County Championship discussion thread 2015

[captaincolly]

Even though Footitt had such a bad time at Notts?

I didn't realise he was there before. That might complicate things.

[SaintPowelly]

Even though Footitt had such a bad time at Notts?

I didn't realise he was there before. That might complicate things.

We'll take him, we'll take anyone, get us a bowler

[Arthur Crabtree]

It seemed like going to Derby turned his career around. He's from Nottingham, don't know if that will be a factor.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Even though Footitt had such a bad time at Notts?

I didn't realise he was there before. That might complicate things.

We'll take him, we'll take anyone, get us a bowler

Are Fidel and Bird not staying?

[SaintPowelly]

Even though Footitt had such a bad time at Notts?

I didn't realise he was there before. That might complicate things.

We'll take him, we'll take anyone, get us a bowler

Are Fidel and Bird not staying?

Fidel might, Bird hasn't been the greatest of signings.

Wood can't play 4 days and Tommos time looks up, we need someone else.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Bird had been injured. He's still potentially a good bowler. I suppose Hants attractiveness depends on them clawing to safety.

[captaincolly]

Suggestions that changes to the CC are imminent. No idea if it's anything more than speculation.
@KevinHandBBC: My understanding of 14-game season is top Div of 8 & play everyone twice. Div 2: 10 teams. But that would be for 2017 - next yr 1 up 2 down.

[Aidan11]

Suggestions that changes to the CC are imminent. No idea if it's anything more than speculation.
@KevinHandBBC: My understanding of 14-game season is top Div of 8 & play everyone twice. Div 2: 10 teams. But that would be for 2017 - next yr 1 up 2 down.

How would the 10-team 2nd division play 14 games? It sounds like play all 9 others once, then 5 out of 9 a second time. If that's the case it's bloody stupid but that's the ECB for you - all about money and f*** what the people who love the game want.

[captaincolly]

Suggestions that changes to the CC are imminent. No idea if it's anything more than speculation.
@KevinHandBBC: My understanding of 14-game season is top Div of 8 & play everyone twice. Div 2: 10 teams. But that would be for 2017 - next yr 1 up 2 down.

How would the 10-team 2nd division play 14 games? It sounds like play all 9 others once, then 5 out of 9 a second time. If that's the case it's bloody stupid but that's the ECB for you - all about money and f*** what the people who love the game want.

I don't know how it would work...probably disastrously! I think all this stems from an inteview given by the ECB CEO on Test Match Special this lunchtime. He was also on Sky during the tea interval but I wasn't paying attention!

[Aidan11]

Suggestions that changes to the CC are imminent. No idea if it's anything more than speculation.
@KevinHandBBC: My understanding of 14-game season is top Div of 8 & play everyone twice. Div 2: 10 teams. But that would be for 2017 - next yr 1 up 2 down.

How would the 10-team 2nd division play 14 games? It sounds like play all 9 others once, then 5 out of 9 a second time. If that's the case it's bloody stupid but that's the ECB for you - all about money and f*** what the people who love the game want.

I don't know how it would work...probably disastrously! I think all this stems from an inteview given by the ECB CEO on Test Match Special this lunchtime. He was also on Sky during the tea interval but I wasn't paying attention!

I can understand the ECB saying that they shouldn't keep bailing out the counties but the money they bring in some of it should go to the counties along with all the other representatives of English cricket from grass roots upwards. The ECB were the ones who insisted test grounds should upgrade their facilities. Before the recession Durham's plans were going to cost £45million. Yes £45 million. For a ground that might fill out on the few days we get international cricket. That stretched a few of the counties budgets to bursting point.

So the answer is to reduce the amount of county cricket. Well done ECB. One home game less per season resulting in loss of revenue of that lost home game. I wonder if the counties will reduce the cost of members subs. Of course they wont. The ECB want to turn the T20 tournament into a mid-summer block similar to the Big Bash. Great if the weather holds. However, the cost of tickets in England will cost a small fortune if a county has 2 or 3 games in one week and Dad wants to take his wife and kids to all of them. Some counties include this in their subscription and some offer separate season tickets for T20. Great but for one thing - the unpredictable British weather. Also T20 seems to be popular with some counties but not others. Somerset & Essex can fill grounds. Durham can't.

