County Championship

[The Phantom Ram]

Why are county championship games played over 4 days? One of the main aims of County Cricket - as I see it - is to prepare players for Test Cricket. Why then are the games played over 4 days rather than 5 (I know up until recently they were 3 days!). Does anyone know the answer?

Also what do you think the main aim of English County Cricket is? Do you think it is to prepare English players for the test side?

What would you change in County Cricket? I would love to see a highlights show on terrestial tv, especially when all Test, ODI & Twenty20 is snapped up by Sky.

[Mongoose]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Ram

Why then are the games played over 4 days rather than 5 (I know up until recently they were 3 days!).

It would be unfeasable to play 5-day county matches. They wouldn't fit into the calendar. There are only 7 tests in an English summer (used to be 6), whereas county teams play 16 championship games.

I think county cricket first of all is a competition in its own right. If it is run properly, it will do a good job of providing test players for England, as competition will be intense and standards high.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Ram

What would you change in County Cricket? I would love to see a highlights show on terrestial tv, especially when all Test, ODI & Twenty20 is snapped up by Sky.

Anything more than highlights of county championship matches would probably not get viewers. But I think that highlights would be ok. I'd watch it, they could put them on in the middle of the night and we could tape them. It would be great to have more one-day and twenty20 matches shown live. Channel 4 show the odd C&G Trophy semi-final but we could do with more.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Ram

Also what do you think the main aim of English County Cricket is? Do you think it is to prepare English players for the test side?

Develop England Test players and other ICC teams such as Scotland, Holland and Ireland

It is an entertainment, but most of the money that pays for County Cricket comes from Tests, so therefore sides like Derby, Leicester and Northampton (who are also rubbish) should get less money as they use money to pay for Kolpak's rather than develop home grown talent

Originally Posted by The Phantom Ram

What would you change in County Cricket?

Get rid of Kolpaks and other players here on dodgy Passports. Each team should have two overeases players, the rest should be qualified/qualifying to play England or another European nation.

Originally Posted by The Phantom Ram

I would love to see a highlights show on terrestial tv, especially when all Test, ODI & Twenty20 is snapped up by Sky.

SKY do show County Championship games occasionally (they should show more IMO) but terrestrial nations seem to have very little intrest, I think Twenty-20's should be on other TV stations, but most can't see beyond football...

[Mongoose]

Originally Posted by flanflinger

SKY do show County Championship games occasionally (they should show more IMO) but terrestrial nations seem to have very little intrest, I think Twenty-20's should be on other TV stations, but most can't see beyond football...

There's no hope for county cricket getting on terrestrial TV when the channels don't even give a stuff about tests. There's so much sport competing for TV space. And if people can't be arsed to go to county matches when they're not televised, what does that say about county cricekt as an attractive TV option? The market isn't there.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Mongoose

There's no hope for county cricket getting on terrestrial TV when the channels don't even give a stuff about tests.

That's a bit unfair, I think channel 4 has put on some really good test coverage, I've enjoyed it. They've also introduced some really good technology too. They've done a better job than the BBC in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Mongoose

...if people can't be ***** [bothered] to go to county matches when they're not televised, what does that say about county cricket as an attractive TV option? The market isn't there.

I'm not sure County Championship matches are terribly attractive to even some hard-core cricket fans. If I had time I would definitely watch it, but would probably not go to extremes to watch it as I do the test matches. There are plenty of people who don't really love cricket, but like to watch the test series'. I'm not sure they would also watch County Championship matches too. It's true the market is not there.

[Mongoose]

Originally Posted by Lemming

That's a bit unfair, I think channel 4 has put on some really good test coverage, I've enjoyed it. They've also introduced some really good technology too. They've done a better job than the BBC in my opinion.

But they're not fighting tooth-and-nail to keep it. The coverage has been good, but it doesn't seem too high on the agenda. That was the point I was trying to make.

[Lemming]

I thought there used to be a government rule ensuring most of the English summer's test cricket is shown on terestrial, which has now been scrapped - for cricket at least - thus leaving Sky in there!

I'm not sure that any terrestrial channel can afford to outbid Sky for any sport. There's not much channel 4 could do. They are not that big a channel, look at the rubbish comedy they can only just afford to get from America. It's the BBC who are in the best position to outbid Sky, but I doubt they could even do that.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Lemming

I'm not sure that any terrestrial channel can afford to outbid Sky for any sport. There's not much channel 4 could do. They are not that big a channel, look at the rubbish comedy they can only just afford to get from America. It's the BBC who are in the best position to outbid Sky, but I doubt they could even do that.

Two thoughts...

1. Channel 4 were losing money on the Test Cricket, how the hell will they make money from County Cricket?
2. The BBC can't be bothered to invest it's money in sport. That is why the only sport they have now is either "protected sport events" like Wimbledon. When they did have Test cricket they paid b***er all for it... which is why Cricket asked to be removed from the protected sports list. (not going into the fact that they never even showed a full days play when they did have it)

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by flanflinger

Channel 4 were losing money on the Test Cricket, how the hell will they make money from County Cricket?

They can't. I thought channel 4 have tried their very best for cricket. They jazzed it up nicely I think. Great number for the intro music, some exciting commentators, Simon Hughes has been a real hit as analyst, they have made the game more accessible to everybody and more understandable. If it is costing them too much then what can they do? Money doesn't grow on trees you know!

Although it's not ideal that cricket has been removed from terrestrial, the sport does need the money. The government should have stepped in to keep it on TV, but not let cricket lose out too much money-wise.