I've pretty much made up my mind over the past few weeks that next season will be my last as a fully committed county follower, watching games all over the country, 60+ days per season. Totally fed up with the constant downgrading of proper cricket and the traditional clubs and The ECB, in particular, aiming so much of the marketing budget at people who aren't interested in cricket but treating long term supporters of the game as an irrelevance or worse, I have plenty of other interests and would rather spend my time and money where my custom is appreciated. Could go on and on but don't want to bore everyone to sleep.
The county game will no doubt continue in some form but I've followed the game since the 1970s when it was taken seriously and had world class players in most matches, sadly it has become a shadow of those days and will probably continue in that vein.
Of course. Please share and enjoy. Actually enjoy is the wrong word for this one. Really struggling for any silver lining amid the dark, dark clouds hanging over the county game
Thanks - I think it's more like "share and read with grim determination, and gratitude that someone still cares enough to fight for the county game." I don't have anything particularly jolly to add, other than things that aren't sustainable can't and don't carry on. The idiots at the ECB (and on the county boards who voted for the Hundred) have got us into this mess - it'll get sorted one way or the other, and the county game will evolve and survive.
I am worried about the financial problems at Essex, Glos, Middlesex, Yorks ... and I'm sure there are others. And Surrey for all our money are only as strong as the county game is.
I've pretty much made up my mind over the past few weeks that next season will be my last as a fully committed county follower, watching games all over the country, 60+ days per season. Totally fed up with the constant downgrading of proper cricket and the traditional clubs and The ECB, in particular, aiming so much of the marketing budget at people who aren't interested in cricket but treating long term supporters of the game as an irrelevance or worse, I have plenty of other interests and would rather spend my time and money where my custom is appreciated. Could go on and on but don't want to bore everyone to sleep.
The county game will no doubt continue in some form but I've followed the game since the 1970s when it was taken seriously and had world class players in most matches, sadly it has become a shadow of those days and will probably continue in that vein.
I feel your pain. Getting there myself, rapidly
I posted a link to this here on the Surrey fans' message board - hope that's OK https://ovalworld.forumotion.com/t308-grumbler-s-county-cricket-newsletter-no-111-december-2023
Of course. Please share and enjoy. Actually enjoy is the wrong word for this one. Really struggling for any silver lining amid the dark, dark clouds hanging over the county game
Thanks - I think it's more like "share and read with grim determination, and gratitude that someone still cares enough to fight for the county game." I don't have anything particularly jolly to add, other than things that aren't sustainable can't and don't carry on. The idiots at the ECB (and on the county boards who voted for the Hundred) have got us into this mess - it'll get sorted one way or the other, and the county game will evolve and survive.
I hope you are right and I agree in the broad sense. It will survive in some way or another. It is all about nature of the evolution
I am worried about the financial problems at Essex, Glos, Middlesex, Yorks ... and I'm sure there are others. And Surrey for all our money are only as strong as the county game is.