Yorkshire Saga: Kabir Ali Exit

 

19/11

Bowling coach, Kabir Ali, has been told that his contract will not be extended as new head, Anthony McGrath, looks to assemble his own coaching team.

09/10

Under the radar in the shadows of the return of Anthony McGrath is the return also of sacked Martyn Moxon to Headingley, in an advisory capacity. 

moxon in action

16/08

Richard Pryah Appointment

17/07

The other side to the Rafiq narrative, some of it makes better sense (sme might say) than what the media would have us accept as "fact", I'll leave it here for you to decide. I've no idea who The Bouncer is, or how verifiable their claims are but the Rafiq side's accusations were hardly properly verified or questioned either, but the ECB has swiftly based policy on them already.

20/05

Graves Go Private Plan

05/04

... on the first day of a new cricket season.

Thanks BBC, MPs and Cindy Butts Headline

Hopefully the mingey donkey is long dead, so please stop kicking it.

New Family Friendly Policies - an over reaction to past events or a woke invasion?

Darren Gough Steps down as MDoC

Sacked Physiotherapist gets apology

Raking over the coals or kicking the donkey again, post-mortem

Graves back in position, confirmed

Graves returns as Yorkshire chairman and warns of 'bumpy ride’ ahead.
Ben Rumsby.
London Daily Telegraph.
Saturday, 3 February 2024.
PTG 4422-21487.

Colin Graves warned Yorkshire faced a “bumpy ride” after his controversial return as chairman was approved by the club’s members at a fractious Headingley.  Graves pledged to rescue the country’s biggest county from financial oblivion for a second time and lead them back to prosperity following an extraordinary general meeting that laid bare the bitter divisions sparked by the racism scandal that plunged them into their biggest crisis.

Pending final ratification by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) the 76-year-old ‘Costcutter' founder will resume the role he last held nine years ago before he left to chair the England and Wales Cricket Board.  That was after a ballot of Yorkshire members on his proposed return, in which 746 votes were cast in favour and 99 against – easily surpassing the required two-thirds majority – albeit thanks to barely a quarter of the county’s 3,500 membership troubling to vote.

FCA approval in the coming days will trigger Graves immediately loaning the club £UK5 million ($A9.7m) to deal with debts, the most pressing believed to be to UK Revenue and Customs, before turning to the £UK16.1m ($A31.2m) the club owed to the Graves Family Trust.  The latter is a legacy of when Graves saved the club from a similar plight more than two decades ago and he had originally planned to create a limited company that would turn the £UK16m ($A31m) debt into equity, effectively buying Headingley and leasing it back to the club on a 99-year rent-free agreement.  That would have meant Yorkshire was no longer a member-owned club and was ruled out as an option.

But the biggest obstacle to Graves' return threatened to be his links to the club’s racism scandal, with much of what took place having happened on his watch, and an interview he had given in which he implied what had happened was “banter”.  Graves told members: “I give my personal pledge to you and the entire Yorkshire public that regardless of background, community, ethnicity, everybody – and I mean everybody – will be welcomed in a solid, inclusive culture and environment at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. There will be no exception.  I have already unreservedly apologised for any and all mistakes that were either made by the club or I over those painful and difficult years in the past”.

“Lessons have been learned and will continue to be acted upon. Make no mistake, this is not going to be easy. It will be a bumpy ride, because there is a great deal to do.  But we can do this together with hard work, yes with transparency, with trust and with enthusiasm from committed people.  I’m not doing this for fun, I’m not doing this for the good of Colin Graves, I can assure you. I am doing this for the good of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. I made the decision to come here and sort this club out and get it back to where it needs to be”.  That brought applause from within the Headingley Long Room, which was packed for Friday’s EGM despite the low percentage of members voting on the motion for Graves’s return.

Opposition to Graves’s return has been led by Azeem Rafiq, whose tearful testimony about the club’s racism scandal in parliament more than two years ago plunged Yorkshire into their worst crisis.  The UK Parliament’s Culture, Media and Sport select committee which heard that evidence has also been critical of the club’s plans and Friday’s vote was followed almost immediately by an announcement from it that Graves would appear before it later this month.

02/02

Graves takeover agreed as turkeys vote for Christmas as blackmail pays off

11/01

More Graves blah blah blah

and now some Rafiq blah blah blah

10/01

Board Approve Graves Takeover

Now for the members...

Yorkshire members surely won't vote to lose their ownership of the club and hand it over to Graves plc, regardless of their views of Graves, good, bad or downright evil.

09/01

Sponsors dancing to Rafiq tune?

08/01

Yorkshire reply to the below criticism

Sporting Equals stick their oar in, but are they just disciples of the Book According to Rafiq which mainstream media feel unable to question objectively?

Is cricket's real "problem" elitism, the over representation of privileged white and Asian individuals and the gross under-representation of individuals from underprivileged backgrounds (of all shades and hues) at county level in all quarters and job descriptions, including the media?

07/01

Rafiq has his say again

04/01

Graves Concerns at Yorkshire

30/12

Arson Attack at Mansfield CC

21/12

The Lancashire Chair's  H*ndred Position

(a 9 minute watch)

2024 MLC timings could see English players skip ECB’s T20 ‘Blast' for $US payday.
Matt Roller.
Cricinfo.
Tuesday, 19 December 2023.
PTG 4376-21296.

English players are considering missing up to half of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s  (ECB) T20 ‘Blast' group stages in 2024 in order to feature in the second season of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States.  MLC have announced that next year's season will start on 4 July and conclude "by early August", while the ‘Blast' starts on May 30, running concurrently with the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States, with ‘Blast’ group stages ending on 19 July.

The ECB did not permit players with central contracts to feature in MLC last year and the board's stance is not likely to change ahead of this season. Jason Roy was the only England player to feature in MLC's inaugural season, representing Los Angeles Knight Riders, but he arrived late after staying in the UK for T20 Blast Finals Day.

In 2023, MLC lasted two-and-a-half weeks and slotted into the gap between the end of the Blast - Finals Day apart - and the start of the Hundred. This year, the dates do not align as neatly, and an expanded MLC season is likely to run into the first week of the Hundred, which is due to start in late July.

The top-paid players at MLC in 2023 earned $US175,000 ($A259,990, £UK137,780) to play a minimum of five games, salaries that even the wealthiest counties would struggle to compete with across the Blast's seven-week group stage.

County directors of cricket are worried that the Blast's clash with the T20 World Cup will make it difficult to secure overseas players for the competition next year until squads have been named. Holding on to any big names for the duration of the Blast will prove even harder, with the knockout stages due to be staged six weeks after the end of the group stage.

18/12

Hundred Expansion northwards - Durham committed...

15/12

PARKING RESTRICTIONS REJECTED

What came first, the cricket and rugby grounds or the current NIMBY residents?

I'm sure the ease of access to the international venues are a plus when it comes to advertising and selling of properties in the area and aren't seen as a negative, and add to that the improved amenities and transport links because of the existence of the Headingley venue destinations with the extra footfall.

Yorkshire being a large county in area, much of it remote, means supporters will in a lot of cases have to travel by car.

The resident only parking restrictions around Trent Bridge certainly make getting to Trent Bridge less attractive and mean forward planning is always necessary.

13/12

Dale Benkenstein has been appointed the new head coach of Lancashire.

08/12

Essex players the victims of racial abuse

Everyday's a school day: Maxwellisation is the legal practice in English and Scots law that allows anyone who is criticised in an official report to respond prior to publication, based on details of the criticism received in advance.

CONCERNS ABOUT PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN THE HUNDRED

The ECB have clearly stated their ambition to bring private investment into domestic cricket.  Likely buyers are said to be IPL franchise owners, oil-states and hyper wealthy people looking to own their own franchise cricket team.  How it is done is being discussed in private with county bosses with many different options.  

At the moment the ECB is answerable to the 18 first class counties, MCC and the national counties.  Changes impacting the domestic cricket structure or schedule needs 12 out of 18 counties to agree.  Changes to the Hundred are thought to require 14 out of the 18 counties to agree (though some reports say that might only be 12). 15 of the 18 counties are controlled by their members as they have the power to appoint and remove the board.

Why seek private investment?

• Funding more women’s cricket with better pay until such time it grows to be commercially viable on its own terms.  