So now there is talk of an additional tournament - A franchsie based T20. At the moment we know little about the shape it will take but what if it fails? The ECB get a nice little earner from Sky and sponsorship/advertising etc. They are not and never will be as profitable as the FA Premier League.

[captaincolly]

Suggestions that changes to the CC are imminent. No idea if it's anything more than speculation.
@KevinHandBBC: My understanding of 14-game season is top Div of 8 & play everyone twice. Div 2: 10 teams. But that would be for 2017 - next yr 1 up 2 down.

How would the 10-team 2nd division play 14 games? It sounds like play all 9 others once, then 5 out of 9 a second time. If that's the case it's bloody stupid but that's the ECB for you - all about money and f*** what the people who love the game want.

I don't know how it would work...probably disastrously! I think all this stems from an inteview given by the ECB CEO on Test Match Special this lunchtime. He was also on Sky during the tea interval but I wasn't paying attention!

I can understand the ECB saying that they shouldn't keep bailing out the counties but the money they bring in some of it should go to the counties along with all the other representatives of English cricket from grass roots upwards. The ECB were the ones who insisted test grounds should upgrade their facilities. Before the recession Durham's plans were going to cost £45million. Yes £45 million. For a ground that might fill out on the few days we get international cricket. That stretched a few of the counties budgets to bursting point.

So the answer is to reduce the amount of county cricket. Well done ECB. One home game less per season resulting in loss of revenue of that lost home game. I wonder if the counties will reduce the cost of members subs. Of course they wont. The ECB want to turn the T20 tournament into a mid-summer block similar to the Big Bash. Great if the weather holds. However, the cost of tickets in England will cost a small fortune if a county has 2 or 3 games in one week and Dad wants to take his wife and kids to all of them. Some counties include this in their subscription and some offer separate season tickets for T20. Great but for one thing - the unpredictable British weather. Also T20 seems to be popular with some counties but not others. Somerset & Essex can fill grounds. Durham can't.

So now there is talk of an additional tournament - A franchsie based T20. At the moment we know little about the shape it will take but what if it fails? The ECB get a nice little earner from Sky and sponsorship/advertising etc. They are not and never will be as profitable as the FA Premier League.

According to cricinfo the T20 Franchise idea has been ditched until at least 2019. Chances are though it will come at some stage and Durham - who as you say have modest crowds - were mentioned in every article I've read as A certainty to be one of those 8 franchises ( Newcastle-that'll go down well with Sunderland supporters!) while counties who do get big crowds will miss out. I find the idea that these franchises are going to bring in thousands of new supporters to be a fanciful one.

When/if they go ahead and the second division CC is 10 teams it is only a matter of time before some of the smaller counties go down the tubes imo.
As you said-there's no way of competing with the Premier League.

[westoelad]

ECB CEO Harrison in Cricket Paper states as fact that CC games will be reduced to 14 games next season although he doesn't elaborate on how it will be managed citing player exhaustion making it essential. T20 will be compacted into a mid-season window but franchised T20 is not on the immediate agenda.

[captaincolly]

ECB CEO Harrison in Cricket Paper states as fact that CC games will be reduced to 14 games next season although he doesn't elaborate on how it will be managed citing player exhaustion making it essential. T20 will be compacted into a mid-season window but franchised T20 is not on the immediate agenda.

One solution to fixture congestion would be to cut the number of T20 group games but there's no chance of that unfortunately.

[westoelad]

ECB CEO Harrison in Cricket Paper states as fact that CC games will be reduced to 14 games next season although he doesn't elaborate on how it will be managed citing player exhaustion making it essential. T20 will be compacted into a mid-season window but franchised T20 is not on the immediate agenda.

One solution to fixture congestion would be to cut the number of T20 group games but there's no chance of that unfortunately.

An even better one would be for the ECB to use some of the £ millions they have stockpiled to outsource the fixture planning to professional expertise.

[captaincolly]

ECB CEO Harrison in Cricket Paper states as fact that CC games will be reduced to 14 games next season although he doesn't elaborate on how it will be managed citing player exhaustion making it essential. T20 will be compacted into a mid-season window but franchised T20 is not on the immediate agenda.

One solution to fixture congestion would be to cut the number of T20 group games but there's no chance of that unfortunately.

An even better one would be for the ECB to use some of the £ millions they have stockpiled to outsource the fixture planning to professional expertise.

Yes, it surely must be possible to have something better-the current method seems completely random as if they draw the fixtures out of a hat!