16.4 Could be AXED!

[Voice of fair play]

Short format tournament in a summer holiday window could be a T20 knockout for the counties. Two preliminary ties to get down to 16 then that would make 17 matches over 3-4 weeks and a TV event too. Every match matters.

Yeah something like that great idea, that has maximum exposure all matches on tv and full focus on it.

Only issue I suppose and it could be a big issue would the top players in the world come over for possibly one game.

And like say in the summer holidays for kids, cricket fans alike.

 

[Fleagle]

Short format tournament in a summer holiday window could be a T20 knockout for the counties. Two preliminary ties to get down to 16 then that would make 17 matches over 3-4 weeks and a TV event too. Every match matters.

It’s not a bad idea for a competition and I’d love to watch it. But I’d watch whatever they put out and:
the counties squealed like stuck pigs at a suggestion to reduce the Blast from 14 games to 12 with only 6 at home, they’re not going to buy a possible one and none;
you won’t realistically attract overseas stars for a possible one game contract;
even if you did, and got the England boys, you’re still spreading the talent across 18 which has always been the Blast’s other weakness.

Which is successful for two main reasons imo.

1. Each game is a sole event where all focus on that game and live on TV

2. Mostly the best players in it and paid accordingly.

Not sure how we can create that here but we should be trying.

Your biggest problem might be achieving your first.

India is as of about now the biggest population in the world and gives a serious shit about cricket. There’s a tv audience and then some.

British broadcasters and viewers largely don’t give a toss unless the ball has a circumference of 27” or so. I don’t think the excessive gimmickry of the 100 is the answer but there is a need to sell.

 

[Voice of fair play]

It’s not a bad idea for a competition and I’d love to watch it. But I’d watch whatever they put out and:
the counties squealed like stuck pigs at a suggestion to reduce the Blast from 14 games to 12 with only 6 at home, they’re not going to buy a possible one and none;
you won’t realistically attract overseas stars for a possible one game contract;
even if you did, and got the England boys, you’re still spreading the talent across 18 which has always been the Blast’s other weakness.


Your biggest problem might be achieving your first.

India is as of about now the biggest population in the world and gives a serious shit about cricket. There’s a tv audience and then some.

British broadcasters and viewers largely don’t give a toss unless the ball has a circumference of 27” or so. I don’t think the excessive gimmickry of the 100 is the answer but there is a need to sell.

I think you right and the media don’t help.

It’s football, football and more football

As a kid I loved football as much as the next kid, but what I remember was a clear season finish and start.

For example football season ends cricket season started.

Now even in the close season far to much media coverage of football.

And the beyond ridiculous summer football leagues for kids.

 

[Fleagle]

Football is certainly more dominant but it has been very dominant for a long time. It’s the market cricket is in.

50 years ago I took the sports comic Tiger and Scorcher. Even then four football stories and four not, none of which was primarily cricket (F1, rallying, speedway and wrestling as I recall which is also an interesting social commentary). Two of the four strips pretended to do cricket for four months in the summer, with varying effectiveness. We can’t wish football’s 20th century dominance of England away (nor, here, would we wish to I assume). And now we can’t wish the IPL’s 21st Century dominance of global cricket away either.

Not a solution. Just an observation that it might not be heresy to say that the 18 county franchises, 16 of which were adopted by the Edwardian era when English cricket was still both locally and globally a big deal, and the counties still existed as units of local government, might possibly not be fit for purpose anymore.

 

[C.ra.ig]

It’s not a bad idea for a competition and I’d love to watch it. But I’d watch whatever they put out and:
the counties squealed like stuck pigs at a suggestion to reduce the Blast from 14 games to 12 with only 6 at home, they’re not going to buy a possible one and none;
you won’t realistically attract overseas stars for a possible one game contract;
even if you did, and got the England boys, you’re still spreading the talent across 18 which has always been the Blast’s other weakness.


Your biggest problem might be achieving your first.

India is as of about now the biggest population in the world and gives a serious shit about cricket. There’s a tv audience and then some.

British broadcasters and viewers largely don’t give a toss unless the ball has a circumference of 27” or so. I don’t think the excessive gimmickry of the 100 is the answer but there is a need to sell.

Was thinking of the knockout as an extra to the Blast (instead of the 100), start around July 20 when schools break up and get it all finished in 3 weeks or a little over before the PL starts. Game a day on TV.

 

[Fleagle]

Was thinking of the knockout as an extra to the Blast (instead of the 100), start around July 20 when schools break up and get it all finished in 3 weeks or a little over before the PL starts. Game a day on TV.

I agree that could be fun but it does the same as the 100 in terms of downgrading the Blast because the Blast doesn’t have its own slot, tv coverage and all the stars. Which reduced status feels like it’s already hitting attendances (Middx v Surrey half full when it used to sell out and 4k max there today).

 

[brandon]

Short format tournament in a summer holiday window could be a T20 knockout for the counties. Two preliminary ties to get down to 16 then that would make 17 matches over 3-4 weeks and a TV event too. Every match matters.

