COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: All the Championship previews | Mickey Arthur defends county cricket | A list of the ECB's mistakes this week | Player moves
So were you the ‘one man’ who turned up to the opening day of the County Championship last week? And did you bring that famous dog with you?
Reports suggested there were more than 1,200 huddled in Baltic conditions at Chelmsford on Thursday morning. I was one of 1,000 or so the next day. It might have been more but no-one was counting all those canines.
I hope the likes of Surrey, Somerset and Nottinghamshire can beat those figures this week when they play their first home games of 2022. And, more importantly, I hope they promote their patrons.
Because we need to.
Modern sports need numbers to justify themselves - bums on seats, eyeballs on streams, followers on social media, as well as the usual sponsorship pounds and media revenue.
Then we need to shout about them.
God knows the ECB thrust selective metrics down our throats about the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named and even withheld research that did not support their narrative.
I made a little video of my trip to Chelmsford. No tricks, just two shots panning across the stadium. Yep, we need a younger crowd, a more diverse crowd and yes, yes, yes, simply more of any crowd.
But, the pictures do not lie, in most grounds there are more paying patrons than the general public would believe. In the summer, I am taking my family of four to the women’s Euro final and an England group game. That’s eight seats to two high-profile, premium events for less than the cost of my Essex membership. We all went to the Women’s FA Cup final for about £30. I am not denigrating women’s sport, I am a fan. But my decision to attend these events is heavily based on price. It will be illuminating to see the effect of ticket rises on the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named this year. Forgive the cynicism, but I suspect other metrics to be trumpeted should attendance and revenue go down.
I’m not denying county cricket is sparsely attended, predominately by older people. But there is a bedrock of customers paying proper prices.
Let’s build on that foundation stone, not spend all our time pointing out the cracks.
So go to a game this week and shout about it. Post your pictures, feel free to tag me @The_Grumbler too.
Let’s celebrate and create rather than moan and destroy.
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Week 2 Previews
Click on each team name for a different preview
Kent vs Lancashire
Nottinghamshire vs Glamorgan
Durham vs Leicestershire
Derbyshire vs Sussex
Somerset vs Essex
Gloucestershire vs Yorkshire
Surrey vs Hampshire
Teams of the Week 1 and player moves
Players - Patel (Nottinghamshire), Phillips (Gloucestershire)
News, Views and Interviews
Huge respect for Mickey Arthur taking on the Derbyshire role "because he wanted a project... something that needed fixing". I'm sure he would have had better options but this is the way passionate coaches talk and act. He has been everywhere and calls it straight.
We have all seen stats about the lack of 80mph+ pace and quality spin faced by county batters. The ‘best v best’ is a basic coaching tenet and we have that with a top division of six last year and 10 this term. Reducing the pool of professionals can only be detrimental to the long-term health of the sport and amount of players available.
County cricket has gone unloved by those in power for decades, leading ex-pros (who used the system for their careers) to now call rank-and-file players 'riff-raff'. So are you surprised it is not operating to its maximum potential?
And Arthur has even landed one of the most stylish English players in recent years to look after his batters.
Former England man Ian Bell takes on Derbyshire CCC batting role (Buxton Advertiser)
Rory Burns: The volume of county cricket we play is marginally unsustainable (Cricketer)
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Shrinking county game would hurt new-found drive to embrace diversity (Cricinfo)
A lovely piece from the always excellent David Hopps on the off-the-field benefits of cricket. especially diversity. The trouble with modern sport is that, over the last two decades, those in charge have become almost entirely business-orientated. 'It makes no money' is the refrain. Financial reward and societal value appear to be polar opposites.
How Franklyn Stephenson did the county 'double' and why it will never happen again (Telegraph) ($)
The remarkable part is how methodical and planned Stephenson was about breaking the record
Titles, setbacks and a reset: 30 years of Durham in the County Championship (Guardian)
Kent prospect hopeful of England future after fleeing Zimbabwe over mum's Mugabe protest (Mirror)
I saw this chap bat last week. A very good prospect indeed.
English cricketers brave spring chill at start of season (Japan Times)
Sussex appointment of Jon Filby as new chairman gets Matt Prior's approval (The Cricketer)
Worcestershire lose head groundskeeper ahead of New Road Championship opener (Cricketer)
It’s not looking good at New Road. Especially as the advertisement will have to say groundsperson in summer/scuba diver in winter.
