What is needed to fix the Blast

[wayne entwhistle no9]

I agree that the horse has bolted for the hundred it’s here to stay, but I did agree with Harmy on the podcast that maybe 5 games is the way forward, what have Durham had 3 Fridays 2 Sundays afternoon (one where englands first group game was after) and one where it pissed down all day, then 2 Wednesdays? Might be easier to market 5 weekend games, and in the summer why can’t games be on a Saturday too? Sometimes even 6.30 is a push when I’m at work on a Friday,

And some money on production value, the cameras are getting better in the ground we should be showing more replays on the big screen more graphics, and even a bit fire, the game is always a better atmosphere when it was on sky, but as someone else posted sky just don’t care anymore, they’ve shown about 3 games this season

The counties are determined not to reduce the number of "home" t20 matches. It is for a lot of them the only way they can create revenue themselves.
As has been said on here they are not particularly bothered about what has happened to the 50 over game as it had been swamped by the t20 even before the blast.
As far as the championship goes it just gets fit in around the limited overs cricket. Also covid was a massive eye opener for the counties when they realised economically how better it was to play behind closed doors than have to have facilities open at the ground for what in effect for most counties is a few hundred people.
I called into the Riverside today to watch the 2nds v Yorkshire it would be lucky if there was 30 spectators there. 20/25 years ago a 2nd Xl one day game against Yorkshire on a nice summers day they would have been a couple of hundred.

 

[Parkside]

The counties are determined not to reduce the number of "home" t20 matches. It is for a lot of them the only way they can create revenue themselves.
As has been said on here they are not particularly bothered about what has happened to the 50 over game as it had been swamped by the t20 even before the blast.
As far as the championship goes it just gets fit in around the limited overs cricket. Also covid was a massive eye opener for the counties when they realised economically how better it was to play behind closed doors than have to have facilities open at the ground for what in effect for most counties is a few hundred people.
I called into the Riverside today to watch the 2nds v Yorkshire it would be lucky if there was 30 spectators there. 20/25 years ago a 2nd Xl one day game against Yorkshire on a nice summers day they would have been a couple of hundred.

Yeh,but to be fair

The game was arranged at very short notice

There was the counter attraction of a Test match on tv

Our current 2nd XI are abmysal

 

[brandon]

Counties will be very reluctant to reduce the number of home games to 5. Thats why they have black balled the conference system of more than 2 groups.

I’m not so sure, this season I reckon most counties will have seen a sizeable drop off in attendances (due to a number of factors) and there’s definitely a conversation to be had around what’s better - 5 full houses, or as near as, with people buying beer, food, soft drinks, merchandise, etc, or 7 games where maybe the first few sell well but by the end people are sick. Fewer games would mean fewer dead rubbers AND the bigger argument would be that a smaller competition could be played in a smaller window and that would heighten the chance of getting more international players involved.

In my opinion:

I’d have the whole of April marked as a revised One Day Cup to start the season. 6 regional groups of 3, play each other twice home and away within 2 weeks, with 1st place going through to Quarter Finals. ( 2 of the 6 best 2nd place teams going through as well, I imagine net run rate would have to be taught if this was to happen! ) Quarter Finals and Semi Finals as well as the Final completed by the end of April.

Then, I’d have all 14 County Championship games in a row between start of May and middle of August. Ambitious I know!

Then revise the Blast to 16 games a campaign, 8 at home and 8 away, all to be played till the end of September, including the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and the Final

Blast absolutely has to be played in the school holidays for me, plus I also think you need to play it before the football season starts.

No good playing it in September because it’ll clash with the football.

Its still working down south sell out crowds tonight at the Oval and at Taunton. It appears its more a northern problem at both the test ground counties and the counties with standard grounds.

If you listen to the podcast they speak about how Middlesex are really struggling for crowds. I’ve noticed numbers at Kent, Hampfrica and Essex aren’t what they once were either.

Surrey is a completely different dynamic to just about everywhere else, but it helps that they’re doing well. Somerset are flying too, but again that comes back to my point about fewer games being better because it keeps the interest up if all teams have something to play for come the end of the group stage.

 

[Sillypoint]

Blast is never going to be in the school holidays. It has to be weekends in the window it’s currently in really. But the whole thing needs wrapping up too,

Also agree that it needs a shake up. Was mental that ravi Bopara had never played a t20 at Durham until last week, and Surrey have played Yorkshire twice since its inception, plan the blast games around the CC if needed, if we can travel to Somerset for a 50 over game we can for t20

 

[The Red Telephone]

As far as the championship goes it just gets fit in around the limited overs cricket. Also covid was a massive eye opener for the counties when they realised economically how better it was to play behind closed doors than have to have facilities open at the ground for what in effect for most counties is a few hundred people.
I called into the Riverside today to watch the 2nds v Yorkshire it would be lucky if there was 30 spectators there. 20/25 years ago a 2nd Xl one day game against Yorkshire on a nice summers day they would have been a couple of hundred.

Agree with your Covid Assessment. Tbh Durham must be clapping their hands with the home fixtures this season : The saturated outfield v Hampshire, the turgid three day draw v Essex, the five session victory v Somerset and the two and a bit day defeat v Worcs.