So if you get a bye to the Round of 16 and an away draw which you lose, your T20 campaign would be over and you won’t have made any money whatsoever from ticket sales/hospitality/sponsorship/merch…

Think you need to have a rethink marra.

Yeah something like that great idea

It’s a f*cking dreadful idea

 

[Ghfd]

That comp by Craig could have been an extra to the current t20 leagues, as a sort of t20 version of the fa cup ?

instead of the 16.4

so the clubs got their home games in the league and then a potential bonus run to a final at lords ?

 

[tynevalleyblackcat]

Like I have said mate a country like ours should have a major short format tournament in a designated window in the summer in a similar way as the IPL.

Which is successful for two main reasons imo.

1. Each game is a sole event where all focus on that game and live on TV

2. Mostly the best players in it and paid accordingly.

Not sure how we can create that here but we should be trying.

100 hasn’t achieved that but this country should have something similar.

Problem is people and fans will rebel anything that even tries to put counties in the background and 18 counties too many to create the above
to be able to fit all games into that window

Thats not true though is it?

3 groups of 6 split geographically to maximise derby matches and reduce travelling for fans, play each other twice, 10 games each team playing 2 games on first weekend, 2 games first midweek, 2 games on second weekend, 2 games second midweek, 2 games on third weekend. Top two in each group into quarter finals with 2 best runners up. Quarter final double headers Tue/Wed of 3rd midweek and a finals day on the 4th weekend. All done and dusted inside just over 3 weeks.

With a little bit of clever scheduling all games could be given a seperate slot for TV.

 

[Voice of fair play]

Thats not true though is it?

3 groups of 6 split geographically to maximise derby matches and reduce travelling for fans, play each other twice, 10 games each team playing 2 games on first weekend, 2 games first midweek, 2 games on second weekend, 2 games second midweek, 2 games on third weekend. Top two in each group into quarter finals with 2 best runners up. Quarter final double headers Tue/Wed of 3rd midweek and a finals day on the 4th weekend. All done and dusted inside just over 3 weeks.

With a little bit of clever scheduling all games could be given a seperate slot for TV.

Yeah fair dos some good points, if we can get that in a 4 week window in the school holidays and get the best players in the world there by paying them accordingly all for it

 

[Parkside]

Going to make it bigger and better with Durham and Somerset included. Lord ITB big fan of the Hundred,clearly not in tune with the majority of Durham members.

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[Up the BR]

Going to make it bigger and better with Durham and Somerset included. Lord ITB big fan of the Hundred,clearly not in tune with the majority of Durham members.

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He's not in tune with reality, blokes an idiot.

 

[chunksafc]

If the ECB, Sky and the BBC put as much effort, time and money into T20 and the 50 over game the hundred would never have even been considered.

 

[brandon]

Going to make it bigger and better with Durham and Somerset included. Lord ITB big fan of the Hundred,clearly not in tune with the majority of Durham members.

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Any chance of a copy & paste for those of us without a subscription?

 

[Twisted]

Going to make it bigger and better with Durham and Somerset included. Lord ITB big fan of the Hundred,clearly not in tune with the majority of Durham members.

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I dont really understand how anyone at a county side can be anything other than horrified at the very idea of the hundred. Dereliction of duty imho of anyone in a position of power to voice views like that

The only way it could possibly have been acceptable is if every county was given a side, retain the same players but with added funding for overseas superstars and condense the top teams into the top division.

Ie sex up the already existing t20

He's not in tune with reality, blokes an idiot.

I would be all for chasing anyone at the club who is interested in pushing the agenda of the 16.4 ahead of durham. Cant understand why we're paying people working towards the destruction of cricket and our club.

 

[chunksafc]

Sky used to make a fuss about the T20 with a game every night and lots of coverage, now there's nights missing and hardly any mention of it.

Take tonight, theres 3? Games on, what hardship would it be to televise say 2 of them? It's not like they have much else to show on their 15 sports channels now the football season is all but over

 

[brandon]

Sky used to make a fuss about the T20 with a game every night and lots of coverage, now there's nights missing and hardly any mention of it.

This, it’s been picked up on in the Televised T20 game thread. They barely seem arsed anymore.

Take tonight, theres 3? Games on, what hardship would it be to televise say 2 of them? It's not like they have much else to show on their 15 sports channels now the football season is all but over

8 T20 Blast games tonight.

 

[bumble2]

He's not in tune with reality, blokes an idiot.

He should put his mouth where his feet are.

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[chunksafc]

This, it’s been picked up on in the Televised T20 game thread. They barely seem arsed anymore.



8 T20 Blast games tonight.

8 tonight, blimey. @Ghfd has been really useful posting the streams and sky games.

If sky aren't that bothered about promoting / showing it then give the contract back and let the ECB sell it to someone that wants to show and promote it or God forbid, assist the counties get their streaming services up to speed

 

[Ghfd]

8 tonight, blimey. @Ghfd has been really useful posting the streams and sky games.

If sky aren't that bothered about promoting / showing it then give the contract back and let the ECB sell it to someone that wants to show and promote it or God forbid, assist the counties get their streaming services up to speed

I bailed out tonight with just the Durham stream and sky game