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County Championship Reduction For 2026?

Turner the Cat said:
Feels like there are a number of factors to consider.

As far as I can tell, county teams are playing less cricket both in terms of days, hours and overs than they have done for several decades.

I suppose you could argue that the game is more intense and demanding now but then we're much more advanced in terms of sports science and things like balanced training, nutrition and recovery.

I dont know how schedules compare to the past as that has been a big complaint alongside the volume of cricket.

Also, I don't know how squad sizes compare to the past. They vary a lot now though. Surrey and Yorkshire appear to have much bigger squads than the likes of Worcestershire and Northamptonshire do today.

I imagine there are more players playing abroad out of season compared to the past.

A big challenge seems to be with a growing gulf between the successful and in-demand cricketers making millions in franchise and international cricket who can pick and choose when they play for a county and your average cricketer earning £20k+ a year trying to get by.

A big risk for me is any reduction in games also reduces the number of opportunities for younger and fringe players.
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As you say, they are playing less games, there is definitely more rotation too, particularly with bowlers. Squads all seem to be a decent size and the loan market is a bit of a joke really as players can come in for one game here and there, the same with the arrangement for overseas players.

A reduction in games reduces opportunities, devalues the competition and also if we go to three divisions, imagine how unattractive it would be to play for a 3rd division county? Look at how many players we lost when going down to Division 2, how many players from Leics/Worcs have Notts hoovered up in recent years? The division 3 teams would be out of business within 5 years IMO, but I suspect they already know that and they'll eventually get what they want in a reduced number of counties.
 

Looks like the counties are going to vote for what is the best alternative out of the options offered, which is keep the CC to 14 games and reduce the Blast to 12 from 14.

Not sure how taking out 2 x T20 games is going to improve things but there we are.

No doubt we'll expect another review in two years time.
 
Aidan11 said:
Looks like the counties are going to vote for what is the best alternative out of the options offered, which is keep the CC to 14 games and reduce the Blast to 12 from 14.

Not sure how taking out 2 x T20 games is going to improve things but there we are.

No doubt we'll expect another review in two years time.
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Toys out of the pram from Bostock and his committee that's has compiled these options.
 
Aidan11 said:
Looks like the counties are going to vote for what is the best alternative out of the options offered, which is keep the CC to 14 games and reduce the Blast to 12 from 14.

Not sure how taking out 2 x T20 games is going to improve things but there we are.

No doubt we'll expect another review in two years time.
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According to Annie Chave on X earlier, despite the PCA returning high numbers in their votes against the current format/schedule, the biggest complaint from players was the scheduling of the Blast and travelling from Birmingham to Manchester for example to play back to back games.

I've always maintained that the way the game is scheduled in this country at the moment is so obviously the biggest issue here.

16.4 taking up all of August so no international or CC cricket is played during the bulk of the school holidays.
The 50 over cup being scheduled on week days
CC games aren't much better - we play Surrey Tuesday - Friday at the end of this month. How do you get numbers on the gate if they need to constantly use annual leave to attend?
Too many games in April/September when the weather is variable at best
Blast games scheduled back to back (or close to it) with too much travel in a short space of time.

I wonder what would solve these issues? Anyone?

Just a hunch, maybe not playing 1 stupid f***ing tournament in the same month to basically stop all other domestic cricket except what has essentially been demoted to a second XI cup. Take a full month out of your seasons and you will be cramming in 28 other games.

I await the next inquest when England go out early in the 2027 50 over World Cup, and the 50 over game in this country needs revitalising.

Short term thinking from long term idiots.
 
The Breen Machine said:
According to Annie Chave on X earlier, despite the PCA returning high numbers in their votes against the current format/schedule, the biggest complaint from players was the scheduling of the Blast and travelling from Birmingham to Manchester for example to play back to back games.

I've always maintained that the way the game is scheduled in this country at the moment is so obviously the biggest issue here.

16.4 taking up all of August so no international or CC cricket is played during the bulk of the school holidays.
The 50 over cup being scheduled on week days
CC games aren't much better - we play Surrey Tuesday - Friday at the end of this month. How do you get numbers on the gate if they need to constantly use annual leave to attend?
Too many games in April/September when the weather is variable at best
Blast games scheduled back to back (or close to it) with too much travel in a short space of time.

I wonder what would solve these issues? Anyone?

Just a hunch, maybe not playing 1 stupid f***ing tournament in the same month to basically stop all other domestic cricket except what has essentially been demoted to a second XI cup. Take a full month out of your seasons and you will be cramming in 28 other games.

I await the next inquest when England go out early in the 2027 50 over World Cup, and the 50 over game in this country needs revitalising.

Short term thinking from long term idiots.
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You don't watch cricket do you.

I am at Derby v Birmingham/ Warwickshire tonight for our golden money maker. There is less than a 1000 here.

The hospitality is full loads of 30 year old single men on a freebie getting drunk on 3 pints of carling..

It's horrific. This format is dead. It's done it's time.

Every county now losing money on this format.

So where do we take it???

Who cares or even knows about a 10 hour day 50 hing this ribbishover tournament??

Nobody can be bothered to spend 4 hours watching this dross.

The game is dead. It's failed. T20 was great 22 years ago quid to get in bit of hit and giggle.

Now well I am more content to watch staplegrove v Taunton deane tomorrow for free on you tube than have to suffer a load of drunken hipster virgins than watch this.

The sport is dead.
 
Iamme said:
You don't watch cricket do you.

I am at Derby v Birmingham/ Warwickshire tonight for our golden money maker. There is less than a 1000 here.

