No 94, July 1 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
🟣 ICEC Report finally lands and it is devastating 🟢 All the key articles and reaction 🔴 Yorkshire punishment recommended 🟤 What sponsors get from county cricket 🟠 Blast and Championship latest
WisdenWorld - our community cricket partner, helping to fund the grassroots game
If the contents of the ICEC report were a surprise then, for me, you have been somewhat blind to the environment in which cricket has operated over the past few decades
If you think it is all some sort of woke plot then feel free to unsubscribe, the button is up the top. Because we just don't get one another.
Then again, despite it all, I am still not sure the ECB fully get it either.
The report had 44 recommendations but one of the most significant was the introduction of an independent regulator. Something I had argued for 18 months ago and had managed to get on the desk of the Culture Secretary. For me, some sort of separation of regulatory and commercial functions is critical because combining them gives the ECB near uninhibited power to control and shape the game and frankly they have presided over the diminution of English cricket over the past 20 years or so. Despite the undoubted competence of The Richards, I just do not trust the organisation to run the game.
This was exemplified this week at the very point they should be open to everything. At the press conference that immediately followed the publication of the ICEC report they semi-dismissed the need for a regulator as, they argued, those functions are already separate... under the ECB.
Stories in the wake of ICEC Report
A level playing field for cricket is a long way off (Guardian)
Latest damning cricket report shows same old pathways remain blocked (Guardian)
Cricketer claims umpire suggested she ‘stay home to do ironing’ during match | Evening Standard
Champagne and a sea of egg and bacon: Lord’s lays bare cricket’s class divide (Independent)
Mark Ramprakash: I made my way in cricket but it is clear that was against the odds (Guardian)
English cricket’s reign of shame exposed with devastating admission of guilt (Guardian)
ECB won't be regulated by the government despite racism findings (Mail)
A conversation about race, equality with Dr Thomas Fletcher (Londonwritingguy.com)
Holding Up a Mirror to Cricket Q&A: what does it mean for the game? (Mirror)
I already have little faith that this latest report will lead to lasting change because, well, all the others have not, so why should this one? OK, they instigated the investigation in the first place but if they are going to dismiss key recommendations almost immediately then what is the point?
The ECB made a big play of their immediate apology, the first of those 44 suggestions. It was also just quick words. Long-term, effective action is very different.
An independent regulator for football was set in motion after the crisis over the European Super League. But it is yet to be implemented. The Premier League and its clubs screamed about restricting innovation, growth and profit-making ability. One CEO likened it to Maoist China. Suddenly they found the balls to bring charges against Manchester City. One of the key questions to ask in such circumstances is "What changed?". The most convincing answer is they hoped that showing their teeth would ward off formal external control.
Reportedly, this government have no desire to bring in a regulator in cricket. You cannot blame them. There is less money and profile in cricket than football. It will bring a lot of hassle and few votes. And, of course, our current political leaders are incompetent, elitist and utterly self-serving.
In fact, this is the point where we could reset the game entirely. A proper change. And that means a new governing body, with new principles.
Because, yet again, we are asking English cricket to fix itself using its existing tools and a dog-earred manual. And, despite our desire for better, with the same old forces peering over its shoulder and breathing down its neck.
At the heart of English cricket, there has always been a battle between respecting its past and mapping out its future. Ever since the ECB took over from the TCCB it has been one step forward, two steps back. Report-fudge-stasis, report-fudge-stasis. They have always chosen short-term money over long-term resilience and even their occasional but genuine innovations have not been followed through.
It is a very English muddle but, at its core, there lies a lack of agreed priorities and principles. We do not really know what we want the game to be. Had The well-respected Richards not taken over the ECB, I feel there would be more calls for the introduction of a new organisation. They have been around for some time.
We do not need the detail on these changes at yet, just the will to do it. All the key stakeholders need to talk and, as best they can, agree the game’s priorities or at least be comfortable with the direction of travel. This means finally hammering through the tough questions portray as millstones by the self-proclaimed progressives, like what is the point of county cricket, do we need 18 counties, and how can the traditional English structure work in a franchise-led world? Then there are international schedules, pathways, inclusivity, media rights and everything else.
The only genuine requests for fans' feedback I can remember have come from the Cricket Supporters Association and the counties in response to the Strauss Report. And they called us names and he quit after we did not vote the way they wanted.
In recent decades, the game has been shaped one way by the ECB in a way they always suggest will revive the game for good. Then a few years later they do something different. This smacks of a confused view of their priorities. We need clarity and frank discussion over the future of the game. But that is tough to accomplish given the history. It may mean that some of us leave the game behind because, frankly, it is not for us anymore but, as this report suggests, that has been happening for years anyway because of racism, sexism and elitism.
At some point, English cricket must decide what it really wants to be. And the easiest way to reset is by changing the governing body.
But, alas, it already seems it won’t happen. That is why I am backing this great opportunity to lead to precious little long-term change.
