Save The County Championship - Summary of County Positions on Schedule Review

 

07/07

The Professional Game Committee meets tomorrow to review county feedback on the 5 options to amend the schedule.

Lancashire County Cricket Members Group have published this summary:

Surrey Somerset Middlesex Derbyshire Lancashire and Yorkshire members all appear to want to keep 14 CC games. So it will need all 12 of the remaining counties to insist on a reduction for that to happen.

County				Views on changes
Derbyshire				Chair given “personal view” that he doesn't support reducing county championship but no details on how the Club will vote. Have run a detailed member survey.
Essex				Not commented to members on possible options but sound like they support a reduction as this is universally agreed and say counties opposing reduction are just saying that to appease their members
Glamorgan				Firmly support reducing the schedule to meet player demands. SGM confidence vote has been called for 25 July.
Gloucestershire				Seem resigned to 12 CC games but promised to fight for an option to retain the Cheltenham festival
Kent				Told members they are not persuaded on reducing the amount of cricket
Lancashire				Club management support a modest reduction in the schedule but have not explained which options they prefer. Promised to give members a vote on the options put forward. Not yet confirmed whether this includes None of the above.
Leicestershire				Support a reduction to 12 CC games but want to see other options than a reduction to 12 Blast games
Middlesex				SGM passed resolutions opposing a reduction in CC and T20. Board has agreed to a Redline on reducing the CC.
Nottinghamshire				Have ran a member survey. Don't feel any of the options proposed are well defined enough to offer a view. Will not be rushed into a decision as want time to consult members
Somerset				Oppose a reduction in the schedule without an option that increases the days played in July and August. Willing to play CC under the 💯
Surrey				Oppose options to reduce 14CC games but support a reduction in Blast games.
Sussex				First to publicly support reducing the schedule to 12CC/12 T20 games.
Warwickshire				Support reducing schedule to 12CC/12 T20 games
Worcestershire				CEO confirmed that the schedule needed fewer games. The club prefers 12 CC and 12 Blast games.
Yorkshire				Members passed a resolution in 2022 that requires YCCC to seek formal member approval before it can agree to a reduction in the CC.

Fans Desire Summer Focus and Fairer Fixtures for County Cricket

A recent survey by the County Cricket Members Group (CCMG), with almost 1100 responses, reveals a clear mandate from fans for revitalizing county cricket, particularly the County Championship (CC).

The results highlight a strong desire to restore red-ball cricket’s prominence through better scheduling, no decrease in CC games, and enhanced competition integrity, while addressing the overshadowing impact of The Hundred.

Members want to play more CC games during the summer months of June, July, and August, especially in August when school holidays boost attendance potential. Fans are frustrated with the current schedule, which crams 50% of CC matches into April and May, often in cold, wet conditions, and sidelines red-ball cricket during peak summer due to The Hundred. “Playing Championship games in August, even alongside The Hundred, would draw crowds and nurture spin bowlers,” one respondent noted, echoing a sentiment shared by many.

Members want to spread CC fixtures evenly across the season, avoiding the current “speed-runs” in spring and autumn. This push for balance aims to ensure consistent fan engagement and fairer weather conditions, reducing the risk of rain-affected draws.

Structural reform also ranks high, with respondents wanting the championship winner to emerge from a league structure whereby all teams play each other home & away equally.

The One-Day Cup’s relegation to a second XI tournament during The Hundred’s August window drew ire, with fans urging its move to April or May to free summer for CC and ensure first XI participation. Just 20% of members want to keep the One Day Cup entirely in August.

Other notable requests include keeping weekend games for working fans and families, fewer T20 Blast games to ease fixture congestion, and better marketing of county cricket, with fans citing Surrey’s red-ball festival as a model. Encouraging England players to play county cricket when available and increasing out-ground usage also gained traction, emphasizing accessibility and player development.

Feeding in the players' views that the schedule has too much cricket in some periods and not enough at other times, particularly for red-ball players, the big unknown is just how many fewer games the PCA are asking for. Recent media reports and member forums suggest the the PCA want to see the 78 days currently scheduled reduced to 68. Players want breaks for rest & recuperation to be at their best when they do play and to reduce injury risks. The PCA point out that there has never been a greater choice or volume of cricket to watch with global franchise competitions adding to international cricket and now eight women's Tier 1 county teams (rising to 10 in 2027 and 12 in 2029). County members concerned about a reduction in men's cricket can support their women's teams as well. There is a limit on just how much professional cricket each county's square can cope with.

County finances is the great unspoken topic. No-one wants to talk about managing costs whilst lauding £500m imminent investment once the sale of the Hundred teams completes. The fact is that we are selling at least £40m out of the total £220m broadcast rights to the new owners of the eight teams. That's £2m per year lost income per first class county. Non-host counties can draw on perhaps £20m of capital over time to help re-build their balance sheets and invest in income generating facilities but they are going to face a future with lower ECB distributions and lower relevance as the focus shifts ever more to the Hundred teams. When even Surrey (£10m operating profit in 2024) are delaying opening the gates to one hour before start of play to save £200,000 of costs then you can be pretty sure many county Treasurers see the financial benefits of reduced fixtures.

