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
In 1989, after five years of concerted effort, Michael Grade got his wish and Dr Who left UK television screens.
Despite a decent viewership of 7m when he took over as Controller of BBC One in 1984, Grade wanted to cut the long-running, much-loved sci-fi series. ET had just stormed the country’s cinemas and the cult show’s dodgy effects looked old and tired by comparison. Meanwhile, the latest Doctors, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy, had put the series into an odd and somewhat comedic groove.
Grade argued the show was too scary for younger viewers, something rather at odds with McCoy's humourous tone. But he still looked for a later slot. He settled on one on Monday nights at 7.30pm, which just happened to be up against Coronation Street, the most popular show on UK television. Grade had gone by the time the plug was finally pulled due to dwindling audiences. But the show, which was expensive to produce well, had been drained of investment since his arrival and, at that point, there were plans for Grade’s baby, Eastenders, to move from 100 to 150 episodes per year. That would cost money.
The comparisons with county cricket are clear. The early tactics - neglect, underfund then marginalise - have already been enacted. Soon they will have a couple of years of data that 'proves' the success of the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named in comparison to the Blast.
I suspect that Strauss' stitch-up High-Performance Review will not ‘cancel’ county cricket but merely make a few major cuts then allow it to bleed out. However, the result will be the same.
Yet, of course, Dr Who would come roaring back.
Fans kept the flame burning before another BBC Controller, Lorraine Heggessey, got behind a reboot and childhood fan Russell T. Davies was brought in as showrunner. It reappeared in 2005 with better casting, scripts and production values, simply because they put someone in charge with vision, care and a true love for the concept. Dr Who has since regained its role as an iconic British show, winning a legion of new fans, a clutch of awards and lucrative sales overseas.
All this shows that the views of a few key individuals can kill something and concerted fan power is capable of reviving it.
However, should it effectively disappear, county cricket can not be ‘rebooted’ as easily as a TV show. Already, there are realistic fears it will never regain full health after being left on life-support by the ECB over the past few years.
That is why I urge you to read this and consider joining the Campaign to Save County Cricket.
Unless someone out there has some special sort of sonic screwdriver to hand, it seems the game's regeneration depends on us.
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Royal London Cup and County Championship
New faces, overseas influence and old heads... Royal London Cup things to watch (Cricketer)
I thoroughly enjoyed the Royal London Cup last year. Those players left behind at their counties turned into a group of Dads and Lads who revelled in the competition for entirely different reasons. There were lots of joyful debuts and a fair few last hurrahs. And it was played at some lovely outgrounds as the main HQs were being used.
However, having two domestic tournaments running concurrently makes coverage tough. Last year, the Cricketer outsourced their podcast to the crew from County Cricket Matters. This year, the excellent domestic cricket show from TalkSport has taken a break.
It has taken only 12 months for the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named to put domestic cricket utterly in the shade.
One-Day Cup 2022: All you need to know about county cricket's alternative to The Hundred (BBC)
This headline tells you a lot about the BBC’s approach. If you go here, you'll see the black navigation bar at the top. In terms of importance, it reads left to right. Throughout the past year, the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named has been in front of “Counties”, even though it is only played during August.
So presenting the One-Day Cup, an event that goes back 50 years in its various iterations, as “an alternative” to something that has occurred once and only exists few a weeks a year indicates they will be in full Pravda mode again. Unfortunately, the BBC has been outgunned for years, especially in sport, and the threat of reducing the license fee has neutered them as an arbiter of objective news and vehicle for holding power to account. Meanwhile, the chase for viewers and listeners means they must promote their own products to the point of ridiculousness. A couple of years ago, Liverpool beat Manchester United on a Sunday afternoon to go top of the Premier League table but six of the top seven stories on the BBC Sport website were about their Sports Personality of the Year awards ceremony later that night.
In the world of post-truth politics, we need a BBC with teeth more than ever. And in sport, less of the self-promotion please. The UK's much-valued national broadcaster should be better than that.
County cricket: three-horse title race as Championship takes a break (Guardian)
County Championship team of the week: Who joins Anuj Dal in our XI?
Rory Burns: Surrey "allowing ourselves" to dream about County Championship title (Cricketer)
For me, Surrey are the best side in the Championship but Hampshire and even Lancashire might run them close. The game with Essex saw Surrey in trouble a couple of times but Will Jacks’ 150 followed by sparkling second-innings spells from Kemar Roach and Dan Worrell tore through the visitors’ middle order as they looked to set a decent chase. Essex have not had a second overseas player for the past four Championship games and they felt the absence at The Oval. Is that a sign of the times even for middle-ranking counties?
