No 27, Aug 25 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
One last rant about the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named* | Journalist and bloggers views | Glamorgan win wonderful RL50 | Surrey's membership examined | Northeast moves | *This may be a fib, sorry
Thank God that crap is over.
OK, the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named is still heavily featured in this edition. Partly because the crowing, the arguments and the repercussions have yet to fully play out. I have to admit I am jaded by it all. I went off social media throughout the tournament because, like almost everyone involved, I was highly unlikely to change my mind so it felt prudent to take a little distance. I’ll be honest, at times I felt like deleting my Twitter, ending this newsletter and doing a digital Reggie Perrin. Thankfully, the Test and the Blast have returned in the nick of time. Then my sanctuary, the County Championship, reappears next week.
So I promise, this is my last rant on this topic. Maybe. I’ll definitely let it go next week. Probably. But, hey, they started it.
ECB set to increase women's Hundred salaries, committed to double-headers (Cricinfo)
Read this piece before you do anything else.
Here’s where my lack of trust comes from. (My comments in brackets)
Patel and Harrison…
say 510,000 tickets were "sold or issued". (So which is which? Why not give us figures? Amount sold, issued or given away, average revenue per ticket, total revenue)
suggest it is on target to provide a "£10m surplus into the game". (This is only because the ECB count the £24m paid to the counties as a dividend. Accounting-wise I get this but it is highly dubious to suggest a figure excluding this money is a profit for the sport)
57% hadn't watched any other live ECB cricket in 2021 (What is the definition of live ECB cricket and why use that term specifically?)
Also they make comparisons to the World Cup, so let’s look at that. It was an event with very high ticket prices that sold out for almost every game in venues around the country. I spent some time on their website considering paying 60-70 quid to watch Afghanistan vs Bangladesh at the Aegis Bowl as they were the only tickets available south of Durham. Remember, the you-know-what was dirt cheap or free and staged in a few key centres. Also there was no barrage of free ads on the national broadcaster, many during the Olympics coverage.
A television audience of 15.4m saw part of the World Cup final despite it clashing with the Wimbledon men’s final and the British Grand Prix. Around a third were watching a cricket match for the first time. Channel 4’s live free-to-air coverage of the game was only agreed a few days in advance but their peak reached 5.2 million. Unlike the ECB, I’ll add context for clarity. It is a World Cup final in England with the hosts playing in it. It is special. However, the was a stunning success that took over the nation, accessing a new audience yet the ECB and its wretched event had little to do with its organisation.
Let’s look at the Blast, which as never been shown on free-to-air television and, again, benefits from no free BBC adverts. Indeed it gets relatively little media coverage given the crowds, again unlike you-know-what, and ticket prices are much higher.
The 2019 version saw 950,000 tickets sold, a 15 per cent increase on the previous year and 50 per cent up over the previous five years. Again, unlike the ECB, I’ll add context. The Blast had 133 games, almost four times that of the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named. But a hefty percentage were sell-outs. What would dirt-cheap tickets in bigger venues with an astronomical advertising budget have done?
The ECB suits have been busy patting themselves on the back and banking their bonuses since the event ended. But, as Elizabeth Ammon mentions in this piece ($). “It is a valid argument that the same outcomes could have been achieved with tweaks to the T20 Blast, combined with free-to-air TV and a huge injection of marketing income. Given the sheer amount of money being spent on the Hundred — about £50 million a year — the ECB would have looked silly if it hadn’t worked.”
The Hundred’s success was a given – now look after the rest of the game ($)
Then there’s this from Mike Atherton. He starts his excellent piece like this.
“A bookseller sells two editions of the same book. The first he markets strongly, places prominently in his shop window and charges a quid for it. The second he puts in the recesses of the shop and charges a higher price. At the end of the year, the published accounts show far higher sales of the first than the second. The bookseller congratulates himself on his business acumen. Welcome to the world of those who run English cricket.”
