly on the wall during the next meeting of the Notts CCC Committee! . Things will be discussed that have never been discussed before .Decisions will HAVE to be taken that will not be popular with some of the playing and backroom staff . The total wage bill for this year will have to be examined and cutbacks made . I read somewhere that the ECB are trying to put a financial package together that will be distributed to the Counties in order to ease their current cash flow problems .
ReplyDeleteEverything but everything is up in the air at the moment - a very worrying time for the game of cricket ( along with everything else of course )
I just cannot envisage cricket matches being played behind closed doors ,even for the TV cameras . Would be a "dead" atmosphere so who would watch ?
At this stage ( having re-newed my Membership) I am just hoping for relatively small crumbs on the field of play . Perhaps all the Blast T20 games - home and away - plus perhaps one or two 50 OVER Friendlies to get the players match fit ?.
A 12 week "lockdown" from now, takes us into the first week in July .This would leave very little time to get further fixtures organised . Perhaps problems and player availability at every turn .
I would imagine that most cricket fans will not bother who is actually playing - they simply WANT SOMETHING TO WATCH !?
Yes I think I would watch any form if cricket. Problem for ECB is financial reserves have been greatly reduced to hand out to anybody. Presumably the big fee from Sky will only happen if Hundred does ? Although even then the deal was for international cricket as well, which looks to be in doubt too. And we thought the game was in trouble before !
ReplyDeleteNew article just published above does deal with some of these issues
ReplyDeleteIt seems the writing is on the wall for the 100 Comp this coming season . Difficult to launch such a new flagship Comp with one hand tied behind your back !
ReplyDeleteAs a straight choice between seeing the Blast 20 matches or the !00 ones -- well its a no brainer .
Reckon 95% or more of fans will prefer the proven Blast 20 format .
If the 100 Comp is put off for a year then the cost to the ECB will be enormous . Vast amounts have already been spent on it .
What strange times we are all living in . But on a scale of 1 to 100 ,playing cricket comes pretty low down when hundreds of people are losing their lives in the UK EVERY DAY
what about all the tickets sold already for the Hundred? No idea what would happen to those people
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