The hospitality is full loads of 30 year old single men on a freebie getting drunk on 3 pints of carling..

It's horrific. This format is dead. It's done it's time.

Every county now losing money on this format.

So where do we take it???

Who cares or even knows about a 10 hour day 50 hing this ribbishover tournament??

Nobody can be bothered to spend 4 hours watching this dross.

The game is dead. It's failed. T20 was great 22 years ago quid to get in bit of hit and giggle.

Now well I am more content to watch staplegrove v Taunton deane tomorrow for free on you tube than have to suffer a load of drunken hipster virgins than watch this.

The sport is dead.
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Whilst you talk a lot of rubbish in that post, the only bits you have got right are down to the ECB bastardising our domestic game.

I expect to see sell outs at every 16.4 game.

And I'll have forgotten more cricket than you'll have watched.
 
Iamme said:
You don't watch cricket do you.

I am at Derby v Birmingham/ Warwickshire tonight for our golden money maker. There is less than a 1000 here.

The hospitality is full loads of 30 year old single men on a freebie getting drunk on 3 pints of carling..

It's horrific. This format is dead. It's done it's time.

Every county now losing money on this format.

So where do we take it???

Who cares or even knows about a 10 hour day 50 hing this ribbishover tournament??

Nobody can be bothered to spend 4 hours watching this dross.

The game is dead. It's failed. T20 was great 22 years ago quid to get in bit of hit and giggle.

Now well I am more content to watch staplegrove v Taunton deane tomorrow for free on you tube than have to suffer a load of drunken hipster virgins than watch this.

The sport is dead.
Click to expand...

Shame you weren't watching the Durham game tonight.
 
Iamme said:
You don't watch cricket do you.

I am at Derby v Birmingham/ Warwickshire tonight for our golden money maker. There is less than a 1000 here.

The hospitality is full loads of 30 year old single men on a freebie getting drunk on 3 pints of carling..

It's horrific. This format is dead. It's done it's time.

Every county now losing money on this format.

So where do we take it???

Who cares or even knows about a 10 hour day 50 hing this ribbishover tournament??

Nobody can be bothered to spend 4 hours watching this dross.

The game is dead. It's failed. T20 was great 22 years ago quid to get in bit of hit and giggle.

Now well I am more content to watch staplegrove v Taunton deane tomorrow for free on you tube than have to suffer a load of drunken hipster virgins than watch this.

The sport is dead.
Click to expand...
Tit.
 
The sad thing is, the Vitality blast was booming. I understand more tickets were sold for the T20 Blast in 2019 than any other season. It was really at its peak. Obviously 2020 was hit by covid but why introduce The Hundred when the Blast was growing and at its peak? Why not keep investing to enable it to continue to grow?

Instead, they added a new overlapping competition, prioritising it over the T20 in terms of marketing, scheduling and broadcasting and as a result have done huge damage to what was a competition that was at its most successful.
 
Turner the Cat said:
The sad thing is, the Vitality blast was booming. I understand more tickets were sold for the T20 Blast in 2019 than any other season. It was really at its peak. Obviously 2020 was hit by covid but why introduce The Hundred when the Blast was growing and at its peak? Why not keep investing to enable it to continue to grow?

Instead, they added a new overlapping competition, prioritising it over the T20 in terms of marketing, scheduling and broadcasting and as a result have done huge damage to what was a competition that was at its most successful.
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I'm with you there. I've never understood the point of The Hundred. Why did they not expand the Blast instead?
 
matt228 said:
I'm with you there. I've never understood the point of The Hundred. Why did they not expand the Blast instead?
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So far The Hundred has also lost money, despite the ECB initially claiming it had made a profit. However, the financial impact of the Hundred should also include the negative revenue impact it has had on reduced attendance and interest in T20 and the other forms of cricket. Of course they won't do that but if you add that into the mix then the Hundred has had even more of a negative financial impact so far.
 
Turner the Cat said:
So far The Hundred has also lost money, despite the ECB initially claiming it had made a profit. However, the financial impact of the Hundred should also include the negative revenue impact it has had on reduced attendance and interest in T20 and the other forms of cricket. Of course they won't do that but if you add that into the mix then the Hundred has had even more of a negative financial impact so far.
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I didn't know The Hundred had been losing money.

So, in summary, it's a bit shit and it costs the game money. Great.
 
matt228 said:
I didn't know The Hundred had been losing money.

So, in summary, it's a bit shit and it costs the game money. Great.
Click to expand...
Yeah £9m loss in first 2 years but more like £30m+ when you include the 'bribe' paid by the ECB to get counties to vote for it. And that's also before taking into account the lost revenues at a county level from fewer attending T20 blast games and other formats because of the Hundred.

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I do think there's also something in the idea of scheduling county matches better to allow more people of working age to attend. I don't see any reason why they can't be Wednesday-Sunday as standard, for example.
 
The counties barely play as it is! It’s hard to find county cricket to watch these days.

I would agree with binning off the very early April games and also finishing the season almost in October there’s no need for that.

But it is the huge window for the blast and the even more ridiculous 100 county gap (I don’t count the 50 over competition as it’s played as a reserve team competition).

In the old days they often played 2 x 3 day first class games a week plus the Sunday league. And the 55 over and 60 over competitions were also taken seriously.
 
The Breen Machine said:
Whilst you talk a lot of rubbish in that post, the only bits you have got right are down to the ECB bastardising our domestic game.

I expect to see sell outs at every 16.4 game.

And I'll have forgotten more cricket than you'll have watched.
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Don't waste your time replying to the troll mate.

He's a proper sad act whose sole reason for being on here is to try and wind people up.
 
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