• Improving access at grassroots to reach more disadvantaged communities

• Paying higher wages to compete with global franchise leagues 

• Paying down debt

It is easy to forget that the ECB had £335m of revenues plus the revenues of the 18 counties and the MCC.  There is a lot of money in our game. Just 5 years ago the ECB made only £125m so the money has increased a lot. 

Is it about control?

Whatever the motive, the consequence is that control of cricket will pass over to the new owners alongside the ECB.   It may take time and several steps but those putting huge sums in will want effective control of key aspects such as

• When and for how long the Hundred is played

• Who plays in it

• Who runs it, decisions on TV rights etc

Is it cynical to think the main motive is actually to transfer control of cricket away from the counties and their members to the ECB and private owners?

He who pays the Piper Calls The Tune!  

This summer, there’s no championship cricket from 4 July to 22 August. Last summer there was not a single first class cricket match in the whole of August.

It is easy to see that players contracted to the 100 on new higher pay will be restricted from playing for other teams.  Instead of England releasing its players, permission will be needed to play for England. Will there be Test cricket in peak summer?

IPL ownership might bring higher TV revenues from India, Indian superstar players and other world class players.  All this will come at a price.  As ICC TV rights have increased in value, the Indian board has insisted that the lion share is retained by India because Indian cricket fans are the ones funding it all.   

There is talk about expanding the Hundred so that in time there can be a team for every county (except Middlesex???).  But TV rights are more valuable if the league is just 8 teams with all the best players.  If there is a second division with promotion and relegation then the elite teams are less valuable to investors.  

Do we want important decisions being made mainly for profit reasons? 

Key questions to ask about these proposals

1. What do we need the money for?

2. Why sell for a lump sum now rather than banking all of the future profits?

3. Can we make better use of our current income?

4. What control will we lose as a result?

5. What is the impact for counties especially those who don’t host a Hundred team?

6. What happens to the £1.3m annual payments to counties

7. Can an 18 team Hundred exist alongside counties playing the Blast?

8. What stops further expansion until it consumes and controls all cricket?

Cricket fans deserve honest answers to all these questions before any decision is taken.  Selling stakes in teams that are given all the best conditions to flourish must inevitably condemn the counties to a permanent second tier existence if indeed they continue to exist.

Football fans rejected the ESL because competition, history and integrity mattered more than money.

County governance

If the counties were to be bought instead of the Hundred teams then county members would have to vote 75% in favour with at least 50% of members voting amongst the 15 member owned counties.

Far easier to just move all the best parts into the new teams and lean on county chairs dependent on the national team’s money to vote for it.  

County members are cricket’s independent guardians. They appoint the boards & chair who in turn oversee professional managers running the game. Before these fundamental & irreversible changes to who controls and benefits from cricket are made, county members must agree to them and not have them imposed against their will just like when the 100 was created.

The County Cricket Members Group is a voluntary group of concerned members who want our counties to grow, thrive and improve.  We recognise the need to change as the world changes. We encourage cricket lovers to join their local county and become involved. We say this to our county chiefs.

Talk to your members openly and honestly about the pros and cons of these proposals.  Listen to your members’ concerns and respect their wishes if they are not persuaded. 

What Alan said to the Lancashire chair:

The following email to the Lancashire chair and member board rep. Chris Peacock was sent on 22 November.

Dear Andy and Chris

The newspaper speculation on what is being discussed with county CEOs and chairs prompts this email.

We already have a commitment to hold a members meeting and vote on any proposed domestic schedule changes requiring a chairs’ vote but there is nothing in place for a chairs' vote on extending the Hundred or changing the ownership structure to allow private investment. I seek your agreement to the club holding a special general meeting of members to discuss any such proposals requiring a chairs vote prior to the club making any decisions on how to vote.

A similar request is being made across all member owned clubs. Members are aware of the huge significance of these proposals which are potentially far more serious than the reforms proposed and rejected under the Strauss review. It is our position that such changes need full member consultation and approval before county chairs cast their votes.

We are content to wait and see what emerges from discussions county officials have with the ECB but we do need the assurance that members' views will be listened to and acted on which of course did not happen when counties voted to approve the Hundred in the first place.

I'd be grateful to understand how you wish to proceed in this area given that the ECB are reported to want to have a vote on proposals before the start of the new season.

With best wishes

Alan Higham

County Cricket Members Group

Leicestershire Gound Plans update

06/12

Glos Prefer South Glos

05/12

ECB On track to sell-off and sell-out counties?

Even expanding the H*ndred to 10, won't give the ECB their required three-quarters majority without further inducements, but the obsession of making money is driving cricket and the ECB at the moment. Does anyone trust the current leaders at any of the counties to do the right thing and /or do what their own members want?

04/12

ECB Bring in Independent Regulator

Gloucestershire selling County Ground could save club – and earn them a Hundred franchise

Glorious cricketing heritage featuring WG Grace and Wally Hammond may need to give way to economic reality

NICK HOULT

CHIEF CRICKET CORRESPONDENT

WG Grace, Wally Hammond and Gilbert Jessop are names that conjure a glorious era of Gloucestershire cricketing heritage and the thought of hosting the ‘West Country Wizards’ at an out-of-town concrete bowl in the 2030 Hundred will horrify many supporters.

It is surprisingly rare, when you consider the financial problems of county cricket, for a club to cash in on its biggest asset, sell up and move, but the cold, hard economic reality of modern day sport is biting in the shires.

Last year Gloucestershire posted a loss of £570,000. “There is no disguising the fact that this has not been a good year financially for the club,” warned treasurer, Rebecca Watkin, in the club accounts. “We certainly cannot continue to post deficits indefinitely.”

The club had not met targets on income from ticket receipts as post-covid crowds turned out to be lower than expected. The small footprint of the County Ground prohibits expansion that has proved lucrative for other counties, such as conferencing and hotels. Throw in some bad luck with weather and it shows how fragile county finances can be.

Most county grounds were built by the Victorians when road layouts were very different, cities and towns smaller and there was no car parking to worry about. Getting to the County Ground in Bristol involves negotiating the tight warren of streets around the ground, and while a city centre setting should in theory be good for walk up crowds, the facilities are not what modern day audiences expect. “The ground may be historic but it’s not the best by a long way,” wrote one Telegraph reader on Friday in the comments section on the website. “Parking is poor as are facilities especially for members. No telling if Glos will even be viable by 2030 at the rate we are going.”

It is this last point that prompts plans to up sticks and copy Hampshire and Durham by moving to a purpose-built new ground that would allow the club to provide a better experience for spectators as well as the kind of cricket training facilities that are expected by modern players. Hosting more concerts is possible too without having to worry about residents.

Hosting international cricket can be a dangerous game for counties, as Gloucestershire have discovered in recent years trying to sell T20s or ODIs against modest opposition at the fag end of the summer. With the Hundred eating up August, it is not a surprise crowds are not what they were.

Around 20 years ago, clubs were encouraged to expand and become international venues but there is not enough high grade bilateral cricket to go around now and with the rise of franchise leagues, that is a situation heading one way.

‘History has been sacrificed for progress and securing the club’s future’

It is no surprise that Gloucestershire officials are talking about potential Hundred hosting. The expansion of the tournament from eight to 10 teams will happen by 2030 and the south west is in prime position to become one of the new hubs.

Richard Gould, the ECB chief executive, lives in Bristol, worked for Bristol City, and knows the west country region having been in charge at Somerset before joining Surrey. He sees untapped potential in a west country Hundred team and the ECB are understood to be supportive of the club’s move.

Selling the County Ground is nothing new to Gloucestershire. They sold it off in 1919 to chocolate makers Fry’s having nearly gone bust in 1915. The club bought the ground back in 1933 but sold it again in the 1970s to Royal Sun Alliance, only buying it again in 2004.

This time there will be no going back. It occupies prime real estate land worth possibly up to £40m to developers who will eye a big opportunity after the successful construction and sale of 147 apartments on the site in 2012. Those that bought flats lured by the sight of county cricket out of the kitchen window might not be so happy.

For the club, the new home will be a greenfield site north of the city close to the M4; history sacrificed for progress and securing the club’s future.