Five county spinners who could challenge for Jack Leach’s Test spot (Wisden)
Cricket the priority now for sporting all-rounder Rob Yates (Express and Star)
On Villa and Man United’s books, elite youth tennis player but Rob Yates chose cricket.
This week’s evidence against the ECB…
Exhibit A
ICC consider Wasim Khan for general manager role as Tom Harrison's ECB exit looms (The Cricketer)
This story says “Tom Harrison, having been paid his bonus (understood to amount to a year’s salary), is expected to leave the organisation within weeks”.
According to 2018/19 ECB accounts, Teflon Tom’s salary was £719,175. He had had a 19% pay rise that year and you can assume it has risen a bit since then.
Therefore his bonus and salary for his final year in charge may well amount to £1.5m.
£1.5 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!
An entire county only gets £1.3m a year as a bribe for acquiescing to his abomination of a tournament.
But hey, let’s not consider the counties and instead turn to the 52 ECB staff made redundant during the pandemic or the kids in the player pathways struggling to afford kit.
Actually, forget even them. Let’s put the focus on the board that appointed him, signed off this bonus and, in all probability will slide in another public-school educated sports ‘suit’ as his replacement.
If he or she does as much damage as Teflon Tom there will be little left of domestic cricket in another decade or so.
(By the way, I know I say something similar every week but evidence of more nonsense appears weekly.)
Exhibit B
Of course, as I discussed last week, Harrison wants to ‘secure his legacy’ with a 10-year deal with Sky,
Here’s media rights expert David Murray, who has been on my own podcast, giving his view. There’s real devil in the detail.
Exhibit C
Stephen Brenkley @stephenbrenkley
In the last 15 days I have received 24 emails from ECB about various matters, mostly the 100. Not a squeak about the Championship. What is going there?
Exhibit D
English cricket on back foot after ad watchdog bans junk food campaign (The Guardian)
This is a terrible look for a competition which supposedly was family-focussed. It always made me think competition among sponsors was not that high.
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August 2023
- Aug 8, 2023 Because cricketers are worth it. Greed, ego and contract negotiations Aug 8, 2023
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May 2023
- May 20, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Blast preview | Foxes put meaning over money | Should Essex house Tigers? | Lancs v Somerset declaration row | Roach goes home | Lancs try to change rules at AGM May 20, 2023
- May 12, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Marketing trends in County Cricket | Week 6 Previews | Chaos at Derby | Cricket Paper back this weekend | Why invest in Yorkshire? | Tom Harrison paid £1.13m in final four months May 12, 2023
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April 2023
- Apr 29, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Week 3 reviews | 12-month IPL contracts offered to England players | Own your mistakes! | Sort out 'reciprocal' rights for county members | Tom Price heroics Apr 29, 2023
- Apr 21, 2023 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Championship Week 3 previews | Ballance retires | The dangerous ageism of labelling older fans 'a problem' | Saudi Arabia T20 threat | Oh Mickey (Arthur), you're so fine Apr 21, 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- December 2022
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November 2022
- Nov 18, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: ECB change board | Back to an eight-team top division? | Smeed's move the first of many? | Hogan unretires | Major deals at Notts | Yorks racism hearing ramps up Nov 18, 2022
- Nov 3, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Richard Gould - the right CEO for the ECB ? | Shock Rushworth move | Yorkshire's key changes | New contracts - Wood, Barker, Hain | Surrey, Worcs coach appts Nov 3, 2022
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October 2022
- Oct 21, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Will a county 'go under' like Wasps? | Key says support you-know-what | Buttler & Croft contracts at Lancs | Yorks racism hearing in public? | Benefit Years no more? Oct 21, 2022
- Oct 8, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Angry reaction to Yorks' relegation | County Awards | Teams of the season | Will counties vote against Strauss Review? | Should we split cricket into two codes? Oct 8, 2022
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September 2022
- Sep 30, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Fantastic finale to the Champ season | Success at Surrey, Notts & Middx | Warks send Yorks down | Strauss Review reaction - and it's not good | Hildreth and Hogan farewells Sep 30, 2022
- Sep 16, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should high performance mean high priority? | Royal London Cup previews | You-know-what 'least enjoyable' competition | $10m fine shows ECB the way on fighting racism Sep 16, 2022