All this makes the PCA position a little puzzling. They appear to believe that a 12% reduction in playing days won't result in smaller playing squads or reduced wages.

The proposed schedule of 12 CC games, 12 Blast games and 8 one day games trailed in the media seems to work only from a cost management and a top multi format player perspective.

No formal schedule has been done to illustrate the fixtures proposed but it may look something like this:

Start April 11th (week later): Play 3 CC games April, 3 in May and 2 in June. Blast: mid June to end July. August: One day cup/Hundred September: 3 or 4 CC games depending on the structure

Playing the Blast in one block in June/July means that the two first class games played in high summer will go. The two festival summer games at Scarborough will have to go to early June, or as it is still term-time at Cheltenham College just go altogether which many will lament after 154 years of history to the fixture.

It doesn't do much for counties that had just four days' cricket to showcase in the summer holidays last year. At least this year there is one CC game as well as 4 one day cup games.

Play-offs or finals could add interest to the finale of the season with games of high jeopardy. There is 1.5 more hours of daylight at the beginning of April than the end of September which makes completing that crucial final much more of a lottery. Bob Willis Trophy final at Lords on 28 September, scheduled for five days, started at 1030. Just 9 overs later, Lancashire were 12-6 and the game was effectively done, bad luck if your train to London was late that morning.

There's a lot of discontent with the proposed schedule and we risk keeping the status quo. Why not fix one thing at a time? The Blast needs a re-fresh. The games need to be spread out more. Let's go back to 2013 to having 90 not 126 group games. It increased because Sky wanted to show more games, which they no longer wish to do. That will solve the players concerns about back-to-back games with long late night travel. Fans are voting with their wallets. Sales are 15-18% down this year. Just five counties have increased their T20 audiences since 2019. There's a very good argument that fewer games, put on a better times, with more spacing will be just as, if not more, profitable.

There doesn't appear to be the appetite amongst county bosses to move half the one-day cup to April and play two rounds of the CC alongside the Hundred. Attitudes are shifting as evidenced by Somerset - arguably the worst hit county by the Hundred - being willing to do this in order to host more cricket matches in peak summer. It does have much greater support amongst county members though. Over 90% would prefer that option to simply culling two CC games. Perhaps that can be looked at again after the Hundred sales complete and we see what impact that has on player drafts and county availability.

The member survey underscores a passionate fan-base eager to protect county cricket’s heritage. By prioritizing summer scheduling, fair fixtures, and a robust One-Day Cup, the CCMG’s findings offer a roadmap for the ECB to restore balance to a domestic calendar strained by short-format priorities. As one respondent put it, “County cricket is the soul of the game—let’s give it the stage it deserves.”

04/07

As many of you know, there is a review underway on the schedule for the 2026 domestic season. We wanted to write to all Surrey Members and Supporters to outline the Club’s position on the proposed options.

The purpose of this review is for the counties to consider how we can make English domestic cricket’s competitions the very best in the world. We want the competitions to continue to produce international cricketers and to prepare players to take the next step in their professional journey.

County Championship:

Firstly, it is no secret at Surrey of our commitment and support for the best possible red-ball cricket competition. This is for the betterment of the entire game, as red-ball cricket develops the technical and mental skillsets of cricketers in a unique way. It is the foundation of the sport at a technical level and commercially, Test Match cricket is the backbone of the lucrative deal between the ECB and Sky Sports that provides a vital income source for all the counties.

We believe that the Rothesay County Championship is the best domestic red-ball competition in the world in terms of the quality of cricket, quality of players and the support from cricket fans across the country. To maintain this position, we are backing the proposal of maintaining 14 County Championship fixtures each year, with a shift in the divisional structure to see eight teams in Division 1 playing each other home and away, with a ten team Division 2.

An eight-team top division ensures that the best teams and the best players are playing each other more regularly, in varied conditions. It will continue to prepare players to take the next step in their developmental journey, whether that be at international level or playing in some of the high-quality white ball franchise cricket competitions. It also gives the competition integrity with all teams playing each other home and away, crucial in retaining supporters’ engagement and the proposition to broadcast and commercial partners.

There is so much potential for the competition to grow its fan base. We have seen crowds double in just five years here at the Kia Oval and huge numbers of younger fans come through the gates and learn to love the format. The red-ball game needs all the counties to get behind it, to prioritise it and to promote it. It is a unique and historic sporting competition, and we should embrace it for the benefit of the whole game.

We do however acknowledge and understand the impact of the current schedule on players’ workloads and agree that there is scope for a reduction in the playing calendar.

