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County Championship Reduction For 2026?

Fleagle said:
We already don’t give every county a team. Having 18 teams instead of 53 in the first place has already conceded that principle. You need an argument as to why 18 is better than 8 or 10.

It’s an open argument. The other two major countries have a first class structure with six teams and the first class structure with 40 odd (although they both choose eight for their franchise white ball league). But it’s one we need to make. If we think 18 is the optimum number for this country we need to say why. Is it?
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All fair but should anyone make the decision to take something away from parts of the country that already have it? You'd need a very strong argument for doing that and I'm yet to hear single strong argument about The Hundred at all never mind an argument for totally replacing The Blast with it.
 

Provider said:
The issue with only 8 Blast games is that Blast home games are where a lot of counties make their money. Taking 3 away from them wouldn't be good at all.
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It would though, those are the feelings of Tim Bostock. He said most of the counties believe less is more because by the time the Blast gets to the eleventh and twelfth (etc) group games there is so much apathy amongst supporters - especially because by then there are far too many dead rubbers.

He’s expressly stated that 4 home games is the sweetspot because it would make things so much easier for the counties to advertise for in order to maximise revenue. It’s better to sell out 4 games than to have 6 games where the aggregate is slightly higher but there are thousands of empty seats.
 
Raymondo said:
It would though, those are the feelings of Tim Bostock. He said most of the counties believe less is more because by the time the Blast gets to the eleventh and twelfth (etc) group games there is so much apathy amongst supporters - especially because by then there are far too many dead rubbers.

He’s expressly stated that 4 home games is the sweetspot because it would make things so much easier for the counties to advertise for in order to maximise revenue. It’s better to sell out 4 games than to have 6 games where the aggregate is slightly higher but there are thousands of empty seats.
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Fair counter but it's a shame it quotes Tim Bostock who IMO does not really have the DCCC members at heart.

Will this increased match by match revenue offset the decrease in Blast season ticket money as they will surely have to reduce those given the near 50% reduction in the number of games?
 
Provider said:
Fair counter but it's a shame it quotes Tim Bostock who IMO does not really have the DCCC members at heart.

Will this increased match by match revenue offset the decrease in Blast season ticket money as they will surely have to reduce those given the near 50% reduction in the number of games?
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I can’t speak for Bostock’s personal view of Durham members, but I took his comments on face value purely based on him being a fairly successful businessman.

I suspect a Blast ST which is currently based on pounds per number of games would be reduced to reflect that, yes.
 
What concerns me is obviously the reduction itself and I've said it's likely will be the end of my membership as I suspect most of the games will be April and September. Another thing to factor in will be the inevitable Kookaburra experiment at some stages in the season which we know makes for absolutely desperate viewing. It's just not appealing is it?
 
GordonMuchallNo1Fan said:
What concerns me is obviously the reduction itself and I've said it's likely will be the end of my membership as I suspect most of the games will be April and September. Another thing to factor in will be the inevitable Kookaburra experiment at some stages in the season which we know makes for absolutely desperate viewing. It's just not appealing is it?
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Plus we've been lucky with the weather this year but imagine a repeat of 2024 :eek:. I'm lucky in so much that I've retired but there's no way I would be renewing if I was still working.
 
Seems a bit of a fait accompli to me, that they are almost trying to erase 4 day cricket altogether.

Most of the CC played in April and September.​
Ridiculous scheduling - Sussex starting on a Sunday and Surrey next month is played Tues-Fri​
Kookaburra experiment leading to some of the most tedious cricket the format has ever seen​
England players scarlessly available​
Now a further reduction in games which will no doubt mean all games are played in April and September​

We wonder why we can't produce top class test spinners when we only play 4 day cricket in months likely to see weather suited to your typical English seamer.
We wonder why we have dropped off in global 50 over tournaments when our own domestic tournament is essentially a 2nd XI cup to accommodate another format of the game in the calendar, that no one else in the world plays at any level.

Every time England hit a bump in the road and their is a mini inquest into why, the amount of cricket played is the first thing brought back to the table. Easily forgotten that when England were at their most successful in the modern era it was with a 16 game CC, a 50 over cup scheduled to allow a side to put out their best XI (and with a Lords final giving it prestige), and a T20 blast that wasn't drawn out over months.

The re-investment of the 16.4 money could easily allow counties to continue with the current amount of games in the CC, and note that Surrey are one of the few voting for this. Ultimately this all boils down to greed and money at the top of most clubs and the ECB, I wonder how the players will feel when inevitably, their clubs try to reduce their salaries in line with the shortening of the domestic calendar?