Other counties will be watching closely over the next few years. Northamptonshire have denied in the past plans to sell off their ground but, like Bristol, it occupies valuable real estate land in a growing town.

As Middlesex are discovering, a vibrant home that can diversify away from cricket is vital to a club’s finances. Some of the wealthy Test grounds may be saddled with debts but they have an asset they can exploit and the Hundred equity sale to give them a future windfall.

You cannot blame Gloucestershire for wanting a piece of that pie. Given how mercenary WG was in his time, he would probably approve.

02/12

Moeen Ali International Cricket Centre

01/12

Daily Telegraph

Gloucestershire are considering selling the Bristol County Ground – their home since the days of WG Grace in 1889 – to developers and moving to a site outside the city.

The Nevil Road Ground is a historic venue that has remained Gloucestershire’s main base since 1889, when Grace played in its first match, Gloucestershire v Lancashire, alongside his 48-year-old brother, Edward. It hosts regular men’s and women’s internationals, including England men as recently as September in a rained-off ODI against Ireland.

But with a prime location in Bristol, the club are mulling selling the ground to developers and moving to a green-field site outside the city. While there are a handful of sites being explored, it is understood they are all north-east of Bristol, on the border with south Gloucestershire, close to the M4. The club have been working with South West Councils on the matter and want to stay as close to Bristol as possible.

The aim there would be to build a purpose-built cricket ground to house Gloucestershire, international cricket, and perhaps a new franchise in the Hundred, which is looking at expanding in the next five years. Other counties that operate out-of-town venues include Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl and Durham at Emirates Riverside.

Doing so could allow the club to explore a hotel, conferencing facilities and other commercial activities that form the bedrock of so many counties’ finances. Developing the Nevil Road ground to that extent is difficult due to its footprint.

Land could be worth £40m

The club are thought to hope to be in the new ground by 2030, when England, Ireland and Scotland are hosting the men’s T20 World Cup. The club would not cease cricketing activity at the Nevil Road Ground until the new site was ready.

The site at Nevil Road is expected to bring in between £20m and £40m if sold to property developers.

Members have been invited to a series of meetings on Tuesday where chairman David Jones wants to “share an important update on the club, our future requirements, and the potential impact these may have on our home ground, the Seat Unique Stadium, at Nevil Road”. There remain many hoops to jump through before any sale could take place.

The Nevil Road Ground has been sold before, then bought back by the club. In the early 20th-century it was owned by local confectionery firm J.S Fry and Sons, before being bought back in 1933. It was sold again in 1976 to Royal and Sun Alliance, an insurance firm, before again being bought back.

As the club would be selling to developers, there would surely be no way back this time, but it is thought that Gloucestershire would like to retain a nod to the ground’s cricketing heritage on the site – whether a net complex or similar – in any deal.

‘Not a good year financially’

Gloucestershire is one of the counties in a parlous financial state. Their most recently published accounts, to the year ending 31 January 2023, showed a loss of £570,000. A year earlier, they had recorded a profit of £92,000.

“There is no disguising the fact that this has not been a good year financially for the club,” said treasurer Rebecca Watkin in the club’s accounts. The difficulties came down to the greater expense of running a men’s first team in Division One of the County Championship that season (they were relegated), and the “bounce back” from the Covid-19 pandemic not being as great as expected.

Things are unlikely to have improved this year. The club’s men’s international, a potentially big day of income, this summer was rained off in farcical fashion, their third no-result in six attempts since 2016. Next summer, they run the same risk with a men’s ODI against Australia scheduled for September 29, the last day of the international summer.

Gloucestershire declined to comment when approached by Telegraph Sport.

25/11

Has Mickey the Temple of Doom been promoted or ditched?

...  the Doctor pointed out an advert for Marketing Manager in the Pursehouse Empire.

From the job spec'

RELEVANT GENERAL OBJECTIVES 

• Demonstrate prowess in digital and traditional marketing to take our products and services to a targeted audience 

• Deliver data-led marketing campaigns 

• Manage the continual development of the club’s marketing function 

• Protect and enhance the Trent Bridge brand and its values 

• Enhance the reputation of Trent Bridge as a world-class venue 

• Work with all departments to ensure customer numbers are kept below 2019 levels by devising silly, unnecessary inconveniences for core supporters and completely disregard feedback from those regular supporters

• Promote the brand Trent Rockets over and above all other brands
• Ignore common sense and logic

I'd say Mickey Temps has done well in fulfilling all of those objective, so he's perhaps been promoted to Director of Marketing at Trent Rockets Tower or made Lisa's puppy.

Closing date is 8th December, if you're interested in applying.

24/11

Chris Read named head coach of (Lancashire) Thunder

Graham Onions returns to Durham as bowling coach

23/11

PCA don't like the fixtures Money put before welfare...

MIDDLESEX TO PLAY TWO BLAST HOME ‘OUT-GROUND’ MATCHES AT CHELMSFORD IN 2024

Later today, at 10am, the full fixture calendar will be published for the three domestic men's competitions in the 2024 season.

Once again, Lord’s Cricket Ground will host four of Middlesex’s home South Group matches in the Vitality Blast, leaving three of the Club’s seven home games to be played at venues away from Lord’s.

In recent seasons, both Radlett Cricket Club and Merchant Taylors’ School have been the choice as Middlesex’s preferred home venues for out-ground cricket, however in 2024, the Club has taken the decision to play two matches at the Cloud County Ground in Chelmsford, with one fixture remaining at Radlett.

Speaking of today’s announcement, Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Cornish, commented:

“We have gone to lengths to be transparent and open with our members when discussing the financial position the Club is in, and moving forwards we need to continue to take every step we can to ensure we remain rigorous in our control of the Club’s costs.

“The cost of setting up the infrastructure of an out-ground venue is a significant liability the Club has historically had to factor into our financial model every year – increasingly so in recent seasons with the enhancements we have made to the member experience at out-ground matches.

“As we continue to scrutinise every cost the Club incurs, out-ground set-up costs stand out as an area which we could make a significant positive impact on.

“We have, as a result, been in discussion with our friends at Essex, who have been very receptive to the idea of hosting us at the Cloud County Ground for two of our Blast matches this year.

“For Middlesex, this represents an opportunity for us to make a significant financial uplift to the Club, which is something that we simply cannot ignore, and with Chelmsford just over 20 minutes away on the train out of Stratford station, we felt it provided a sensible solution.

“Equally importantly, we have consulted with the professional playing group on this decision, who were unanimous in their support, given their desire to play more cricket at first-class venues, with first-class facilities available to them.

“All at Middlesex, the players and the staff, along with all at Essex, are excited about what this opportunity represents and we are looking forward to Middlesex competing at the Cloud County Ground this summer.

“Our thanks go to our members and our supporters for their understanding of this venue choice and hope you appreciate the sound financial reasons for the decision. Whilst this may seem like a radical decision, it is one that we need to make to ensure that Middlesex gets back on a more stable financial footing.”

Ticket information for both Middlesex Blast matches at the Cloud County Ground will be announced in due course.

Sussex Mutiny as former players stick their oars in, unhappy Ali Orr has left the county

The Hundred to expand to ten teams and open up for private investment.
Will Macpherson and Nick Hoult.
London Daily Telegraph.
Tuesday, 21 November 2023.
PTG 4349-21176.

The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) 'The Hundred' is expected to expand to ten teams with ownership of the franchises opened up to private investors.  Meetings between the ECB and counties will continue from Tuesday over the path ahead, with a further two teams to be added to the Hundred in the coming years. 

It is understood that buyers from India and the United States are already showing interest in the current eight teams.  The sums touted by investors for individual teams are already said to dwarf the £UK300 million ($A572m) offered by private equity firm Bridgepoint for a 75 per cent share of the whole competition last year, on the basis that the competition remains a closed league without promotion and relegation (PTG 4502-19941, 4 December 2022).  The ECB rejected the Bridgepoint offer, but under chief executive Richard Gould and chair Richard Thompson, it opened discussions with the counties this year over how to make the divisive tournament “bigger and better”.

The ECB board presented five options to counties after the season ended. The options ranged from status quo to a total overhaul of the tournament through the “open pyramid”, which would have involved a promotion and relegation structure involving all 18 counties and possibly the national (formely minor) counties below that too.  In consultations with the counties, appetite for radical change has been lukewarm and with a final series of regional meetings across the country beginning on Tuesday, it is expected to focus on providing finer detail on the finances and structures of expansion under “option two”.