Vitality Blast:

We would see this reduction happening in the Vitality Blast competition. The current schedule sees too many fixtures where teams are playing up to three times in a week, often in three different locations. Incorporating travel and training into this schedule and the mental and physical challenges that come with this is unsustainable and impacts the wellbeing of the players and quality of the competition.

From a commercial viewpoint, it is incredibly challenging to sell several fixtures in a short period of time, encouraging fans to return say three times in 10 days is a tough sell for those with a Membership, let alone those who want to come to multiple fixtures through General Admission.

The Vitality Blast is a high-quality competition where fans can see their homegrown heroes and international superstars play but it needs to be re-energised to reinvigorate fans and arrest the decline in attendances which no county has been immune from.

We believe that there is space for the Vitality Blast to not only survive but to thrive; creating a distinctly different offer to the Hundred that speaks to the history and tradition of the county game whilst emphasising the dynamic and exciting nature of the format. Crucial to this is bringing Finals Day back much closer to the conclusion of the group stages to maintain the momentum and interest in the competition.

One Day Cup:

We are comfortable with the current scheduling of the One Day Cup. Whilst it means that we are missing many of our players due to The Hundred, it provides valuable development opportunities for our cricketers to step up into the first team squad in white ball competitions.

Ultimately, whilst there are challenges around the schedule there are also significant opportunities to improve the game for players and supporters. We believe that a healthy and thriving domestic game will not only create great cricketers for England but also continue to build a passionate fan base that will get behind the game.

Oli Slipper, Chair, and Steve Elworthy, CEO at Surrey CCC        

Alec Stewart, High Performance Cricket Advisor at Surrey CCC, said “The County Championship is a high quality competition and it’s vital that any changes we make will maintain that. There’s a worry that if we undermine the integrity of the competition then it could impact the quality of players that we can produce for England.

“Giving the best players the opportunity to play with and against each other more often is the most sensible way to help young cricketers to develop their technical and mental skillsets in a range of conditions throughout the year.”

Rory Burns, Captain at Surrey CCC, said "It’s important to maintain the volume of cricket that plays such a crucial role in a player’s development. County Cricket prepares you for international cricket, you have time on task and you build the resilience you need at the highest level.

“I’d like to see a division structure where you are playing all teams home and away to win the County Championship title. The four-day game is about testing yourselves against the best opposition in different conditions and over the long season, the team who comes out top will have had to earn it throughout the year.”

02/07

Following on from the below forum, Jamie Cox, Somerset CEO has written to members

Domestic Playing Programme – Message from our CEO and Chair


Dear valued Somerset Member,

At the outset, we would like to thank you all for the incredible support that you have provided for our Somerset men’s and women’s teams in 2025. Your on-going support is an incredible asset of the Club and greatly appreciated. Our Vitality Blast crowds have remained strong while our Rothesay County Championship crowds are up 20 percent so far this season, which is testament to the passion Somerset crowds have for red-ball cricket. To have also had 2000 people attend a stand-alone Somerset Women’s Vitality Blast match recently was a stamp of approval for the exciting growth of women’s cricket in the region.

You will undoubtedly be aware that the ECB is currently undertaking a much-publicised review of the men’s fixtures in time for the 2026 season. This process has gained some understandable commentary across social and mainstream media channels of late and, given its relevance to all who love the game, we thought it worthwhile to ensure that the facts of the situation, as well as our consolidated Club views on the review, are presented clearly to our Members and supporters. These messages were shared directly with Members at an in-person forum on Monday night at the Cooper Associates County Ground.

Our Club’s stated purpose is to ‘Inspire the South West through cricket’. The key to that is putting on inspiring cricket matches, which can be enjoyed by players and spectators alike, at our magical home ground. We have consistently communicated to the cricket authorities that we do not favour any reduction of playing content (i.e. less cricket) as an outcome of the review and nothing has changed our minds, as the debate has matured and options put forward. We do, however, remain supportive of reducing congestion within the schedule and have provided some practical suggestions as to how this can be achieved. These suggestions include playing four-day cricket during August when The Hundred is on and ‘unblocking’ the Blast. So far, these suggestions have not been seriously considered.

You may have noticed one of the key motivations for a possible reduction in content is to ease player workload. We know that we have multi-format players at Somerset who need to have their workloads managed, both to mitigate injury and to enable them to perform at their best when listed to play. You will witness this frequently, particularly when fixtures fall close together. Whilst we know it is a topic of regular debate amongst fans, we would like to think that most trust and understand the reasoning even if they don’t agree with every decision. In short, we see workload management as a critical function of our Club, through our Sports Science & Medicine experts, in consultation with the players themselves and our coaches. It is not the job of the fixture schedule!

The workload of our dedicated staff is also a concern. That has become more of a challenge with the exciting development of women’s cricket in Somerset which has meant, for example, more pitches to prepare and more matches to steward. We are working to ensure that we are set up correctly for the 2026 season.

Regardless of these pressures, we are a Club united in our love of playing and hosting cricket.