Player moves and contracts
Moves: Milnes (Yorkshire - 3 yrs), Roelofsen (Essex), Evison (Kent - 3 yrs), Hose (Worcestershire - 3 yrs), McManus (Northamptonshire - loan made permanent), Howell (Hampshire - 3 yrs), Chappell (Derbyshire - 2 yrs)
Contracts: Billings (Kent - 3 yrs), Sanderson (Northamptonshire - 3yrs), Proctor (Northamptonshire - 2 yrs), Brooks (Somerset - 1 yr), Maddy (Warwickshire - rookie), Stewart (Kent - 2 yrs)
Jonathan Tattersall named Yorkshire captain (Cricketer)
Hampshire make statement signing with Benny Howell rejoining on white-ball deal (Cricketer)
Lots of moves have been announced in the past week or so but it is hard to discern a trend. Benny Howell’s switch to Hampshire suggests the talent is going from ‘small to big’ counties. That has been happening for decades but the pace may have increased in recent years.
Yorkshire’s financial concerns are upsetting the market. Tom Kohler-Cadmore and David Willey will be off the wage bill next year while, from this distance, Milnes for Patterson seems a like-for-like exchange albeit with less experience and less expenditure. If Gary Ballance switches allegiance to Zimbabwe then you have to assume he will not be retained as he will be an overseas player. Tattersall seems a strange appointment as captain given that he lost the gloves to young Harry Duke and was sent out on loan a couple of seasons ago. Still, it all suggests that money is tight at Headingley and remember they have not yet been punished for the racism claims over the winter. Maybe the £50,000 fine Essex received for their own racial discrimination issues has prevented them from bringing in a second overseas player? See above.
News, Views and Interviews
The rising power of T20 leagues and the death-knell for international cricket (Telegraph) ($)
Mike Atherton has talked about peripatetic year-round contracts for IPL players recently and, purely from the perspective of those teams, it is the logical move. They have been collecting franchises in different leagues for some time, a la Manchester City in football. All the franchises in the new South African T20 were snapped up by them and Indian money is largely backing Major League Cricket, which I think could turn into a significant league. You can see the best players hitting runs in the sun year-round in the near future.
If the extension of the TV deal with Sky and, with it, the cementing of the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named sees the end of county cricket as we know it. Then this move may see the end of the red-ball game as a whole.
If the schedule means India cannot or will not play Tests then the Ashes will the only long-form cricket worthy of a decent television deal. And anyway, why would the best players be allowed to play by the IPL franchises or want to because of the boost to their bank balance?
Cricket's format war is here, it's time to pick a side (Edge of the Crowd)
Kunwar Bansil: I loved Yorkshire, but I was brutally axed. Why won’t they listen to me? (Times) ($)
Worcestershire: Another change of structure planned at New Road as Paul Pridgeon stands down (BBC)
English Cricket Is Ruined By Its Good Blokes (Full Toss Blog)
Lots to unpick in the 'good bloke' idea. Class, sexism, nepotism - let's just start there shall we?
In my experience, the sports business ‘suits’ are very much alike. They talk about the game but think about the money.
And while they are doing that, over the years and decades, these things occur…
Following the money: Youth cricket’s elitism problem (Wisden)
County members' survey emphasises desire to retain levels of first-class cricket (Cricketer)
A revolution is under way to save county cricket – and it's about time (Telegraph) ($)
Let’s end where we started - the fight to save county cricket.
The Cricketer piece has some critical detail. Notably, the key meeting on Wednesday, August 3 to discuss proposals to cut Championship games and the counties’ hard line over the Blast. Also, incredibly, Richard Thompson may not get the ECB chair role because he has previously voiced his opposition to the tournament-that-shall-not-benamed. Along with Richard Gould, Thompson has made Surrey the richest and most well-run county on the circuit. Gould lost out to Teflon Tom Harrison for the CEO’s role and look what happened. If Thompson is overlooked too then it will be a huge blow to the county game. Yet again, all this shows the ECB board is the real problem.
As George Dobell implies, 4,000 people pushing back against change will be dismissed in the wake of 500,000 tickets sold for you-know-what. (Of course, history would suggest we can’t trust those figures but they are winning the PR war).
Moving on, frankly I worry when I agree with Simon Heffer, see Telegraph piece. For me, his bluster is well-meaning but falls into that ‘reactionary’ bracket that is ridiculed and dismissed, wrongly, by those favouring the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named.
Not everything old is tired and useless, not everything young is revolutionary and worthy of unquestioning support.
Look at the profile pictures of those who tweet in support of county cricket. So many buck the trend of the old and jaded.
But, being honest, I do not know how we row back from here. Even if the Save County Cricket campaign achieves its aim of forcing clubs to take on as policy the opposition to a reduction in Championship games, I do not know how that plays out. The television deal has been agreed so you-know-what will continue or you risk alienating Sky and losing the millions they plough in to the game. That would surely see the end of the ECB (no bad thing) and plunge the game into further turmoil.
But if Save County Cricket has no effect then I can’t see how the domestic game survives in anything like its current form.
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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