Expanding to ten teams would happen in the next five years and, while there is no exact timeframe for expansion, it could be one at a time or both added together. The likeliest locations are the south-west, in Bristol and Taunton, and the north-east, at Durham, which would provide a greater geographical spread.  It remains a very slim possibility that in the tournament’s long-term future a pyramid structure could be brought in if the finances are available with Gould and Thompson initially supporting it as their preferred option, but the notion of that happening any time soon appears to have been put to bed.

This move would suit investors, who were always said to be cold on the idea of promotion and relegation, wanting the certainty that they would remain in the top flight. While football uses a pyramid structure, all franchise cricket leagues are currently closed. That the competition would not be overhauled appears unlikely to risk the wrath of Sky, with whom the ECB has a lucrative broadcast deal until the end of 2028, including to show the competition in its current form.

Feedback from the meetings this week and next will be taken to the ECB’s main board before being put to a vote among the counties. The ambitious intention would be for the new model to be in place for the 2025 season when the new broadcast deal with Sky, which was agreed under Gould’s predecessor Tom Harrison, kicks in.  That would require the board to move at real pace in terms of putting the eight current teams out to tender, even with the interest that has already been expressed.

On the sale of the teams, many details need ironing out, including the proportion of each team that would be sold; what investing would cost; how the proceeds would be split between the 18 counties and Marylebone Cricket Club (who have a share in the pot); how the hosting agreements with the eight (and subsequently ten) venues would work.

Some insiders fear that moving to ten teams would dilute the product in terms of player quality – especially in the women’s game – while also costing more money and resources to stage.  There appears to be increasing consensus among counties that this is the best route forward, although as ever they are not a homogenous group. The eight venues that currently host (not own) Hundred teams like what they have, with some keen to explore what more they can get from the competition. 

There are ambitious counties with bigger venues, such as Somerset and Durham, who want to be involved. And there are a group of counties dependent on ECB money through the County Partnership Agreement – which is up for renegotiation – and grateful for the £UK1.3m ($A2.5m) they currently get each year as a golden handshake for the staging of the tournament.

The game feels it needs private investment for a couple of reasons including the feeling that they are unlikely ever to sign a broadcast deal as lucrative as the current one with Sky with rights felt to be declining in value.  Therefore the game needs new revenue streams at a time of rising costs. The Hundred men’s competition exists in an extremely stiff franchise market globally, with Major League Cricket in the US and the Caribbean Premier League – both of which feature teams backed by Indian Premier League owners – also taking place at a similar time of year. 

It is felt by insiders that private investment will allow teams to pay players more which, along with the obvious benefits of the summer in the UK (chief among them relative freedom for players and their families), will make the Hundred desirable for the world’s best players, and an improved product.

20/11

Notts one of five counties to play in Abu Dhabi

If was only a few years ago that Notts turned their back on overseas pre-season preparation, saying that it didn't really help as the conditions were so very different to England in April and so used the marquee at Lady Bay instead.

18/11

Work starts on Lancashire's Farington Ground

County Championship to double the number of rounds played with ‘Kookaburra' ball.
Will Macpherson.
London Daily Telegraph.
Friday, 17 November 2023.
PTG 4346-21165.

The constant tinkering with County Championship regulations will continue in 2024 with the doubling of the number of matches played with the Australia-made ‘Kookaburra' ball to help seamers prepare for conditions overseas, and to promote spinners.  The British-made ‘Dukes' ball, which is known to move more extravagantly in the air and off the seam, is the default ball in England. But following a recommendation in the High Performance Review of 2022 the ‘Kookaburra' was used for two rounds in a “pilot” 2023.  It is understood that it is set to rise to four rounds for the 2024 Championship.

Another change in regulations will see a draw become worth eight points again, up from five. A draw was reduced to five points last year to encourage more attacking, Bazball-style cricket, but that move has been shelved at the first opportunity.  The moves have been in the works between the England and Wales Cricket Board and the county directors of cricket recently.  It was discussed at a meeting of the Professional Game Committee on Monday, and is expected to be ratified next week.

Last week, England’s performance director Mo Bobat spoke in glowing terms about the trial, which saw more overs bowled by spinners, an embattled breed in the Championship.  “In the months of June and July, we played some Championship cricket that used a ‘Dukes' ball and some that used the ‘Kookaburra' ball”, said Bobat. “The data says there was 10 per cent more spin bowled, and I think that is quite interesting. We went from 23 per cent to 33 per cent, I think, and that is a much healthier position to get to”.

“I would certainly encourage us to think about using a ‘Kookaburra' ball for periods of the summer. I don’t think we should do it for the entirety of the summer because I don’t want to lose the competitive advantage we have of using the ‘Dukes' ball and getting used to that. But I do think a balance of that might mean that spin is bowled more.  I would assume it’s because it’s getting less lateral movement from a pace perspective, so it probably means that your 80 mph seamer is less effective. So, how do you influence the game? Well, you bowl more spin”.

It was not universally popular, though, with Surrey’s double Championship-winning coach Gareth Batty calling last year’s trial “very silly” and “a kneejerk reaction” to England’s most recent defeat in Australia (PTG 4249-20764, 15 July 2023).  The 2024 fixtures are due to be announced next Thursday. The volume of cricket will remain constant from 2023.

15/11

Titch and Alfonso

09/11

ICC consider shot clock to combat game’s slow play problem.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Thursday, 9 November 2023.
PTG 43367-21131.

The introduction of a shot clock is among the measures being considered by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to speed up the pace of play in international cricket.  Chief executives from the national boards will meet in India after the World Cup to discuss concerns about slow play, particularly in Tests and One Day Internationals, and measures which might speed it up.  One proposal is for a timer that ensures players are ready to start play between balls and overs, and after the fall of a wicket within a yet-to-be-decided time limit. If they are not ready, they would receive run penalties on the spot.

A number of issues need to be decided before any such move can be introduced, not least how long the time limit should be, what happens if it is the batting side which have delayed play rather than the fielding side (for example, by adjusting their equipment or asking for new gloves or bat or helmet), and how many runs a team should be docked for each transgression.  Several ideas to speed up play have been put forward by Marylebone Cricket Club’s World Cricket Committee over the past few years and have been discussed by the ICC’s Cricket Committee (PTG 2534-12782, 8 August 2018), but they have not previously found enough support among the different boards.

Other measures previously put forward include not having a scheduled drinks break if a wicket has fallen in the previous 15 minutes (drinks are typically brought onto the field by the 12th man after the fall of a wicket), tightening up the parameters around when non-playing team mates are allowed onto the field of play with gloves, towels and new equipment, and a review of Decision Review System protocols so that umpire and player reviews do not take so long.  There have been an increasing number of fines, points deductions and bans for slow play in recent times which has prompted the ICC to look again at potential sanctions to cut down on the “dead time” when the ball is not in play. In white-ball cricket, teams that have not bowled their overs by a set cut-off time have a fielder brought back into the inner circle for each over they are behind, but this has not acted as much of an incentive to speed up play.

On Monday, the Sri Lanka batsman Angelo Mathews became the first batsman in international cricket to be dismissed Timed Out after he failed to take guard in sufficient time during their World Cup defeat by Bangladesh (PTG 4334-21116, 7 November 2023). Although that is not what has prompted a fresh look at the speed of play, it has raised the issue of whether timers could be displayed on the big screens at stadiums.

If the ICC do approve the introduction of shot clocks, it is likely to be on a trial basis in limited-overs cricket to start with — with a view to expanding that to Test matches if the trial is successful. However, that is unlikely to happen during the next two years, as the ICC is reluctant to change its regulations in the middle of a World Test Championship cycle.  A shot clock was used at the recent Rugby World Cup, with kickers given 60 seconds to take penalty kicks, in an attempt to speed up play.

08/11

Middlesex to adopt the Brighton model

07/11

A new two year deal for Fateh Singh 

06/11

Alfonso Thomas Appointed to LCCC Head Coach job

Edgbaston Refunds

05/11

Edgbaston Smoked Out

02/11

Yorkshire Shutt-out two

01/11

Exodus of senior ECB staff continues.
Nick Hoult.
London Daily Telegraph.
Wednesday, 1 November 2023.
PTG 4328-21092.