England possesses one of the great cricket nurseries in the world, and this is largely due to its playing culture and the variety of playing opportunities available domestically. We believe this to be a really important point. Cricket is a game that you learn most of all by playing rather than training, and as we head into this new landscape of private investment, we must be very careful to not break irretrievably, the characteristics that have served the game so well for so long.

For completeness, the options currently under discussion can be summarised as follows:



Vitality Blast Proposal

There is currently only one, which is a tournament from mid-May through to July, finishing before the commencement of The Hundred.

This will consist of:
• Three regionalised groups of six, aiming to maintain rivalries (although perhaps our largest current rivalry against Surrey would be a victim of this new format).
• 12 matches per team (10 within-group, home and away, 2 inter-group).
• Quarter-Finals and Finals Day as per the existing model.

We have not been immune to a nationwide trend in declining Blast ticket sales across the past few seasons, but it remains a much-loved product at Taunton and critical to our business success. A suggested improvement has been ensuring that matches are scheduled at times that fans want to watch, as all venues have their preferred timeslots. The future success of T20 cricket demands this, above all else. However, a concession from ECB that a reduction in content does not actually guarantee better timeslots has reinforced our view that 14 Blast fixtures is an imperative for us.

In summary, we do not support this current proposal or, in fact, any reduction in Vitality Blast content, nor do we support a change from the current North/South format, which we believe has served the game so well. In our mind, the proposed model represents change for changes sake and risks further decline in what we know is a critical product. T20 cricket brings the Cooper Associates County Ground alive and is a key to us inspiring the South West through cricket and generating an annual business surplus.

Rothesay County Championship Proposals

Option 1

Maintain the current two-division system and 14 games, with a return to an eight-team 1st Division and ten-team 2nd Division, to raise the standard and add home and away symmetry to Division 1.

There are some complications in transition, and it is likely to be unpopular with any counties concerned about there being less opportunities in Division 1, but we support this as the model which provides the best competition and is, we believe, the fairest of the alternatives.

Option 2

Same as the current structure… but with less cricket! i.e. 10-team Division 1 and eight-team Division 2, but with a reduction to 12 games. We argue that, if preferred, this model can also be played across 14 games, as it is now! It is not a model we support however, as we believe any home and away symmetry belongs in Division 1.

Option 3

Two-tier conferences of six plus Finals Series (13 games). The top 12 teams are divided into two groups of six, each playing ten matches. The top three from each group then enter a brief September league to determine the champion. The remaining teams compete for promotion or relegation. Whilst this has supporters, the jury is out on whether this approach could actually be scheduled, due to the need to reset after 10 rounds, let alone being easy to follow for Members and supporters. As a consequence, we do not support this concept.

Option 4

Conference model with two groups of six in an upper division and a bottom group of six. Similar to Option 3, but the main difference is that it concludes with a single, winner-takes-all, match between the winner of conference A and conference B. It is easier to schedule and to follow than Option 3. One of the two most consistent teams in the country throughout the year will win the County Championship. Additionally, teams have a two in six chance of moving out of the bottom league. We have argued that this model can easily scale up to 13 or 14 matches, which then just leaves the choice between preferring to play a final or having a league table. We do not support this as a 12-match option.

Option 5

Three groups of six teams with playoffs and 12 matches in total. There would be no promotion or relegation as all teams start the season with a chance to win the Championship. It resembles the model used during Covid, which was played regionally and also involved 14 matches. We like the fact that any of the First Class Counties can win at the start of the season but we do not support a reduction in matches.



As expressed, Option 1 is the only model which has support from Somerset CCC, and you may have read that there is at least one other quite powerful ally in this conversation.

Our position across both competitions is not a popular one but we feel it is important for us to stand strong behind something which supports our Club and region, particularly at a time of incredible change and uncertainty in the game.

Jamie Cox
SCCC CEO

Sir Michael Barber
SCCC CHAIR

01/07

Yesterday, Somerset had their Members' Special Schedule Forum. Somerset supporters that were present, this morning reported that they had been presented with same options as Notts members were given last week along with the same "excuses" for reducing the amount of cricket.

The Somerset hierachy however, have a differing attitude and outlook to our Ms Pursehouse and her pals, in that they have good crowds (making it profittable) for all cricket and subscribe to rotating their squad to manage workloads for their players, so are opposed to cutting either the Championship or the Blast, favouring the "Surrey option" to not reduce cricket at all. Supporters were led to believe that it was only Surrey and Somerset that were favouring the option for 14 County Championship matches per season. 

Somerset members say that their Chair and executive were given a "clear mandate" to pursue agreement [with a majority of county heads] for maintaining present levels of both the Championship and the Blast.

Incidentally the Trent Bridge Power Couple were making themselves conspicuous along with her well heeled puppy, today at Taunton.

[apparent they had been there on days 1 and 2, but prior to the Somerset Forum, kept a low profile. The ECB's Richard Gould was also in Taunton for the said forum]

Conspiracy theorist, discuss...