Mrs RT briefly turned up today and she asked if we always drew a 'crowd' of 30 and I reasoned that at least we used to get 70 last season.

I can remember over 250 for a 2nds game at Shildon in the mid 90s !!

 

[brandon]

Blast is never going to be in the school holidays.

Why not?

 

[Sillypoint]

Why not?

Do i really need to answer that, they arent going to move the hundred, sky want a cricket comp in august

 

[Voice of fair play]

Why not?

Do i really need to answer that, they arent going to move the hundred, sky want a cricket comp in august

Does it matter if it’s the blast in the school holidays rather than the hundred.

In fact it would be better if a T20 competition as people able to relate better to that

The important thing is that they is a flagship event in the school holidays with as many quality players available as possible in that window.

If that The Blast rather than the hundred as long as the quality there surely that ok?

 

[Sillypoint]

Does it matter if it’s the blast in the school holidays rather than the hundred.

In fact it would be better if a T20 competition as people able to relate better to that

The important thing is that they is a flagship event in the school holidays with as many quality players available as possible in that window.

If that The Blast rather than the hundred as long as the quality there surely that ok?

because the tournament has to be held within a month for the TV, so that cant involve 18 teams, so it wont be the blast

 

[brandon]

Do i really need to answer that, they arent going to move the hundred, sky want a cricket comp in august

Well yes, it still required an answer, because as we are seeing the crisp packet cup is on its absolute arse - so fortunately I CAN see a situation where there is no longer a clash.

The future of the Blast has to be the school holidays and with a vastly shortened group stage there’s no reason why that can’t be completed inside a month, meaning it’s done and dusted before the football returns too.

It’s clear the ECB have gotten greedy, but it’s about time they realised that often the best way to accumulate is to speculate - get the competition out there to as many people as possible, remove the barriers of paywall broadcasting. Give the rights to anyone that wants them (even if it’s for proverbial peanuts) and let those channels do their own work selling the product. There’s no reason why we couldn’t have a couple of channels broadcasting games at the same time. It would make for healthy competition, because Sky have got complacent and the current model doesn’t work.

because the tournament has to be held within a month for the TV, so that cant involve 18 teams, so it wont be the blast

Again, it can be done if they truly want to do it.

It won’t even be that difficult to organise. Two groups of 9 with each team playing each other once (4 home games, 4 away) could easily be compacted into a month. You could even do 3 groups of 6 with 5 and 5 - either way, if they spent half as much money on PR and advertising that they have on the 16.4 you’d get the crowds in and the viewers on the box.

Counties will be very reluctant to reduce the number of home games to 5. Thats why they have black balled the conference system of more than 2 groups.

Just to revisit this one too, Warwickshire were on the telly last night against Leicestershire and the attendance was abysmal - they’ve been brilliant to watch all completion, had locked up a home QF, winning the group with ease and have given their supporters every reason to be cheerful, yet, still, the ground was about 2/3 empty. For me that’s because the group stage is just far too long, people have tuned out.

It needs to be short and sharp, with every game being a big standalone event on its own.

 

[wayne entwhistle no9]

Well yes, it still required an answer, because as we are seeing the crisp packet cup is on its absolute arse - so fortunately I CAN see a situation where there is no longer a clash.

The future of the Blast has to be the school holidays and with a vastly shortened group stage there’s no reason why that can’t be completed inside a month, meaning it’s done and dusted before the football returns too.

It’s clear the ECB have gotten greedy, but it’s about time they realised that often the best way to accumulate is to speculate - get the competition out there to as many people as possible, remove the barriers of paywall broadcasting. Give the rights to anyone that wants them (even if it’s for proverbial peanuts) and let those channels do their own work selling the product. There’s no reason why we couldn’t have a couple of channels broadcasting games at the same time. It would make for healthy competition, because Sky have got complacent and the current model doesn’t work.


Again, it can be done if they truly want to do it.

It won’t even be that difficult to organise. Two groups of 9 with each team playing each other once (4 home games, 4 away) could easily be compacted into a month. You could even do 3 groups of 6 with 5 and 5 - either way, if they spent half as much money on PR and advertising that they have on the 16.4 you’d get the crowds in and the viewers on the box.


Just to revisit this one too, Warwickshire were on the telly last night against Leicestershire and the attendance was abysmal - they’ve been brilliant to watch all completion, had locked up a home QF, winning the group with ease and have given their supporters every reason to be cheerful, yet, still, the ground was about 2/3 empty. For me that’s because the group stage is just far too long, people have tuned out.

It needs to be short and sharp, with every game being a big standalone event on its own.

Totally agree but the counties do not want to give up home games.
I said on here years ago they got the competition perfect at the start as a short sharp mid summer festival of cricket then the counties saw the £££ signs and extended it to this.
On top of that you have franchise cricket which is awful but inevitable and the whole structure has lost its way.

 

[brandon]

Totally agree but the counties do not want to give up home games.