☕️ When I started this newsletter I made two promises, it will be free forever and your data will never be misused. If you like this newsletter (and you can afford it) please consider buying me a coffee via Ko-Fi or subscribe via Patreon. All coffee buyers are name-checked in the next edition.☕️
Championship and Blast news
County Championship team of the week: Who joins Daniel Bell-Drummond? (Cricketer)
Birmingham and Somerset reach T20 Blast last eight (Guardian)
Liam Dawson takes 12 wickets and scores century in Hampshire win (Guardian)
Signing: Drakes (Birmingham - overseas, Blast)
Northamptonshire in line to sign India batter Prithvi Shaw (Cricketer)
News, Views and Interviews
Yorkshire secure financial rescue package with mystery new partner (Telegraph)
Gloom at Yorkshire as proposed punishment emerges for scandal (Guardian)
Ottis Gibson: Sanctioning the people trying to move Yorkshire forward doesn't make sense (Cricketer)
Yorkshire could face £500,000 fine and points deductions as CDC considers sanctions (Cricinfo)
I have been calling for Yorkshire to be punished for about 18 months. However, it is a two-edged sword. A strident, unequivocal message must be sent out regarding racism but, at the same time, the county needs the bandwidth to right themselves. And, before that, they need to survive.
In the last few weeks, I have decried the dominance Surrey have in the game, partly due to their history and support. The Headingley side have similar potential and could offer some element of balance. A strong Yorkshire is good for county cricket.
We have been told the racism saga is an existential crisis for this country's most successful side. If a £500,000 fine is levied, albeit with £350,000 suspended, and Yorkshire ended up struggling to survive they will just go to the ECB, who will hand back the money and probably a bit more.
Given their circumstances, I'd like to see more creative and positive 'punishments' rather than just fines. Something akin to community service, rather than purely punitive measures.
For example, the creation of best-in-class community and other promotional schemes with strict targets. Even allow them to second staff to fulfil them, knowing that if they fail they will be punished even harder.
Maybe use Yorkshire's situation to enforce the uptake of some schemes the ECB had wanted to try but never had the opportunity. Now is the time.
Inside County Cricket: How Thompson became one of the best (Mail)
Yorkshire CCC cricket: Fans call for county to bring matches back to Sheffield (Sheffield Star)
ECB committed to spending over £30m on women's cricket (Mail)
Advertising boss plays the long game to change face of cricket (Times)
Viral image shows English cricket team overwhelmingly white and privately educated (News.com.au)
County cricket’s relentless spin cycle has left England short of options (Guardian)
Here is a radical new philosophy: making sport fun again (Guardian)
Cheaper kit, better access and a focus on fun – cricket can be game for all (Times)
And finally…
The story of this newsletter
This newsletter started in January 2021 because, frankly, no one else was publishing one and the county game lacked promotion. It will always be free and we will never misuse your data.
🤝 Sponsor - I have one partner, WisdenWorld. All the revenue is going to community cricket schemes run by my chosen charity, (TBC).
☕️ Coffee tips - The newsletter is a labour of love but it takes a long time to write. If you like the content, please feel free to tip me a coffee. Or commission me to create cricket content. I’d love to turn it into a full-time job.
My monthly coffees: Gary Prail, William Dobson, George Dobell, Long Leg, Kevin Roome, John Lucey, Sophie Whyte, Cow Corner Slog, Graeme Hayter, Chris Moody, Martin Searle, Ben Hieatt-Smith, Russell Holden, Adrian Partridge, Sam Morshead, Steve A, Simon Hemsley, Ralph, Alastair Wilson
Patreon: Simon Burnton, Bob Christie, Richard Maslin, Duncan Lewis, Chris Lowe, Steve
Coffees since the last edition: Roger Hughes, Matthew Evans, County Cricket Matters, Russell Holden, Mark Webster, Ross English, Pete Aird, Simon Rofe
Classifieds
Links
Join the Cricket Supporters Association, it’s free
County Cricket Matters - Buy the magazine direct or on Kindle
Guerilla Cricket - irreverent, online commentary and jingles all the way
Leading Edge - County stats dashboard and podcast
98 Not Out - top interviews and cricket chat on the podcast
Also, there’s my book, Last-Wicket Stand.
🏴☠️ Indy bookshop | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇦🇺 Australia
YCCC Punishment
For me a points deduction is a non starter.You would be punishing players who had little or nothing to do with the crime For me a fitting punishment would be to stop ALL International fixtures at the ground for 3 years This would reduce revenue streams - not just ticket sales - and would be a clear message to The Members and others that this is what your actions have down to our club
As a county Historian I am asking (myself and others) what can I do to respond positively to the Report, using the past (recent and far away) to enhance the need for what it calls 'equity'. I think for Historians it must be around REPRESENTATION - what we, at Hampshire, display, write, share with everyone. I think we made a start some years ago but there is always much more to do. I have to hope - and work - but I note, with thanks and concerns, everything you have written.