Royal Tour?

WHERE DOES IT ALL GO FROM HERE?

28/06

Hi Everyone,

 

Apologies if I get the tone of this email wrong, but I’m not at all happy.

 

1. It’s now seven days since the members forum, where I felt we were patronised, and we have not seen the slides yet. I’ve switched my view from cock-up to conspiracy on this one now (don’t bother saying ‘I told you so’!). I think information is being deliberately withheld from us unnecessarily and foolishly as resentment seems to be building at least amongst the members I talk to.
2. You will be aware that I sent the results of ‘our’ survey to the club more than a week ago. I have not had the courtesy of an acknowledgement from either the Chair or the CEO. That’s just plain rude. They don’t have to read it f course, or take any notice, but common politeness would be good. Incidentally, I do have the email addresses of some of the committee and did get a fast and polite response from Frazer M, Dave G and Di P. The others were not contacted directly because I have no way of doing so, despite them being our elected representatives.

 

So – what are our options. I can think of three as of now (please suggest others):

 

1. Use the 100 signatures to call an EGM to discuss the motion circulated with the request for signatures.
2. Seek another 100 signatures to call a meeting to debate a vote of no confidence in the Chair/committee.
3. Seek another 100 signatures to call a meeting to debate a motion ‘reprimanding the committee for its behaviour over the ECB’s schedule review’.

 

I would very much welcome feedback (positive or negative) on these issues.

 

Best wishes,

 

Nick Evans

24 Enfield St

Beeston

Nottingham

NG9 1DN

26/06

EVENING FORUM AT DERBY

Derbyshire’s next Members’ Forum will take place on Wednesday 9 July (6.30pm start) in the Members’ Lounge at The Central Co-op County Ground.

The meeting will focus on the ECB Domestic Schedule Review and give Members the opportunity to discuss the latest updates with the Club’s Board.

There are currently no confirmed proposals put forward by the ECB, however it is expected that there will be more information to discuss with Members by the date of this Forum.

Timings
Members’ Forum: 6.30pm – 8.00pm

Members subscribed to receive email communication have been sent details of how to pre-register for the Forum.

Counties to vote on radical shake-up to cut matches from domestic cricket

• Latest attempt to trim fixture list expected to go ahead

• Both Championship and Twenty20 Blast would change

• 
  

Matt Hughes 22/06

The 18 first-class counties will this week finalise plans to cut the County Championship and Twenty20 Blast to 12 matches in each competition next season in a significant restructure of the domestic game.

The most recent attempt by the England and Wales Cricket Board to cut the fixture list was thwarted three years ago, when a review led by Sir Andrew Strauss calling for a 10-match Championship season was rejected by the counties, but after three months of talks there is now widespread agreement on reducing the volume of cricket despite complaints from county members.

County cricket: Kent punish Anderson’s Lancs, Bethell and Archer made to wait

Read more

The counties are understood to have agreed to cut the T20 Blast from 14 group-stage fixtures to 12, allowing finals day to be brought forward to the end of July before the start of the Hundred, with this week’s meetings to focus on a restructure of the County Championship. A consultation process led by the ECB’s professional game committee (PGC) gave the counties five different options for next season, with two to be put forward after the meetings of the counties before a final decision in July.

It is understood that both proposed options to be taken forward will involve cutting the Championship fixture list to 12 matches. The most radical proposal involves creating a 12-team Division One, split across two pools of six, with a six-team Division Two underneath.

Each team in the two Division One pools would play 10 games against each other home and away, plus two additional fixtures against sides from the other pool. The winners of both pools after 12 matches would then play off in September for the County Championship title, with the bottom county in each pool being relegated.

The six Division Two teams would also play 12 matches, with some playing each other three times in a lopsided fixture list, and the winners of the league being promoted automatically. The second- and third‑placed teams would also play off at the end of the season for the right to be promoted.

The alternative option to be put forward would maintain the existing 10-team Division One and eight‑team Division Two format, but with a cut to 12 games. There would be no playoff title decider, but the second- and third-placed teams in Division Two would face each other for the second promotion place.

Other options proposed by the PGC, including three conferences of six followed by playoffs, a midseason split similar to that used by the Scottish Premier League and keeping the current 14-game, two-division structure, are set to be rejected. Sources involved in the discussions said that the 12/6 split is regarded as the favoured format to be adopted, with the final decision to be made next month.

A two-thirds majority of counties is required if the matter is put to a vote, although if a consensus emerges that may not be necessary. Removing two rounds of Championship fixtures would also enable the One-Day Cup to be split, with five rounds taking place in April and another five in August during the Hundred, giving more players the opportunity to play 50-over cricket.