- Sep 12, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Thompson delays county vote on Strauss review | Media blitz - Fri night Blast games, transfer window, player exodus | "One man and a dog" - still!!! | You-know-what Yr 2 figures Sep 12, 2022
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August 2022
- Aug 18, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: 'Over my dead body' CEO on cutting counties | The schedule is a pretzel or a Rubik's cube | Hildreth retires early | Thompson's in-tray | My Faustian bargain Aug 18, 2022
- Aug 16, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Thompson appointed ECB chair | Special General Meeting forced at Lancashire | Yorks tribunal underway | Flintoff's Field of Dreams considered | Stevens to leave Kent Aug 16, 2022
- Aug 3, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Major moves announced | Yorks change captain | Royal London Cup is not an 'alternative' | What Dr Who tells us about the demise of county cricket | Loads of pessimism, sorry Aug 3, 2022
- Aug 1, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Will counties lose that £1.3m payment? | Why the balls have gone soft | Join Campaign to Save First-Class Cricket | B&H Cup 50 years on | Northeast's 410* Aug 1, 2022
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July 2022
- Jul 20, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Why first-class county cricket will be gone in six years Jul 20, 2022
- Jul 14, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Scarbados and Southport shine | Lancs Action Group rally members | Why do 'outsiders' love the Champ | What change will YOU make to save the game? Jul 14, 2022
- Jul 2, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: What Wimbledon can teach English cricket | Vaughan off-air | Gale's parting shot | Sibley, Barnard moves | 'Bazball' in the county game | Who's out of contract Jul 2, 2022
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June 2022
- Jun 24, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Last four Yorks chairs blast ECB | Champ games to be played in UAE or Sri Lanka? | Introducing the 6ixty | Seriously, how to replace the ECB? | Big Somerset signing Jun 24, 2022
- Jun 17, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Yorkshire and former players charged | Willey returns to Northants | Moeen, Sibley to move? | Chesterfield of dreams | YouTube stream hacks Jun 17, 2022
- Jun 9, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Blast catches fire at last | Sky's schedule, fights and food problems | Why fan engagement is the key | Yorkshire payouts Jun 9, 2022
- Jun 2, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Blast crowds struggling, are you surprised? | Foxes fight back with £10 deal | Key to cut Championship games? | Fans' banners taken down | Jim Parks RIP Jun 2, 2022
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May 2022
- May 26, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: T20 Blast Off | Ticket sales struggling because of you-know-what? | Has Championship been a let-down so far? | Surrey's classy gesture | Big sponsorship deal for Lancs May 26, 2022
- May 19, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: ECB CEO Tom Harrison goes... finally | Have bad balls helped batters? | Bees stop play | Where you get in free after tea | Why should we listen to ex-players? May 19, 2022
- May 14, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Is a different Dukes ball the reason for all the runs? | Finally, an ECB chair we can believe in? | Sparkling new Potts |Best of the blogs May 14, 2022
- May 5, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should Joe Clarke play for England? | Essex boardroom problems | Six ducks for Kent tail-ender | Yet more ECB nonsense May 5, 2022
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April 2022
- Apr 24, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Strauss Review nonsense | Key appointment doubts | Compton's stunning start | TalkSPORT's quality coverage | Syd Lawrence Apr 24, 2022
- Apr 15, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: All the Championship previews | Mickey Arthur defends county cricket | A list of the ECB's mistakes this week | Player moves Apr 15, 2022
- Apr 7, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: All the County Championship previews | Fantasy League tips | Bumble speaks out | Latest player moves | And 'Teflon Tom' wants to secure 'his legacy' Apr 7, 2022
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March 2022
- Mar 28, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should we have a fan-led review? | Surprise! Talk of culling some counties | Yorkshire can't get out of their own way | Should the ECB fine themselves? | All the moves Mar 28, 2022
- Mar 7, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Warne remembered by Hampshire | Power struggles at top of the county game | More trouble at Yorkshire | Should Durham be asking questions? | Lots of new signings Mar 7, 2022