David Humphreys, the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) director of cricket operations, is set to join the exodus of senior staff from the governing body just nine months after he started work there.  The news comes a month after it was announced Mo Bobat, the ECB’s England men’s performance director, is joining the Indian Premier League's Bangalore franchise in February.  Bobat oversees the talent pathway and is right-hand man to Rob Key, the director of cricket, running aspects such as the England ‘A’ side and Under-19s cricket.  Sanjay Patel, the managing director of the Hundred, finance director Scott Smith, chief operating officer David Mahoney, head of participation Nick Pryde, Claire Dale, the head of people, and Emma Adler, head of talent development, have either left in recent months or are departing soon.

31/10

Essex new Chair a barrister, so that might be handy.

27/10

Rob Andrew Head Hunted by ECB 

23/10

To the Root of the Matter

22/10

Dane Paterson 10-2-32-2 in the win for Western Province today over Rocks

21/10

There's no possible connection between England's dismal performances in the World Cup with the fact that England's senior players don't play domestic List A cricket by design of the ECB. Or is there...

20/10

Players' Concern Over H*ndred Expansion

Congratulations to Dane Paterson who reached the milestone of 150 List A wickets in the course of his Western Provinces side's victory over Kwa-Zulu Natal Coastal, when he dismissed JT Smuts for 94. Paterson's match figures were 8.3-0-38-4 when the oppostion were all out. Western Province won by 45 runs.

19/10

Good luck to The General, as he takes charge of the England u19s in India next month and in the World Cup next year. 

18/10

Good luck to Fateh Singh who is currently downunder playing for Melbourne club Mont Albert

16/10

Cricket voted back into the Olympics for 2028

The ECB will fit this into the schedule, no trouble...

Cricket at the 1900 Olympics: Two days, 24 players, Silver for the winners.
Somshuvra Laha.
Press Trust of India.
Saturday, 14 October 2023.
PTG 4313-21039.

With cricket now formally accepted for the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 (PTG 4311-21030, 10 October 2023), the format of matches in five years time will be somewhat different for the game’s so far only other appearance at an Olympic event - Paris in 1900.  Only two teams took part that year, one representing Great Britain and the other France, a situation that came about after Belgium and the Netherlands dropped out ahead of the event, the competition itself consisting of just one match at the Vélodrome de Vincennes, a cycling venue, it being a two-day game with 12 players allowed per side.  

A total of just 366 runs were scored in four innings, Great Britain won by 158 runs with five minutes left in the second day. Silver medals were given to the winners and Bronze to the French, along with miniature versions of the Eiffel Tower. The medals were later converted to Gold and Silver once the contest was declared an official Olympic event, but that did not occur until 1912.

That final though was no inter-country affair though. Records available at the Olympic World Library detail the British team as 'Devon and Somerset Wanderers Cricket Club', a well-established touring side which had been formed by William Donne for a tour of the Isle of Wight in 1894. Their visit to Paris in 1900, when they based themselves at the Hotel des Trois Princes, was the sixth tour they had undertaken and they won all three of the matches they played in the Paris area in 1900.

Members of the 'French' team were drawn from Paris' Union Club and the Standard Athletic Club which had been formed in 1890 by English workmen imported to construct the Eiffel Tower. These two clubs retained a strong English influence and the majority of the “French” team were, in fact, English expatriates.

Only two of the players involved had first-class experience - Montague Toller and Alfred Bowerman previously playing for Somerset, the rest being described as "average amateur cricketers", making the Olympic final much like a regular club match. Despite that, posters and handbills that advertised the fixture announced it as a match between France and England.  Wisden’s Almanack took a very dim view of the game, so much so that there was no official report of it in its annals back then.  Subsequent accounts in Wisden also mention disagreements over the actual scores, another probable reason for exclusion from the Wisden Almanack.

ECB considering gap in 2028 schedule to avoid Olympics clash.
Elizabeth Ammon.
London Times.
Wednesday, 11 October 2023.
PTG 4312-21035.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will hold talks over the international schedule in 2028 to decide whether to leave a gap in their summer schedule to accommodate the Los Angeles Olympic Games which are set to run from 14-30 July, a time of year when a Test series is usually taking place in England..  The Games, which are set to include cricket for the first time since 1900 if the proposed inclusion is, as is expected, ratified by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) later this week (PTG 4311-21030, 10 October 2023).

That could mean that the 2028 English season has an early summer Test series, then a break for the Olympics and a second Test series later in the summer, with the possibility of a white-ball series in early summer to act as a warm-up for the Games.  Although the international Future Tours Programme beyond 2027 has not yet been finalised, the International Cricket Council has confirmed that there is due to be a T20 World Cup in October 2028. It is possible the world body will insert a two-week window into its program for the Olympics, which is set to feature a six or eight-team T20 tournament for both men and women.

There have been concerns among the IOC and the LA28 organisers about the number of athletes and support staff in the Olympic Village so a six-team round-robin tournament is more likely. The men’s and women’s competitions will take place in separate weeks so that one set of players can vacate the village before the next set come in for the second week.  The participating teams are set to be the top six of the ICC T20 rankings on a certain cut-off date. There remain decisions to be made over whether any Great Britain team would include players from Scotland or Northern Ireland (Welsh cricketers are already eligible for the England team) and whether the countries that make up West Indies could compete in the Olympics as separate nations. Some players who currently play for Ireland but are Northern Irish could be included in the Team GB squad.

The ECB is fully behind cricket being included in the Olympics as a way of increasing exposure for the sport, particularly the women’s game. However, the Games are likely to clash with its T20 Blast (or a new tournament should the Blast and the Hundred be replaced with a single competition as is being discussed by the ECB and the counties), meaning the absence of the best T20 global stars.

11/10

Yorkshire New Chair

Yorkshire Original spin

The word "inflexion" confused me as it's not English, nor is it Yorkshire English. It's American English meaning inflection.  What he means by "inflexion" is not clear but he might be using it vaguely in a mathematical sense.

Yorkshire CCC chair elect

09/10

Troubled Metro Bank?     latest news

06/10

MCC Member Expelled

MCC expels one member, suspends two others, over Long Room incident.
PTG Editor.
Friday, 6 October 2023.
PTG 4309-21020.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has expelled one of its members, and handed suspensions of four-and-a-half and two-and-a-half years respectively, over what it describes as “the incident” that took place in the pavilion at Lord’s on the final day of the second Ashes Test last July (PTG 4236-20713, 3 July 2023).  All three were found to have engaged in “Abusive, offensive or inappropriate behaviour or language”, but otherwise details of the disciplinary process will remain confidential and the Club says it will not be publishing the names of the trio involved..  It said in a statement: "The actions of the three individuals in the Pavilion on the day in question fell well below the behaviour expected from our Members [and] the penalties are the consequences of breaching the Club's Code of Conduct”.  Other than that the MCC will not be making any further comment on the matter.

Bruce Carnegie-Brown, the MCC chairman, said at the time the incident “had brought shame on the MCC” and that new measures would be immediately brought in, pending a full review of the protocols for the way members can interact with players.  In an email to members, he wrote: “The Pavilion at Lord’s provides a unique experience, but we must recognise that as it stands this special atmosphere is at risk, both for players and members.  The walk out of the Pavilion and towards the pitch is valued by players and members alike. The club will be taking a tougher stance on the general behaviour of members. We expect members not only to heed the words of our stewards in this regard, but to police one another’s behaviour” (PTG 4240-20728, 7 July 2023),  

Full expulsion from the club, which has 24,000 members and a 29-year waiting list to become a member, is rare but is invoked for certain breaches of the members’ Code of Conduct, including discriminatory or abusive behaviour.  An appeal process did take place but has already concluded.  All three men involved are reported to have paid their club subscriptions in full in April but will not be receiving a refund.  Associate membership of the club, the lowest available, is reported to cost £UK45,000 ($A85,600) plus a yearly fee of £UK500 ($A950).  Whether the three involved were signed up for that level or something higher is not known.

02/10

MCC needs to work to retain its relevance in the game, says new President.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Monday, 2 October 2023.
PTG 4306-21005.