The County Championship schedule was last cut from 16 to 14 matches before the 2017 season, but with the volume of global franchise cricket having increased significantly since, and the Hundred now taking up all of August, there is a growing acceptance that a further reduction is required. The players are strongly in favour of less cricket, with 83% of respondents to a Professional Cricketers’ Association survey published in May citing physical concerns over their workload, and 67% believing the schedule is detrimental to their mental health.

21/06

As we are to soon enter a point of switching formats, it appears this is one area that those pulling the strings believe can be used to highlight a need to reduce the volume of cricket - see below

Our CEO and the chair must have had similar meetings with committees etc, so why have they not shared these A - E Options (below) and the [some might see flawed] arguments for change/cuts?

They will do very well to present all these in a clear, fair, unbiased and effective manner in the 30 minutes a lunch break generally permits and that's before there's any discussion or feedback on Sunday.

"When does the consultation start?", I hear a call from the back asking.

20/06

Dear member

As promised in last week’s newsletter, I want to update you on the ongoing discussions around the future shape of the domestic cricket season. Over the weekend, the game-wide Steering Group shared a set of proposals, which we reviewed during an in-depth Members' Committee meeting on Monday evening.

The session lasted nearly four hours and highlighted the importance - and complexity - of the issues at hand. Ahead of the wider Member consultation during the Members Forum planned for the lunch interval on Monday, I’ve tried to summarise the options and discussions. In the pursuit of brevity, I’ve had to leave out some detail but I will fill in the gaps when we meet. However, this hopefully gives you a feel for the options and how the Members' Committee viewed them.

The Case For Change
The structure of the domestic cricket season has been a long-standing topic of debate. However, the sense now is that it’s time for decisive action - to create sustainable formats and a workable schedule that can serve the game well into the future. Key challenges include:

- Player Welfare:
The current calendar - running from early April to late September with frequent format changes and back-to-back fixtures - is impacting performance, player development and wellbeing. Fewer matches are likely to reduce injury rates.

- Member and Fan Engagement:
Audiences are declining. Rothesay County Championship struggles to attract new supporters, with concerns about a lack of jeopardy and elite-level quality. Vitality Blast attendances have also dropped sharply over the past two years, with scheduling and format cited as key issues.

- Logistical Pressures:
International fixtures, the growth of the women’s game, and the fixed window for The Hundred mean that it’s impossible to schedule the current volume of games in a way that addresses issues. This means that the wickets are being exhausted and Ground Staff are under unsustainable pressure to maintain pitch quality.

Members' Committee unanimously agreed that the status quo is not sustainable.

Guiding Principles
Members' Committee heard that the game-wide Steering Group evaluated proposals against three criteria:

- Player welfare and performance:  
Promoting 'best v best' to elevate quality and support England player development.

- Audience growth (attendances and broadcast):  
Through more competitive, engaging fixtures with stronger narratives and 'best v best' cricket.

- Stakeholder alignment: 
Ensuring Members’ interests and your passion for the Rothesay County Championship is central to any changes.

Once agreed, changes to the Rothesay County Championship and Vitality Blast will remain in place until at least 2031 to provide long-term clarity. Due to a number of counties wanting to review what cricket is played under The Hundred, and also the long-term future of 50-over cricket, the Metro Bank One Day Cup will stay unchanged for three years and be reviewed thereafter.

Vitality Blast: Rebuilding Momentum
The proposed reforms aim to restore the competition’s relevance and appeal:

- A continuous tournament from mid-May to July - finishing before The Hundred starts.
- Three groups of six, preserving local derbies (e.g. Bears v Pears).
- 12 matches per team: 10 within the group, 2 against teams from other groups with rotation of groups up for discussion.
- Even distribution of fixtures, focused on weekends for better attendance.
- Greater attention to travel and player recovery - aiming for 24 hour gaps between games.
- Quarter Finals and Finals Day held in July, ensuring maximum player availability.

Members' Committee broadly supported these proposals but stressed the need for serious marketing investment to reverse declining interest.

Rothesay County Championship: Five Structural Options
The Steering Group proposals reflected a majority (but not unanimous) view from the game that player welfare is an issue that needs to be addressed by a slight reduction in games, but there were different ways of doing this – and a 14 game option was included for comparison:

- Option A: 8/10 Divisions (14 Games)
Division 1 teams play each other (home and away) but it was felt that this is really 'status quo' and doesn’t address fixture congestion, player welfare or audience engagement. 

- Option B: 10/8 Divisions (12 Games)
The reduction improves player welfare, but two games felt a bridge too far and did little to enhance competitiveness or narrative. Again, tinkering and more of the same really.

- Option C: Two-Tier Conference + Finals Series (13 Games)
Top 12 teams split into two 'top tier' groups of 6, while bottom 6 in a 'lower tier'. Each team plays 10 group games and then the groups split: top 3 in each of the top tiers merge and play 3 games in a September 'finals series' to decide on the County Championship winner. Bottom 3 and those in lower tier involved in relegation/promotion play-offs. Creates 'high jeopardy' games throughout, especially in September. This was positively received - a strong balance of competition, welfare, and tradition. However, scheduling challenges around the final rounds in September would need to be resolved.

