Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Durhamfootman wrote:it sounds off topic, but it isn't really. Seemingly the North East of England has had no covid related deaths for 11 days and in Co Durham there were only 15 new confirmed cases last week. It shouldn't be beyond the wit of anyone to give the Riverside the thumbs up for members to attend home red ball matches.

I'd have thought so. It surely must be feasible. I guess they're reliant on the government but it's hard to see how sparsely attended 4 day games could be considered too risky. Although a story in the paper suggested the final of the 4 day competition might be the earliest game to not be behind closed doors.

presumably that means the final will be played before any of the matches that make all the money, or is that me being cynical?

Durhamfootman wrote:presumably that means the final will be played before any of the matches that make all the money, or is that me being cynical?

No. I think you are probably spot on.

I think attendance will be limited to members only so there will be no new revenue stream anyway.

westoelad wrote:I think attendance will be limited to members only so there will be no new revenue stream anyway.

Yes. That seems likely I think.

The trial match at Edgbaston has a limit of a maximum number of 1000 spectators per day. I wonder what the average daily attendance has been in recent years across the country.

captaincolly wrote:The trial match at Edgbaston has a limit of a maximum number of 1000 spectators per day. I wonder what the average daily attendance has been in recent years across the country.

Wisden quotes the total attendances for the whole season.
Yorkshire 54000 top followed by Middlesex 40000.
Surprisingly Edgbaston is 17000 only marginally above Durham 16000.
Edgbaston,therefore,has average daily attendance of 17000/28 i.e <700, much the same as Durham.
The pilot should prove successful which should logically lead to limited attendance at the county games which follow. All depends though on what's happened to Boris' vectors.

westoelad wrote:

captaincolly wrote:The trial match at Edgbaston has a limit of a maximum number of 1000 spectators per day. I wonder what the average daily attendance has been in recent years across the country.

Wisden quotes the total attendances for the whole season.
Yorkshire 54000 top followed by Middlesex 40000.
Surprisingly Edgbaston is 17000 only marginally above Durham 16000.
Edgbaston,therefore,has average daily attendance of 17000/28 i.e <700, much the same as Durham.
The pilot should prove successful which should logically lead to limited attendance at the county games which follow. All depends though on what's happened to Boris' vectors.

Thanks. Durham higher than I thought in attendances.

I can't remember where I read it, but the daily average across county cricket is around 450 spectators. Think it was dobell who came up with the figure

sussexpob wrote:I can't remember where I read it, but the daily average across county cricket is around 450 spectators. Think it was dobell who came up with the figure

No, that's way out,assuming that Wisden 2020 figures are official and accurate. Perhaps Dobell was quoting attendances for one particular day which would be quite credible if it was a chilly early season day.

given that the 2020 season is due to get under way in a week and a half, I'm wondering when a fixture list is going to be published.

westoelad wrote:No, that's way out,assuming that Wisden 2020 figures are official and accurate. Perhaps Dobell was quoting attendances for one particular day which would be quite credible if it was a chilly early season day.

No idea, but I am sceptical of any figure considering the absolute non-existence of any statistics to base it on. I dont know if you Durham members (I assume at least one of you lot are a member) ever read those AGM or end of year reports you get, but I get 400 pages of detailed documents that never ever give you CC match day attendances, while on the counter I get to know how many hot dogs were sold with or without mustard and what percentage of them were sold with a sprite for every limited overs game. Sussex dont even separate the match day revenues of CC games into an isolated revenue stream, so I wonder how anyone could come up with an estimate of attendances for each game considering the detail provided for everything else. I have to assume the numbers are so low, its not worth it.

If its true 3000 odd people are turning up over 4 days, would that be the case? And why would the end of year accounts pretty much say T20 accounts for all of the revenue if CC accounted for 40 percent of the match day turn out of it? It doesnt sound creditible to me, you are welcome to believe what you want.

Punters paying on the door is just added to match revenues across formats, so I have a suspicion that they may calculate attendances assuming all members have "bought" a ticket or will have attended automatically. I certainly know in the past when I have tried to look through other counties the same is reflected. The ECB and counties have zero public information released concerning attendances, I have never found any creditable stats on it having tried many, many times. I even asked the question in an AGM about CC attendances a couple of years ago and got no answer.

Another clue to the reliability of any figures is the progression in recent years. The stats always remained the same, or very very similar, for aggregate attendances in recent yeas where you can find them; but I find that incredibly hard to believe when 44 percent less cricket in the CC was played at the weekend from 2018, and from 2016 (I think) 2 matches in the format were lost. So is it likely attendances were the same across all matches as a total when there was less games and less cricket at times people tend to attend? If the figures do say this, again I would argue these are based on automatic estimates of members attending, its the only thing that makes sense.

Its also flat out unbelievable that Yorkshire would attract nearly 2000 attendees (more assuming they dont play every day possible, which boosts the average) to every single day of a county championship match. Considering some of the abject figures they have had for recent test matches, its a figure that defies belief.

When SL came not that long ago Headingley hosted a test match over a bank holiday weekend with Day 5 the holiday, in a hotter part of the summer than CC is played, entry was 5 quid for adults and free for kids, the forecast was excellent, a whole day of cricket with all three results on the table was on offer (SL needed something like 280 to win and the game was decided at the death with I think a drop costing England the win within a few balls of the end), and the series was being concluded on that result.

Was it something like a 1000 people turned up? You telling me Yorkshire attract more people to the 4th day of a rain affected game v Essex with higher prices for a ticket, on a weekday, in April, with no chance of a result? I cant believe that at all frankly. Even weekend tickets for Day 3 and 4, with prices at the fraction of London based tests seen the stands almost empty for the game.

It wouldnt make a jot of sense if so

Durhamfootman wrote:given that the 2020 season is due to get under way in a week and a half, I'm wondering when a fixture list is going to be published.

Tomorrow according to The Times.

I'm assuming Wisden is a reliable source and that the figures issued , at the end of the individual county report, are official. Counties have a legal obligation to record how many attend each day so those statistics are available. I think it's quite conceivable that Yorkshire average 2k each day although obviously they fluctuate depending on weather and opponents. Clearly early season games in dank weather will be low but equally attractive local opponents in balmy mid - summer will attract much above that average.Non-attending members aren't included; figures would be much higher if they were.
Entirely up to the individual whether they believe Wisden's figures are spurious.