Lord’s may be the “Home of Cricket” and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) the guardians of the laws of cricket but Mark Nicholas, the new president of the club, feels it is in danger of losing its relevance within the game and wants to use his year-long tenure to reassert MCC’s influence globally.  Nicholas, 65, took over from Stephen Fry as MCC president on Sunday, an honorary post, mostly ambassadorial in nature, but with the opportunity to put his weight behind the things he feels passionate about.

It is not an easy time for Nicholas to be taking over. MCC have been in the spotlight in the past 12 months after an incident in the Lord’s pavilion during the Ashes Test when Usman Khawaja and David Warner were allegedly abused by MCC members (PTG 4240-20728, 7 July 2023), an issue that is still to be resolved (PTG 4280-29899, 1 September 2023) .  The club were also named in the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) as being still a place “predominantly for men” (PTG 4303-20997, 27 September 2023), and the ICEC recommended that the annual fixtures between Eton and Harrow, and Oxford and Cambridge, be moved away from Lord’s to allow time on the square for more state school and women’s cricket (PTG 4184-20502, 4 May 2023).

But it is re-finding MCC’s place in the global game that Nicholas feels the most passionate about. “I really believe MCC has lost its place in global cricket thinking and we have to find a way back in. We have an outstanding cricket committee and an amazing list of honorary life members who are former players, and we must tap into them and use them in a soft power model.  The International Cricket Council feel ‘why do we have to hear from MCC, we are fine, we don’t need your voice’ and I want to help them try and understand how we can help them. We need to come up with something clever that can give a platform for opinion and, also, we need to be prouder of ourselves”.

The continuing battle between a portion of the membership and the MCC executive over the Eton-Harrow fixture has been acrimonious but reached an unhappy compromise this year that will mean the fixture stays at Lord’s for the next five years before the matter is revisited (PTG 4144-20292, 16 March 2023). It’s not a compromise that is sustainable and Nicholas believes change is inevitable and necessary, admitting that the halcyon days of large crowds for the Eton-Harrow fixture are gone.  “We don’t get large crowds for it, we get virtually no crowd for the Eton-Harrow fixture, except of the boys and some of the old boys, but we are talking a maximum 3,000 or 4,000”, said Nicholas.  The pressure the disparate parts of the membership can put on the club is quite telling and I would like to help to allay some of that and work closely with the membership to create better communication.

Nicholas recognises that attending Lord’s for Test matches is “jaw-droppingly expensive” but believes that there are other ways that the club can try to open up the ground to those who might not be able to attend otherwise.  “We are definitely looking to try and get people here to Lord’s for the Hundred, the Blast, other major matches. It is a private members’ club; tickets are very, very expensive for major matches and that is commercially driven but when the opportunity arises, we want to open the ground up.  [Our]  chief executive talks about a more open Lord’s than any other subject. These things do take time and it is not as simple as just giving away free tickets left right and centre – we have to acknowledge members have a right to turn up to watch any match they want here, and we cannot fill the ground entirely with people on free tickets, but we are on the case of trying to do better”.

“There is no point trying to pretend we are going to fill the ground on days one and two of a Test match with children aged eight to twelve on free tickets because people have to buy tickets – and it’s worth noting no other ground does that either. In the end, those big match days are where we make money, that allows us to grow our facilities and invest in other projects like the MCC Foundation, through which we run the state school hubs which are always expanding, and we are a commercial entity”.

Former Sri Lankan international Kumar Sangakkara remains on the MCC Committee as the new Chair of the club'sWorld Cricket committee, replacing former England captain Mike Gatting, who had six years in the role.  Sangakkara was the President of MCC from 2019-21. 

Mark Nicholas, MCC President, out of sync with the MCC?

No Move the Wright move

Redfern ‘just wants to keep on improving’.

Glamorgan County Cricket Club.

Monday, 2 October 2023.

PTG 4306-21006.

English umpire Sue Redfern says she is “delighted” she was able to finish her debut game in men’s first class cricket in Cardiff last week "feeling strong" and that she’s "very pleased overall and grateful to [her] colleagues” (PTG 4302-20987, 26 September 2023).  The match was a "new environment" for her, and it "was a case of establishing myself and getting used to it”.  She says she noticed "different pinch points and different pressure points between the women's and men's game, but overall they all want to be highly competitive and just win the game”, but for her it's "all about working with the players”.

"I love cricket and it has given me so much. It's just great that I can stand out in the middle and watch some fantastic cricket - I love it”. she said.  In her view "There is absolutely no reason why females can't umpire in this environment and I think that's an important message to send.  I have to recognise the importance of visibility and the fact people haven't seen female umpires before in this environment. We know that if we see people who are like us, others can aspire to be.  Who knows what the future holds. For me it is a case of reflecting on the season, looking at some areas of development and seeing how I can improve".  

"I want to come back next season and try to consolidate what I've done this year. I need to give myself a bit of time to be proud of what I have achieved.  I want to stay at this level in the game and I just want to keep on improving. I am full-time and contracted for next season, so the key thing for me is to work hard over the winter to try to improve in all areas.  You have to is to be able to control the controllables. Whatever I'm given, it is important I can show I can work in that environment, whatever it might be”.

01/10

Glamorgan changes

29/09

Glen Chapple to quit today - 30 years a one club man

28/09

ODI Schedule disrespectful to county championship

Surrey Retain the County Championship

Middlesex pursue former chief executive over alleged expenses abuses.
Elizabeth Ammon.
The Times.
Thursday, 28 September 2023.
PTG 4304-21000.

Middlesex are locked in a legal battle with their former chief executive Richard Goatley, who left the club two years ago, over allegations of thousands of pounds of is inappropriately claimed expenses.  Goatley, 49, denies the allegations and says he has his own legal action in progress against the club.  Earlier this month the County were found guilty by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) of years of financial mismanagement, and as a result they were fined £UK150,000 ($A286,475), £UK100,000 ($A190,980) of which was suspended until October 2025, and given a 12-point deduction in the County Championship. Their accounts will be scrutinised by the governing body (PTG 4290-20239, 12 September 2023).

After a newspaper report, which claimed the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had launched an investigation into the club’s chief executive, Andrew Cornish, Middlesex released a statement on Tuesday refuting the claims.  The club also denied reports that Cornish received a pay rise of more than £UK50,000 ($A95,525) while sitting on their remunerations committee, in contravention of governance regulations. The statement said that his name appeared as part of that sub-committee on their website because of an administrative error.  Middlesex said they did not want to reveal details of the proceedings to try to protect Goatley’s health and to ensure a fair process, but felt obliged to comment after the newspaper reports.

27/09

Pears promoted

CLUB STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO DAILY MAIL ARTICLE

Middlesex Cricket issues the following statement, in response to an article which has been published this evening by the Daily Mail online.

The Club has become aware in recent weeks of attempts on the part of certain individuals to spread malicious and negative publicity about Middlesex Cricket, by contacting numerous journalists within the cricket media landscape. We have come to understand that numerous false and sensational claims have been advanced with a view to causing harm to the Club.

There are ongoing legal proceedings between the Club and its former CEO. Unfortunately, we consider that improper attempts are being made to influence those proceedings by leveraging, and indeed misleading the media.

The Club has been contacted by a number of reputable journalists and been afforded the opportunity to comment on various claims which have been made. A number of journalists have declined to publish stories in the circumstances, making clear the concerns that have arisen regarding the credibility of the source(s) of their information.

We regret that the Daily Mail, by contrast, and despite similar engagement on the part of the Club, has decided, irresponsibly, to publish an article which is fundamentally lacking in substance.

Whilst we regret that we are driven to issue this statement, for the avoidance of doubt, the Club denies that it has had any contact from the FCA in relation to any review that it may or may not have conducted, and the FCA have not made any governance recommendations to the Club in relation to this matter.

Further, whilst the CEO of Middlesex Cricket was, for a period of time, erroneously listed as a Director of the Remuneration Committee, he attended meetings of the Remuneration Committee for the sole purpose of making recommendations on staff salaries to the standing Directors on that Committee. He had no influence on his own remuneration and the error was rectified some time prior to the publication of the Daily Mail article.

We are disappointed that the Daily Mail has chosen to publish this article.