- Option D: Two-Tier Conference + One-Off Final (12 Games plus '13th game' Final)
Similar to Option C, but replaces the finals series with a one-match final. Each team plays ten games in their group and two from the other conference. The top teams in the top two groups then play each other in a 'winner takes all' Final. This emulates models from other sports and global red-ball leagues. However, the weather/impact of the toss and the jeopardy of a 'winner takes all' game after a long season were concerns. It also means that the majority of counties will only play 12 games.

- Option E: 3 Groups of 6 + Playoffs (12 Games)
All teams can win the Championship but lacks promotion/relegation and could lead to more 'dead rubbers.' There was a concern that quality players would be spread too thinly, weakening overall standards. It also removed the jeopardy of promotion/relegation and teams' desire to strive for higher standards.

Members' Committee felt that there’s no perfect solution, but consensus leaned toward Option C. It strikes a balance between innovation and tradition, encourages competitive cricket, and reduces player load modestly. If logistics prove unworkable, Option D was the preferred fallback.

Crucially, the Committee felt that this is a pivotal moment. Bold but considered changes now could secure a healthier future for the domestic game, delivering better cricket for Members and safeguarding the development of elite players.

Next Steps
I’ll walk through these proposals in greater detail at the Members Forum during the Somerset game on Monday 23 June, and have some graphics to help explain each format. It’s difficult to get everything across easily in the confines of a newsletter. I will then ask those present for their views and thoughts.

Following that, we’ll take the feedback from the forum and Members' Committee session to the Club Board. This will form the basis of our response to the ECB ahead of their July decision.

Take care.


Stuart Cain
Chief Executive

14/06

Hi Everyone,

 

See below for an example of a club communicating about building projects (when did we last hear anything at all about the pavilion?), consultations and the Franchise agreements (when was the last update from Notts about this?).

 

Best wishes,

 

Nick Evans

24 Enfield St

Beeston

Nottingham

NG9 1DN

Well Nick, we were told the roof would be coming off, carefully, at the last members' forum and that the Franchise partners would be finalising the partnership with ??? very soon, at the same meeting.

Since then, everyone can see the roof has almost all gone now and that building work can start upwards. They need to crack -on!

Hi ,

Apologies, it’s been a while since my last note, but the season is now well underway and as ever, there is lots going on.

2026 Domestic Schedule Review:
Speculation is rife about what might, or might not, be happening from 2026, but the genuine answer is that we haven’t received final proposals yet from the ECB steering group set up to discuss the matter.  We should get these by the weekend and have set up a Member’s Committee meeting to discuss on Monday 16 June. From there, we would like to have a wider Member’s discussion during lunch at the Somerset County Championship game on Monday 23 June. We’ve chosen that date/time as we know that the County Championship is probably the most contentious part of the discussions and Members have fed back before that they prefer to speak during a game. Regardless, I will try to keep you informed as things develop.

A reasonable start to the men's cricket:
It’s still early days, but we’ve had a better start to the County Championship this year with new recruits Ethan Bamber, Tom Latham and Beau Webster really making their mark, supported well by a host of players with bat and ball – it was particularly pleasing to see Chris Woakes and Chris Rushworth in action at Worcestershire. Whilst we were beaten by the weather at New Road, you could argue it got us out of jail against Nottinghamshire so perhaps things do even themselves out over the season. Ian Westwood has settled well, brilliantly supported by Matt Walker. It’s a great combination – Westy dreams about the Bears in his sleep and knows what it takes to win, and Matt has the ‘battle scars’ to support him having been Head Coach at Kent. The new Performance Director, James Thomas, started in early June and has hit the ground running with 2026 recruitment his key short-term focus and conversations are well underway with targets that will improve the squad. On the flipside, it was disappointing to see Isaac Ali move to New Road. We spoke to his representatives and said we would sign him on a Rookie contract at the end of the season if he continued to progress as expected, but Worcestershire offered him the kind of speculative deal rarely seen in county cricket – so, we wish him well.

And the same with the Bears Women:
After some good work from Ali Maiden, Head Coach, pre-season, It’s great to see the women’s professional team take shape, with strong performances in the County Cup and early Vitality Blast games. Whilst the whole team has done well, there have been stand-out games from a range of players including Laura Harris, Nat Wraith, Davina Perrin, Charis Pavely and Sterre Kalis. The One Day Cup was tougher, but it really helped give some of the team’s younger members much needed experience that means they will be able to go in to 2026 much better equipped to compete. As with the men, we’re looking at recruitment but options are more limited in the women’s game as the pool of players is smaller and many of those who moved professional last year signed two year deals, but we do hope to bring some fresh faces in for 2026. It was also good to see Emily Arlott in an England shirt for the first time, and Issy Wong get a well-deserved recall.