In short, it makes me sick.
 
The Breen Machine said:
Seems a bit of a fait accompli to me, that they are almost trying to erase 4 day cricket altogether.

Most of the CC played in April and September.​
Ridiculous scheduling - Sussex starting on a Sunday and Surrey next month is played Tues-Fri​
Kookaburra experiment leading to some of the most tedious cricket the format has ever seen​
England players scarlessly available​
Now a further reduction in games which will no doubt mean all games are played in April and September​

We wonder why we can't produce top class test spinners when we only play 4 day cricket in months likely to see weather suited to your typical English seamer.
We wonder why we have dropped off in global 50 over tournaments when our own domestic tournament is essentially a 2nd XI cup to accommodate another format of the game in the calendar, that no one else in the world plays at any level.

Every time England hit a bump in the road and their is a mini inquest into why, the amount of cricket played is the first thing brought back to the table. Easily forgotten that when England were at their most successful in the modern era it was with a 16 game CC, a 50 over cup scheduled to allow a side to put out their best XI (and with a Lords final giving it prestige), and a T20 blast that wasn't drawn out over months.

The re-investment of the 16.4 money could easily allow counties to continue with the current amount of games in the CC, and note that Surrey are one of the few voting for this. Ultimately this all boils down to greed and money at the top of most clubs and the ECB, I wonder how the players will feel when inevitably, their clubs try to reduce their salaries in line with the shortening of the domestic calendar?

In short, it makes me sick.
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You make a good point about the reduction, it would likely mean April and September red ball cricket which would be a no go for me because April albeit easy for me to attend would be absolutely freezing. September working in an education place is simply really difficult to get time off, factor in shit weather and a Kookaburra experiment which will keep happening.... What is the point??? A membership simply wouldn't be value for money at all unless they sell them for £100 which we know wouldn't happen.
 
GordonMuchallNo1Fan said:
You make a good point about the reduction, it would likely mean April and September red ball cricket which would be a no go for me because April albeit easy for me to attend would be absolutely freezing. September working in an education place is simply really difficult to get time off, factor in shit weather and a Kookaburra experiment which will keep happening.... What is the point??? A membership simply wouldn't be value for money at all unless they sell them for £100 which we know wouldn't happen.
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CC is not easy to attend at the best of times given it lasts 4 days. I usually only make weekends/BH's unless I use holidays (As I have done for the Surrey game) but even then you have variables such as the weather, "passing" fans are less likely to attend in cold weather and there'll be plenty of that in April and September.

Scheduling games to start midweek to incorporate no weekend play is also madness. Who realistically can use multiple holidays to attend CC games? Then again, factor in the weather, you might use a holiday for a game with limited or no play.

Add in that poor weather really does nothing for the quality of the game and can largely make it a typical English seamer's paradise, and you end up with the players not really benefitting from it.

It's as if they are doing all they can to push the county game and member to extinction.
 
The Breen Machine said:
Seems a bit of a fait accompli to me, that they are almost trying to erase 4 day cricket altogether.

Most of the CC played in April and September.​
Ridiculous scheduling - Sussex starting on a Sunday and Surrey next month is played Tues-Fri​
Kookaburra experiment leading to some of the most tedious cricket the format has ever seen​
England players scarlessly available​
Now a further reduction in games which will no doubt mean all games are played in April and September​

We wonder why we can't produce top class test spinners when we only play 4 day cricket in months likely to see weather suited to your typical English seamer.
We wonder why we have dropped off in global 50 over tournaments when our own domestic tournament is essentially a 2nd XI cup to accommodate another format of the game in the calendar, that no one else in the world plays at any level.

Every time England hit a bump in the road and their is a mini inquest into why, the amount of cricket played is the first thing brought back to the table. Easily forgotten that when England were at their most successful in the modern era it was with a 16 game CC, a 50 over cup scheduled to allow a side to put out their best XI (and with a Lords final giving it prestige), and a T20 blast that wasn't drawn out over months.

The re-investment of the 16.4 money could easily allow counties to continue with the current amount of games in the CC, and note that Surrey are one of the few voting for this. Ultimately this all boils down to greed and money at the top of most clubs and the ECB, I wonder how the players will feel when inevitably, their clubs try to reduce their salaries in line with the shortening of the domestic calendar?

In short, it makes me sick.
Click to expand...

Fantastic post.
 
It’s not soo much the experiment or trying of it of for me.

As when you trial something you can never be sure how it will pan out.

It’s the fact that it’s not been stopped now!!

The evidence is there now that it’s farcical it can’t be more clear stop it NOW!
 
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