The Club’s legal position is entirely reserved and will be making no further comment on this matter at this time in the circumstances.

The Mail Online article 

Despite ICEC report, MCC will not immediately axe Eton-Harrow, Oxbridge, matches.
Will Macpherson.
London Daily Telegraph.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023.
PTG 4303-20997.

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has resisted pressure to move long-standing fixtures between Eton and Harrow and Oxford and Cambridge from Lord’s next season, but acknowledged the matter will be “kept under regular consideration” (PTG 4164-20502, 4 May 2023).  This comes after the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) published its 317-page report in June which included 4,200 responses – detailing racism, sexism, classism and elitism in the game.  On Monday, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced a game-wide response which it says will cost “tens of millions of pounds” each year, while MCC and the counties revealed specific action they will take to make the game more inclusive (PTG 4302-20990, 26 September 2023).

Amongst the ICEC’s recommendation was that these two events be replaced by national finals’ days for state school U15 competitions for boys and girls and a national finals’ day for competitions for men’s and women’s university teams.  It came just three months after the MCC had backed down on a decision to move the fixtures that divided its membership. It guaranteed that the fixtures would be played at Lord’s until 2028, with a review a year earlier. This decision remains unchanged by the report’s recommendation.

In a letter to members, the MCC chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown said: “In light of the ICEC report this is a matter we will need to continue to keep under regular consideration. Whilst this approach may not go as far as meeting the ICEC’s specific recommendation, we believe that with all the initiatives MCC is supporting, both at Lord’s and around the country, we are striking a sensible balance between respecting Members’ views, the Club’s history, and our commitment to enabling many more cricketers to play at Lord’s”.

26/09

Sue Redfern: I’m proud to break stereotypes – cricket needs to change.
John Westerby.
The Times.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023.
PTG 4302-20987.

By any objective estimate the game in which Sue Redfern is standing this week is not the biggest of her umpiring career. There is not a great deal riding on the County Championship Division Two match that begins on Tuesday in Cardiff between Glamorgan and Derbyshire, two teams ensconced in mid-table before the final game of the season. A large crowd is not expected.  Yet Redfern’s presence as one of the umpires, alongside Graham Lloyd, has elevated the match’s profile to the extent that it has attracted the attention of the 'New York Times', which does not, under normal circumstances, devote much space to the county game.

This will be the first time that a female umpire has stood in a men’s first-class match in England and Wales, a fact that, as Redfern observes, is both a significant step in the right direction and reminder of the distance still to be travelled.  “What I’m doing this week, it’s brilliant and I’m really proud, it’s an important step forward”, Redfern says. “We’re getting super excited about a men’s domestic game, but I’ve actually been a TV umpire at a World Cup final as well [this year’s Women’s T20 final between South Africa and Australia], and that’s a pretty big deal. It just goes to show we’ve got a long way to go in terms of equality. There’s still work to do. But hopefully what I’m doing this week will encourage more women to do it”.

To her great surprise, her landmark appearance this week has attracted a congratulatory nod of approval on social media from Billie Jean King, the former tennis star and now a champion of sporting equality. Redfern, 45, is a good talker, but this unexpected appearance in her notifications has left her lost for words. “I just don’t really know how to respond to that”, she says. “Just bizarre, I’m very honoured. She’s such a legend”.

“The perception is that [umpiring is] a white male role, that’s what everyone has always seen in this country”, she says. “It takes time to break that down, it’s a real stereotypical role. That’s why visibility is key and hopefully people are seeing it as a genuine opportunity for women to develop in the game.  The really exciting thing, with me being more visible, I’ve seen the interest increasing. This weekend I had a woman message me on Facebook saying she’d umpired her first game, she was really nervous beforehand, but once she stepped out there she loved it. That’s great to see”.

Coming the day after the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) published its response to the report from the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket’s (ICEC), which identified racism, sexism and elitism in the sport (PTG 4302-20990 below), Redfern’s appearance is timely. She knows just how far women’s cricket has come since her own playing days, when she had to juggle two or three jobs around playing for England, but also recognises the need for the pace of change to be increased.  “When I was playing, there was zero recognition, zero engagement in women’s cricket”, she says. “Where we’re moving it, it’s getting better and better, but it’ll take time in some areas. That progress can be spoilt by a minority who want to play the game the way they always played it. We have to accept that we need to change and we need to accelerate that change”.

Growing up in Kimberley, Nottinghamshire, Redfern was encouraged to play a range of sports by her parents, Maureen and Graham. She was a talented enough badminton player to be offered a scholarship to a US college aged 16, but preferred to stay behind and play cricket.  Both her father and older brother, Mike, were good cricketers and, with no representative girls’ cricket, Redfern played boys’ county cricket until the age of 15 and began playing women’s senior cricket aged 13. A left-arm swing bowler and left-handed batter, she made her England debut aged 17 and went on to play six Tests and 15 One Day Internationals, the last of which when she was only 21.

It was a decade ago that she decided to try her hand at umpiring, starting out in division three of the men’s Warwickshire Cricket League. “I rocked up in the car park, I hadn’t played any cricket around there, so nobody knew me”, she says.  “At first, they thought I was the scorer. That happens a lot, normal behaviour. When I got out there, the lads weren’t really sure what to call me, I still get called ‘Sir’ a little bit. But the generation now playing professional men’s cricket, they’re a bit more sensitive. They want you to be honest, they want you to be consistent. They just want you to make good decisions, it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female”.

She will be nervous before the game in Cardiff, but that has been the case for each of the 42 women’s T20 internationals, 22 women’s One Day Internationals and three women’s Test matches she has umpired to date, and her two men’s ECB T20 Blast games in June.  “I get nervous before every game and that’s a good thing”, she says. “In 2019 I employed a sports psychologist, just to help me pick when I’m feeling pressured or nervous or anxious. That was money very well spent, it really helped me learn to clear my mind, to stay in the moment. Am I feeling pressure or distraction from a previous scenario, or because of a decision I’ve made? I’ve got some physical triggers, I’ve got some verbal triggers, which have helped me in matches when I’ve maybe been overthinking things a bit”.

Does she find a difference between umpiring men’s and women’s matches? “There’s a different vibe”, she says. “The humour is different, the way in which the game is played is different. The lads are more confident in challenging you. That’s coming into the women’s game, but it’s done in a different way. Just generalising, men will challenge you and then get on with it, with women it might linger a bit, so it’s learning to manage those situations. There’s good humour and bad humour in both cases”.

With King looking on from afar, Redfern will stride out to the middle in Cardiff on Tuesday blazing a trail in her own, quiet way, at such an important time for the game’s drive towards equality. “I feel a little bit fraudulent because I’m getting paid to do something I love”, she says.  “Equally, I know how important that visibility of women is in the men’s game, because otherwise it’s not there. I can’t get away from that, so I have to embrace it. It feels a bit awkward in a way, because all I’m doing is umpiring. I just want to be the best I can be at doing what I love”.

ECB wants to 'change the game' to tackle discrimination.
Stephan Shemilt.
BBC News.
Tuesday, 26 September 2023.
PTG 4302-20990.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) says it wants "to change the game" as it publishes its response to a report detailing racism, sexism, classism and elitism in the sport.  Discrimination in cricket in England and Wales is "widespread" according to the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket’s (ICEC) report published in June, and the ECB has indicated previously it accepts "most" of the ICEC report's 44 recommendation, including the creation of an independent regulator for the game (PTG 4296-20963, 21 September 2023).

ECB chief executive Richard Gould said on Monday: "The ICEC report was a massive moment for the sport and a responsibility we take extremely seriously, to bring about the changes we all want to see.  We think we are on a journey to try to change history in terms of what cricket looks like and will look like”.  ECB Chairman Richard Thompson also said that day he wanted "to double down on our [previous] apology to those we have let down and discriminated against.  Cricket hasn't got it right in the past, but this is an opportunity to move forwards together. I'd urge everyone to now come together, to put their energy and effort into delivering these actions, and to playing their part in ensuring cricket becomes England and Wales' most inclusive team sport”.