I refer you to my original response, counties won’t want half empty grounds either - 4/5 full houses with people spending money in the ground would be far better than 7 games where only the first couple sell out and by game 6 and 7 the crowd isn’t much better than a day of Championship cricket - which is what our last home game was like.

I said on here years ago they got the competition perfect at the start as a short sharp mid summer festival of cricket then the counties saw the £££ signs and extended it to this.

The first couple of years if the tournament teams actually only played 5 (in total) group games. Then in 2005 it moved to 8 (4 home, 4 away) for three seasons.

In 2008 it was raised to 10.

Conversely, in 2010 each team played 16 (yes, sixteen ) group games.

I personally think the sweet spot is 8 group games per side.

It’s mental that the current format play as many group games as the IPL and it’s become clear to everyone involved that you can have too much of a good thing.

Less is more, play 4 home group games and hammer the arse out of promoting it. Prioritise full houses in the grounds even if it means going down the 16.4/women’s cricket route of giving tickets away.

On top of that you have franchise cricket which is awful but inevitable and the whole structure has lost its way.

It’s awful for us and our system and culture simply isn’t conducive to it. I do believe it works in certain countries though - India and Australia being two of those places, but it boils my piss when people say things like “it works in Australia” because it’s a ridiculous comparison. It’s apples and oranges, whilst ignoring the OBVIOUS difference that the Big Bash increased the number of teams in the Australian First Class game, meaning nobody was alienated, the 16.4 cut our structure to ribbons by slashing 55% of the sides in our setup. Thus alienating over half of its loyal support.

 

[wayne entwhistle no9]

I refer you to my original response, counties won’t want half empty grounds either - 4/5 full houses with people spending money in the ground would be far better than 7 games where only the first couple sell out and by game 6 and 7 the crowd isn’t much better than a day of Championship cricket - which is what our last home game was like.



The first couple of years if the tournament teams actually only played 5 (in total) group games. Then in 2005 it moved to 8 (4 home, 4 away) for three seasons.

In 2008 it was raised to 10.

Conversely, in 2010 each team played 16 (yes, sixteen ) group games.

I personally think the sweet spot is 8 group games per side.

It’s mental that the current format play as many group games as the IPL and it’s become clear to everyone involved that you can have too much of a good thing.

Less is more, play 4 home group games and hammer the arse out of promoting it. Prioritise full houses in the grounds even if it means going down the 16.4/women’s cricket route of giving tickets away.



It’s awful for us and our system and culture simply isn’t conducive to it. I do believe it works in certain countries though - India and Australia being two of those places, but it boils my piss when people say things like “it works in Australia” because it’s a ridiculous comparison. It’s apples and oranges, whilst ignoring the OBVIOUS difference that the Big Bash increased the number of teams in the Australian First Class game, meaning nobody was alienated, the 16.4 cut our structure to ribbons by slashing 55% of the sides in our setup. Thus alienating over half of its loyal support.

Pretty much agree with what you have said. To put it simply "they killed the goose that laid the golden egg"

 

[tynevalleyblackcat]

In my opinion:

I’d have the whole of April marked as a revised One Day Cup to start the season. 6 regional groups of 3, play each other twice home and away within 2 weeks, with 1st place going through to Quarter Finals. ( 2 of the 6 best 2nd place teams going through as well, I imagine net run rate would have to be taught if this was to happen! ) Quarter Finals and Semi Finals as well as the Final completed by the end of April.

Then, I’d have all 14 County Championship games in a row between start of May and middle of August. Ambitious I know!

Then revise the Blast to 16 games a campaign, 8 at home and 8 away, all to be played till the end of September, including the Quarter Finals, Semi Finals and the Final

I don't think that's a bad solution to be fair. Too much chopping and changing at the moment between the formats.

Where does the 16.4 fit in

 

[Steak Pie]

Blast absolutely has to be played in the school holidays for me, plus I also think you need to play it before the football season starts.

Can't agree with that, you're missing two tricks..

1) You could arrange free buses to and from school to the match. Pick them up at 4, quick tour of the ground, watch the game, take them back to school. Such an easy and relatively inexpensive way to get kids interested.

2) Home CC matches are a great opportunity to get kids in for a coaching session. Get them a net while the game is going on, get them playing with club equipment and club coaches.

Getting kids into the ground is the challenge. And rather than the farcical 16.4 and it's castles made of sand, you've got 18 centres of excellence ready to go.

 

[brandon]

Can't agree with that, you're missing two tricks..

1) You could arrange free buses to and from school to the match. Pick them up at 4, quick tour of the ground, watch the game, take them back to school. Such an easy and relatively inexpensive way to get kids interested.

2) Home CC matches are a great opportunity to get kids in for a coaching session. Get them a net while the game is going on, get them playing with club equipment and club coaches.

Getting kids into the ground is the challenge. And rather than the farcical 16.4 and it's castles made of sand, you've got 18 centres of excellence ready to go.

I’m not sure you can say I’m missing two tricks when your second trick was to discuss a format I’ve never mentioned.

What’s more, I’ve long been an advocate on here of DCCC going into the schools and inviting kids along to games.

I’m fully behind the idea of giving away hundreds of tickets to school kids to fill the ground.