BBC's exaggerated coverage of Hundred final meant cricket came with all the extras (Telegraph) ($)
Senior ECB executives to share £2.1m bonus despite Covid job cuts (Guardian)
Then this piece came out. When the suits at the ECB say their perception of the game is better than yours or mine, this should be brought up. Also see Tweets of the Week for a wider set of views.
How to solve English cricket’s summer problem (New Statesman)
Radical views in the New Statesman from a former Tory MP. But the question of refashioning the summer schedule is essential to cricket's future.
The Hundred vs Vitality Blast- Value Proposition (Cricket Bloggers)
My stance has been consistent. Don't trust the view of anyone with a vested interest in the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named, especially as the ECB have legally silenced many of the opposition voices and the television coverage has seen journalism replaced with marketing. The piece on the BBC Sport site about the success of the Hundred was pathetic. Really that only leaves fans and outside journalists, whether they are pro, anti or down the middle. Above you can read some supporters’ views.
Signing and contracts
Sam Northeast joins County Championship title-chasing Nottinghamshire on loan (Cricketer)
Three counties in one summer. That is more than most players used to have in a county career.
Other signings: Chemar (Warks), Gohar (Gloucs)
Contracts: Potts (Derby), Melton (Derby), Conners (Derby), Porter (Essex), Libby (Worcs), Benjamin (Warks)
News and views
Underdogs Glamorgan win One-Day Cup, their first trophy in 17 years (Guardian)
This was just so joyous and it meant so much. I have been concerned about the future of 50-over cricket and, to be honest, I still harbour doubts. And, yes, the Royal London Cup final felt small (see piece below) but the tournament was excellent this season and the Welshman cherished their victory.
The intended consequence of diminished horizons (The Cricket Paper)
Critchley in demand and… (PeakFanBlog)
Matt Critchley is wanted by Glamorgan and there is a £30,000 buyout clause. Peakfan ruminates on this with that shrug of acceptance fans of lower league football clubs know so well.
"We may not like it, but have to face facts. There is only so much we can do financially too, so there must be a collective gritting of teeth among supporters."
Philip Barker: The story of cricket's Olympic inclusion and omittance (InsideTheGames)
A nice history on cricket at the Olympic Games. T20 is the favoured format right now but… wait for it… the chairman of the ECB is leading the debate here. And we know we can’t trust that organisation. Expect you-know-what to be pushed forward because they will make money from it.
Surrey CCC membership packages (Surrey CCC)
As much as I rip on $urrey, they are a well-run county who, under former CEO Richard Gould, could have acted more in self-interest in the last few years but did not.
Here's their list of membership options for the 2022 season. Two things to note. Firstly, I love the specific county memberships for 16-21 year-olds and 22-25 year-olds. But all their county memberships include free entry to games in the tournament-that-shall-not-be-named at the Oval. Back at the start of all this, the ECB told us that franchises and their host counties would be entirely separate. I know, I know. This ranting is all getting a bit dull now but the lies have to be called out. So let’s end the news with something warm and fuzzy.
Over 100,000 kids make 2001 a record-breaking summer of cricket (Middlesex CCC)
We interrupt this newsletter for a game of County Cricket
The County Championship is back on Monday. Here’s that famous tied game between Somerset and Lancashire in 2018. Both are in the top conference and going for the title. While Group 2 and 3 will be dull, Group 1 could well create an excellent finale.
Tweets of the Week
The two lads from the County Cricket podcast are in their early 20s but they love the county game and they get the issues. Meanwhile, Andy Nash resigned from the ECB board over his concerns about their corporate governance. He is in the meetings when key decisions were made. Mark Church is a gentle, enthusiastic cricket soul who has dedicated many years to commentating on Surrey. All are worth listening to.
Finally…
I was at Vitality Blast finals day in 2019 and, before Sweet Caroline came on, the announcer said “we started all this”. It is a damn good song but its overuse at British sporting events has made this a dubious honour.
Finally, finally…
Yes, I am still plugging my book on county cricket and midlife.
Buy through Amazon or through me for an autographed copy
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