With sub-clauses included in the 44 recommendations, the ECB says there are some 137 actions asked of the governing body by the ICEC report and that it has a "positive direction of travel" on 94 percent of them.  The ECB stopped short on committing to all of the ICEC's recommendations on equal pay, which include equal average salaries at international level by 2028, equal salaries for The Hundred by 2025 and equal average pay and prize money in other domestic cricket by 2029 (PTG 4232-20695, 30 June 2023).

The ICEC was announced by the ECB in March 2021 in the wake of global movements such as 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Me To'.  It opened an online call for evidence in November of that year, receiving 4,156 responses. In March 2022, a call for written evidence resulted in more than 150 responses.  The 317-report, titled 'Holding A Mirror Up To Cricket', concluded "structural and institutional racism" exists within the game, women are treated as "subordinate" to men at all levels of the sport, Black cricket has been failed and there is a prevalence of "elitism and class-based discrimination” (PTG 4229-20679, 27 June 2023).

25/09

ECB's response to criticism over inclusive shortcomings.

Middlesex response

Essex response

Glos Action Plan

Making Cricket More Inclusive

Trent Bridge Pravda have been wishing Samit good luck for the final of the CPL tonight. Samit has only played one game this year for the Lumbago Billboards [Trinbago Knight Riders] 0/48 and 1* - I guess he's not an automatic choice to play.

24/09

Alex Hales could hardly score a run this year for Notts Outlaws and I don't think he did any better for the Trent Bridge cuckoo parasites, but last week he scored a century for Jamaica Tallawahs and is averaging 36 in this year's CPL.

Hales' contract expires with Notts soon.

22/09

WACA Woke p*ss take, or not?

WACA ‘no place for woke politics’ - let's just focus on the game.
Paul Garvey.
The Australian.
Friday, 22 September 2023.
PTG 4297-20969.

The latest person to leave the board of the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) has departed with a call for sporting organisations to steer clear of “woke” social causes amid ongoing tensions between members and administrators of the famous – and soon to be all but urinal-free – cricket ground. (PTG 4278-20890, 28 August 2023).  During a lengthy and at times heated Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday night, WACA chair Avril Fahey and chief executive Christina Matthews were bombarded with questions about the state of the ground’s $A163.4 million (£UK85m) redevelopment, the decision not to install urinals in the new northern area, and the ongoing concealment of a report into a procession of board member resignations.  

The meeting was closed to the media, but a recording of it has been obtained.  The bulk of questions from members were directed to the decision not to release any of the findings from the recent inquiry into the WACA’s governance. The inquiry was promised at last year’s AGM by acting chair Tom Percy KC after a push from members, and was completed in June, but the board has been at loggerheads over what if any of the report should be released.

Two former board members whose resignations helped lead to the inquiry have both confirmed they wished to have the report released (PTG 4293-20951, 17 September 2023)).  But Fahey said there were concerns about protecting the confidentiality of those who participated in the inquiry, saying:  “We wanted to find out what they really thought and protecting them through confidentiality was the best way that we thought that was appropriate. We are seeking further advice about what we can share.

Fahey also confirmed the contract recently signed by the WACA to begin construction of the new northern portion of the ground would not include the fit-out of the level two administration offices or level three function centre and members area. “This enabled us to bring the main works contract in price in line with the current funding available”, she said. “We remain committed to completing these two components. However, it was felt these are better done outside the main contract to provide additional time to value-engineer and ensure we could raise the funding to finalise these two elements”.

Members also heard the WACA was in the process of securing a multimillion-dollar overdraft facility to help it manage its cash flows through the construction phase. Its constitution prohibits the ground being used as security, and Fahey assured members the overdraft would be unsecured.  “We don‘t want to have to use it, but we need that coverage for our liquidity and for our cash flow to support WA cricket, and it’s prudent to do that”, she said.

Percy, a high-profile Perth lawyer who was required to step down from the board after serving his maximum term, used his farewell address to highlight the work needed to improve the organisation’s off-field environment.  “The starting point, and I make no secret of this, should be the release of the full report into the resignations”, he said. “I’ve never interpreted the word confidential as meaning that it shouldn’t be released to the members. But that’s out of my hands now.”

He also said while there was a lot of talk about inclusivity, his main focus was on ensuring the WACA was inclusive of its members. “My focus on the board was always to serve the members, reflect their views and focus on cricket rather than politics.  The tendency of other sporting bodies, to their shame in my view, like some Australian Football League clubs, to throw their weight and support behind every raggle-taggle woke cause that comes along is something that the WACA should resist. We’re a cricket club. If you want to be part of a political push, then join a political party. Let’s just focus on the game”.

Sue Redfern to become the first female umpire in a championship game, next week. 

21/09

Durham Division 2 Champions

20/09

The 2024 T20 World Cup is going to play havoc with the English season of 2024.

Venues include New York and Dallas

Modular Stadiums in US

Yes I know the plural of stadium should be stadia

19/09

English umpire set to stand in his 250th first class game.
PTG Editor.
Tuesday, 19 September 2023.
PTG 4294-20952.

English umpire Neil Bainton is a fairly rare species amongst the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) Professional Umpires Team (PUT) in that he is one of only a handful of the thirty-five that currently make up that group who did not play at first class level before turning to umpiring. Despite that, on Tuesday at the County Ground in Leicester where Leicestershire is to play Yorkshire, Bainton will walk out to stand in his 250th first class game, a milestone that comes in what is his 24th season supporting fixtures in the ECB’s County Championship.


Essex-born Bainton, who turns 53 next month and thus in theory at least potentially has another dozen years as an ECB match official, made his first class debut in 2000 at the age of just 29 in a game between Cambridge University and Middlesex. He told ’The Cricket Paper’ in an interview in 2016 that he was in his late teens when, playing for his club’s third XI, he realised he enjoyed the umpiring stints the players had to share between ­themselves when their side was batting more than he did playing the game. Soon after, he decided to give up playing ­altogether and see how far he could take his ­umpiring - which at 250 first class games, is a very long way.


Consequently he rose through the Essex League and County Second XI ranks, his debut in the latter competition coming just a few weeks before his 24th birthday, then ahead of the 2000 season whilst still in his late twenties, he was appointed to the ECB’s second-tier Reserve List. Elevation to the ECB’s then top-level Full List came in 2005 when he was 35, a group he has been a member of for the past 18 seasons and that now has the PUT title.


Bainton said in that 2016 interview that “Getting on with the players and player-management is key to being a good umpire at [County professional] level, as is not being too officious. It’s the ­players’ game and you’ve just got to be accepted into their group. A lot of the former players who umpire have that respect immediately from the current players. For the non-­players, it’s harder to get that respect but you do get accepted quite quickly. If you’ve progressed to that level and don’t make too many mistakes the ­players obviously feel that you’re good enough”.


Of those who currently make up the PUT, Bainton ranks third in terms of first class games umpired, after Neil Mallender, 62, who is currently on 307 (PTG 4003-19679, 20 September 2022), and Nigel Llong, 54, on 258 (PTG 4168-20416, 14 April 2023); both being former first class players and also Test umpires. In addition to his 250 first class games, Bainton has, to list just some of his contributions to the game, stood in 165 men’s and 13 women’s List A games, 183 men’s and 17 women’s T20s, 29 men’s Minor Counties fixtures, and 186 County Second XI games across all three formats.

18/09

Happy Birthday to Luke Fletcher

Bowled 7 overs on his Birthday for the 2s 

14/09

Hello,

After many a request, you’ll be pleased to hear I am finally getting a hair cut! 

All 14 inches of locks will be donated to the incredible charity, The Little Princess Trust. The Little Princess Trust provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or to other conditions such as Alopecia. The charity is also one of the largest funders of childhood cancer research in the UK.

It costs £550 to make one wig for a child. So in addition to hair, the charity needs funds to support their work. 

*Through your generous donations, we have now raised £743 for The Little Princess Trust. All additional donations will be donated to Dravet Syndrome UK in memory of Florence Dunn*.

Cheers,

Rory

justgivinglink

Bilal Shafayat joins aid charity in Morocco

13/09

ECB To Invest £2M on diversity projects

11/09

Not exactly book throwing at the Seaaxes by the ECB, unlike Durham's punishments in the past, more like a scrunched-up page from the book being gently lobbed. Their Chair is current doing their lines "I must get a plan, I must get a plan, I must get a plan"

read here