Reforms to One-day Cricket Announced

[Andy Mellon]

The ECB have annouced long awaited reforms for one-day English cricket. From 2006, the Scottish Saltires will be dumped out of the National Cricket League.
In addition, the C&G Cup will be divided into two conferences and include Scotland and Ireland.
Also, the NCL will be reduced to 40 overs per side with 2 up 2 down relegation and the 3rd placed team in NL2 will play-off at the end of season against #7 in NL1 to finalise promotion/relegation.

In addition, the ECB has said

Originally Posted by ECB

Following a model set in Australia and South Africa, the England A team will face touring sides each summer, either playing two first-class matches or a combination of four- and one-day games

which will bring the England A team into existence in the domestic arena!

What are your opinions on these changes? And will they improve the English game?

In my opinion, the dumping of Scotland had to be done - although if they make a rapid improvement, I'm sure they could still be incorporate at a future date. I'm unsure of the reduction to 40 overs in the NCL as it seems they won't rest until they've let 20:20 take over the domestic calendar!

My main problem with the reforms is that it eliminates the chance for Minor Counties and Holland to play in the C&G Trophy. They really need to have a first round play off for minor counties to get the chance to compete in the conference structure - else we're going to lose the romance of someone like Devon pulling off a shock victory against Surrey! These games must be very important to the minor counties, and this could hasten their possible demise.

I'm sure we're all glad to see the A-Teams incorporated into the domestic calendar though!

[Notts Exile]

Not only does it lose us the romance of those Minor Counties victories but the new format of the C&G Trophy and the restructuring of the National League also means that exiled supporters like me will rarely get to see their team in action. Notts will not play down south in the C&G and even if they're in the same division as Surrey, Middlesex or Hampshire will only play one in every two seasons down here. When the County Chgampionship was played over 24 matches and Notts used to play Yorkshire, Lancs, Leicestershire and Derbyshire twice I used to get very bored of seeing the same players all of the time. That will happen again. Notts will play Lans and Yorks at home and away in the Twenty20 and play them again in the C&G and quite possible in National League and County Championship matches. Six matches against the same team is far too much.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Andy Mellon

which will bring the England A team into existence in the domestic arena!

Sounds pretty good giving the young guys a chance to play against International players. I guess they'll be the same guys that go to the accademy?

[Notts Exile]

Originally Posted by Pete

Sounds pretty good giving the young guys a chance to play against International players. I guess they'll be the same guys that go to the accademy?

That aspect of the re-org is certainly appealing. Wonder where they will stage these matches ? I suppose the non-Test venues would be most appropriate as long as the pitches are up to standard (which excludes that Rose Bowl strip).

[Paoli]

Well it is to get supporters through the gate. But in truth, there is too much cricket on the English Calendar. It should be modelled on the Australian calendar.

Btw, a couple of years ago Atherton said something like there was going to be a 3-tier county system, where all the very good players would play for the top 6 teams and so on...Whatever happened to that

[Andy Mellon]

That still gets suggested every now and then Paoli. However, the majority of the power in English domestic cricket is held with the counties, who would all be unwilling to relinquish any of the power they already hold. The only way this could be worked is if there was a breakaway of the counties with the largest asset base as a sort of premier league (probably involving Surrey, Kent, Warks, Yorks, Lancs and Hants). Still, in the current climate, any change of this magnitude is unlikely.

[Peter Lanky]

2 points stand out for me:

There is still too much cricket

There seems to be some sort of change every year. How about a bit of continuity?

I would like to see:

Return to one division in each competition.
4-day games played on the same 4 days each week
40-over matches to be played only on Sunday
Some live cricket on terrestrial TV.
No pyjamas, loud music or all the other tat.
Free admission for all under 16s for every game.
Supporters to get priority over corporate wallies for finals.
20-20 to be regarded as a bit of a laugh, and not taken seriously.
Removal of huge TV screens so that we can get on with the game.
Counties to make more effort to keep out Kolpaks.

Now I will go away and dream of Buffy and Seven-of-nine massaging me with baby oil

[Paoli]

Pete, I reckon that loud music is the best thing to happen to ODI cricket. It isnt played enough in Aus, but in South Africa, it gets the young people through the gate.

So, in England, you've got:

• 4-day First Class Competition
• 50-over List-A Domestic Limited Over Competition
• Twenty20 Cup

Is this what there is, or is there more cricket?

[Peter Lanky]

Originally Posted by Paoli69

Is this what there is, or is there more cricket?

There is also the 45 over 1 day league with 2 divisions. This used to be the Sunday league, but can now be played on any day. It used to be extremely popular when played as a 40-over game with live coverage of one game on TV on Sunday afternoon, but attendances have slowly dwindled.


There are also a few games between counties and universities. They are regarded as pretty pointless by supporters, but still involve 3 days extra cricket.


Is there any proof that loud music attracts young people? There are a lot of assumptions in the UK that the youth is only interested in dumbed-down entertainment, but it could be possible that just as many are turned off. In the end 'loud, brash and tacky' seems to be replacing 'quiet and cultured' in all walks of life to such an extent that the latter is in danger of extinction, and we will end up with a nation who knows nothing other than 'The Sun', Benidorm and noise.

[Paoli]

I say get rid of the Sunday League. Just keep the 4 day game, 50 over game and Twenty20 Cup.

Twenty20 attracts young people and watching a tape sent over from a friend, seems quite an exciting concept. The likes of Ian Harvey, Andy Symonds, Dave Hussey and Jon Davison will be suited to the Twenty20 game.