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February 2022
- Feb 18, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: 'Civil War' at Yorkshire | Why Tom Harrison is cricket's Chesney Hawkes? | Mickey Arthur flies in | Surrey's 15k members | Davies banned for tweets | All the player moves Feb 18, 2022
- Feb 2, 2022 COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Angry about the fixtures, the Yorkshire scandal and especially the ECB... here's why Feb 2, 2022
- January 2022
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December 2021
- Dec 24, 2021 BLOG: All the major player moves & contracts | Exploring Cricket & class | A right old 'Codgerfest' | Counties redeveloping grounds | Changes at Yorkshire | Peter O'Toole taught by Imran Khan Dec 24, 2021
- Dec 10, 2021 BLOG: Yorkshire look to rebuild | Lancashire's new ground | Coaching changes at Hants | Northants and Derbyshire overseas signings | All the latest player moves | Delay on 2022 fixture announcements Dec 10, 2021
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November 2021
- Nov 28, 2021 BLOG: Latest on Yorkshire racism scandal, all the county cricket moves, are ECB 'fit for purpose'? Nov 28, 2021
- Nov 10, 2021 Sign up FREE to the only County Cricket newsletter - all the latest in one place Nov 10, 2021
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October 2021
- Oct 28, 2021 It seems you can't wish Geoffrey Boycott a happy birthday anymore Oct 28, 2021
- Oct 1, 2021 The Championship must find its niche again and Mason Crane must not ruin my Spag Bol again Oct 1, 2021
- Oct 1, 2021 The Grumbler's County Championship team of the season - 2021 Oct 1, 2021
- Oct 1, 2021 How to say goodbye to a cricket season, career or life Oct 1, 2021
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September 2021
- Sep 14, 2021 Dear Mr Dowden, first-class counties are 'art treasures' too Sep 14, 2021
- Sep 8, 2021 We love seeing the youngsters play but it helps county finances too Sep 8, 2021
- Sep 1, 2021 Why watch when there is nothing to play for? Sep 1, 2021
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August 2021
- Aug 24, 2021 The intended consequence of diminished horizons Aug 24, 2021
- Aug 18, 2021 Like the many who will follow him, red-ball Ravi will be missed Aug 18, 2021
- Aug 11, 2021 Cricket needs diversity from all sides Aug 11, 2021
- Aug 3, 2021 Gimmickry can help county cricket too Aug 3, 2021
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July 2021
- Jul 29, 2021 50 and out? Why one-day cricket may fall through the cracks Jul 29, 2021
- Jul 20, 2021 A failure of governance Jul 20, 2021
- Jul 13, 2021 Cricket, data and Foxes Jul 13, 2021
- Jul 9, 2021 Lessons from six months of creating county cricket content Jul 9, 2021
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June 2021
- Jun 30, 2021 What happens when you become a cricket 'meme’ Jun 30, 2021
- Jun 21, 2021 How 'Hobbiton' is starting a village cricket team during a pandemic Jun 21, 2021
- Jun 15, 2021 Where's the fun? Derek Randall and Spinwash show the joyful chaos of yesteryear Jun 15, 2021
- Jun 9, 2021 County cricket fans are having their say... and their 'When Saturday Comes' moment Jun 9, 2021
- Jun 2, 2021 Why cricket's best YouTube channel is under threat Jun 2, 2021
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May 2021
- May 26, 2021 Fanning the flames for REAL supporter representation May 26, 2021
- May 18, 2021 Getting back in the ground, it’s going to be pretty damn emotional May 18, 2021
- May 18, 2021 By the end of this season, we’ll know if traditional county cricket has been outgunned May 18, 2021
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October 2020
- Oct 7, 2020 Vitality Blast: Team of the Season 2020 Oct 7, 2020
- Oct 7, 2020 Streaming offers red-ball cricket a lifeline Oct 7, 2020
- Oct 7, 2020 My T20 finals days: Michelangelo, Kiss Cam and the Sugababes Oct 7, 2020
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September 2020
- Sep 30, 2020 The Grumbler's Team of the Bob Willis Trophy 2020 Sep 30, 2020
- Sep 30, 2020 Barmy Army 'batten down hatches' as Covid hits cricket tour business Sep 30, 2020
- Sep 30, 2020 No-one marketed the Bob Willis Trophy final, so I did it myself for a tenner Sep 30, 2020
- Sep 24, 2020 Udal on Parkinson's Disease - 'When you play cricket, you learn to fight' Sep 24, 2020
- Sep 24, 2020 Tom Banton's not Somerset's Messiah, he's a very naughty boy Sep 24, 2020
- Sep 24, 2020 Why cricket fans will mourn this season more than most Sep 24, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 Cold-blooded Murtagh takes on Donald Trump's spinner Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 By George, he's the proud No11, batting in his mother's memory Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 Bring back the 'FA Cup' of cricket Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 10, 2020 County game grows viewership via stream power Sep 10, 2020
- Sep 9, 2020 Financial nous like ‘Barnacle’ Bailey can guide cricket though the pandemic Sep 9, 2020