Be kind:
One thing we’ve noticed this season is an increase in aggressive behavior towards staff from small pockets of the Membership, whether it be in the Tom Dollery or the Premium Member areas. At this stage, it’s not a big deal, but please just remember that we’re all part of the Bear’s family and should be pulling together. Nobody comes to work trying to upset Members, and I’m really proud of how hard everyone works to try and give you a great day out. If we get it wrong, we have to accept that, but what we shouldn’t have to accept is abuse or derogatory behavior. Hopefully this will sort itself out, but if it doesn’t we will take action that may include exclusion for really poor behaviour.

Re-development update:
Plans are going well for the re-development of the Raglan and Priory stands, we hope to appoint contractors shortly and begin work in September. The plan is that the existing stands are demolished by Christmas, and the new frame structure is built in time for the 2026 season, but that does mean that there won’t be any seating in that area of the ground next year. The plan is still to have the new stand and hotel open in time for the Ashes in 2027. Further details and a flythrough will be added to the website over coming months.

The Hundred and Birmingham Phoenix:
We are getting closer to sorting out the legals and signing the deal – it’s taken a lot longer than anticipated, but I think that’s beneficial as it means all of the investors have had the time to talk things through with the ECB so we all understand how things will work once the deal is done. Knighthead are proving to be excellent partners, adding value where it matters but leaving us to manage the cricket as part of the wider Bears stable. Due to the delays, the ECB will continue to run the competition, as they have done historically, but we plan to invest additional funds in marketing and commercial so that we can build up a head of steam before taking over properly in 2026.

I will leave it there for now, but with the India Test Match approaching, as well as the World Championship of Legends, alongside the stand re-development, 2026 schedule review and completion of the Hundred deal there is plenty to keep us occupied on and off the field.

As ever, get in touch if there is anything specific you would like to discuss and I hope to see some of you at the Member’s Forum during the Somerset game on Monday 23 June.

Take care.

Stuart Cain
Chief Executive
 

Hi Folks,

 

These are the results from the Middlesex members’ survey. Note how much better it is than the feeble (deliberately) effort at a survey Notts have done. Note Derbyshire have done a similar one as they seem to actually be interested in their members’ views.

 

MEMBERS’ SURVEY | TOPLINE FINDINGS AND RESULTS

 

Our thanks go to the 1,100+ members who took time to provide us with their feedback in our latest Members’ survey, which focussed on the ECB’s current review of the domestic playing schedule for 2026 onwards.

 

A more detailed analysis of the survey will be presented and discussed at the forthcoming Members’ Forum and SGM on 26th June 2025, however, please see below a summarised top-line view on the feedback provided by members.

 

The survey focussed on five main areas, as follows:

 

1. Which, of the three main cricketing formats, do our members prefer?

 

(Members were asked to specify how much they value each format of the game by providing a score between 0 and 10, with 0 being least valued and 10 being most valued)

 

County Championship

 

Vote of 0-5 - 1%

 

Vote of 6 to 8 - 7%

 

Vote of 9 to 10 - 92%

 

T20 Blast

 

Vote of 0-5 - 38%

 

Vote of 6 to 8 - 43%

 

Vote of 9 to 10 - 19%

 

One-Day Cup

 

Vote of 0-5 - 19%

 

Vote of 6 to 8 - 51%

 

Vote of 9 to 10 - 31%

 

Question Two – is the current volume of Cricket (78 days out of the 178 days in the season) too much/little/about right?

 

Far too little cricket being played - 7%

 

Too Little cricket being played - 25%

 

Volume of cricket is about right - 55%

 

Too much cricket being played - 13%

 

Question Three – within the existing 78 playing days – how should that – ideally – be split by format?

 

Nearly all Members want either the same number of Championship games (45%) or 1-2 more games (44%). Almost all the remainder (7%) want even more Championship games than that. To find the extra match days Members were much more likely to sacrifice T20 games than One Day Cup.

 

We also asked respondents to do the same exercise on two hypothetically reduced formats – first with 74 days and then just 70 days cricket across the whole season. In both scenarios, the overwhelming desire for red ball cricket remained, whatever happened.

 

Question Four – what format do Members believe should be played alongside the Hundred?

 

66% of Middlesex Members would favour playing Championship cricket in August compared to 54% favouring the current arrangement of One Day Cup.

 

At 32% the lowest number favoured T20 alongside the Hundred.

 

Looking at the other end of the scale – just a quarter of Members would be against playing red ball at the same time vs 19% against the current arrangement.

 

Question Five – how would changes in the number of Games played by format impact membership renewal?

 

To answer this question, we asked Members how likely they were to renew on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being “would certainly not renew” and 10 being “would certainly renew”).

 

If schedule remained the same: Average score of 7.5

 

If schedule included more Championship cricket: Average score of 7.7

 

If schedule included less Championship cricket: Average score of 4

 

Best wishes,

 

Nick Evans

24 Enfield St

Beeston

Nottingham

NG9 1DN