County cricket season 2018

[Holden Mcgroyne]

Tuffers and Vaughan back for a new series on 5live tonight, except there's no Michael Vaughan who's commentating on the IPL. Too busy obviously to find time to present his own named show and clearly indulged by the BBC. Add to that, you've got that clown Tufnell who must be the only broadcaster to put in less research than Alan Brazil.

[Lou Grant]

I don't mind Tufnell. Vaughan is tiresome. Same for Swann. And don't get me started on Simon Mann or Ed Smith. Vic Marks is the only reason I ever bother with TMS.

[Lou Grant]

Maybe I should have opened that last post with the line that although there are indeed alternative ways to enjoy county cricket these days, there's nothing like being there?

Totally agree.

For those of us in the cricketing wilderness though, we have never had it so good.

[tennisman]

Maybe I should have opened that last post with the line that although there are indeed alternative ways to enjoy county cricket these days, there's nothing like being there?

Totally agree.

For those of us in the cricketing wilderness though, we have never had it so good.

Can't remember if I've put these links before but the pages are good;

https://www.facebook.com/groups/581012778921690/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1297845523575218/

[tennisman]

My latest blog post - a review of the 2018 Wisden;

http://www.goalsandwickets.co.uk/cricke ... -almanack/

[tennisman]

Saggers has been going for 2 hours on cricket.

Not one mention of the County game and what has gone on in the first 2 months of the season.

It doesn't exist to TS.

IPL / England, even Women's cricket but the County Championship, the Royal London Cup - not a single word.

Domestic cricket's confusing parallel universe continues.

[JW90]

The interest in the IPL in this country is bizarre.

[tennisman]

The obsession with the IPL in this country is bizarre.

Looks like Rob Key will help Saggers 'do' the county scene for a few minutes now.

Of course, this is cricket's problem.

The perception is that it's just not popular enough and therefore not important enough.

the ECB and the counties do nothing to sell the sport through a narrative which talks about how many people actually are interested.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to try and piece this argument together based on some staggering numbers like how many poeole check on the BBC website county live feeds and the social media hits that the county pages get. One Somerset tweet gave some staggering numbers of engagemnet just for one county match.

But it won't be easy 'cos it doesn't exist. Then again, that's the opportunity.

[JW90]

County cricket, relatively speaking, is a popular game. Of course you won't see packed stands every day because most grounds , especially the international ones, are too big for the county team and also the timing of matches. A match being played at 11am on a Wednesday in June isn't going to see a huge audience because adults are working and children at school. 1k people in a 20k ground looks awful because it is. But when T20 was brought in as a new event the crowds packed the grounds- Lord's had 26,000 for one match.

Yet take these sides to the outgrounds and then you see how well-supported they are. Surrey at Guildford, Yorkshire at Scarborough, Essex at Colchester, Gloucestershire at Cheltenham all have great crowds. Middlesex seem to have about 5 other venues apart from Lord's.

2k at Guildford looks far better and more appealing than 2k at the Oval. County cricket needs lifting in terms of its profile but there is enough evidence that people back it and in good numbers too.

[tennisman]

County cricket, relatively speaking, is a popular game. Of course you won't see packed stands every day because most grounds , especially the international ones, are too big for the county team and also the timing of matches. A match being played at 11am on a Wednesday in June isn't going to see a huge audience because adults are working and children at school. 1k people in a 20k ground looks awful because it is. But when T20 was brought in as a new event the crowds packed the grounds- Lord's had 26,000 for one match.

Yet take these sides to the outgrounds and then you see how well-supported they are. Surrey at Guildford, Yorkshire at Scarborough, Essex at Colchester, Gloucestershire at Cheltenham all have great crowds. Middlesex seem to have about 5 other venues apart from Lord's.

2k at Guildford looks far better and more appealing than 2k at the Oval. County cricket needs lifting in terms of its profile but there is enough evidence that people back it and in good numbers too.

Yes and actually very big numbers.

Interest does not translate to attendances which have been under pressure since the mid 1950's.

Ironically, the centralisation of county teams at headquarters for all sorts of seemingly valid reasons have destroyed the out ground approach and also the festival concept both of which it's been proven boosted normal average attendances.

Saggers actually tweeted me back with a 'Hold on - County Chat coming!' message.

But it's bullshit as when the time came between 9.30 and 10.00, they didn't talk about the domestic cricket at all other than a comment about the proposals to introduce conferences.

Feel like tweeting him back and asking him if he's taking the piss but this wouldn't achieve anything.

But it's lazy content really. To start talking about the Championship and the Royal London Cup, you have to get into the county squads, where they are at etc and this takes work. They do it automatically with the football clubs although there is so much top 6 focus that really, they can get away with focusing on the details of those teams.

In cricket, they wouldn't know where to start with the counties.

[Lou Grant]

Have they exposed the big myth of two division cricket? I get sick of people dismissing 2nd division cricket, and cricketers, as though the level is so inferior that you can't possibly consider a 2nd division player for the England team.

Essex came straight up from Div 2 and won the county championship the following season. They went a whole season unbeaten. Meanwhile the previous champions Middlesex went straight down and they are far from certain to come back up again this season.

There may be some difference in standards between the two divisions, but it is clearly nowhere near as dramatic as made out.

[tennisman]

Have they exposed the big myth of two division cricket? I get sick of people dismissing 2nd division cricket, and cricketers, as though the level is so inferior that you can't possibly consider a 2nd division player for the England team.

Essex came straight up from Div 2 and won the county championship the following season. They went a whole season unbeaten. Meanwhile the previous champions Middlesex went straight down and they are far from certain to come back up again this season.

There may be some difference in standards between the two divisions, but it is clearly nowhere near as dramatic as made out.

I agree Lou.

I've long felt that too much movement either way (like Middlesex too) means either the points system is wrong or there isn't much difference between the teams.

Rob Key was all in favour of the 2 divisions and not the proposed conference system which I rather like. He said that 2 divs makes it competitive.

I disagree with him.

[JW90]

Have they exposed the big myth of two division cricket? I get sick of people dismissing 2nd division cricket, and cricketers, as though the level is so inferior that you can't possibly consider a 2nd division player for the England team.

Essex came straight up from Div 2 and won the county championship the following season. They went a whole season unbeaten. Meanwhile the previous champions Middlesex went straight down and they are far from certain to come back up again this season.

There may be some difference in standards between the two divisions, but it is clearly nowhere near as dramatic as made out.

I know it is going back a decade but Stuart Broad didn't play any first division cricket before his international call-up and then Test debut. He's done alright.

The fact so many counties often switch divisions over a short period of time suggests it is competitive (with a couple of poor teams).

[tennisman]

Have they exposed the big myth of two division cricket? I get sick of people dismissing 2nd division cricket, and cricketers, as though the level is so inferior that you can't possibly consider a 2nd division player for the England team.

Essex came straight up from Div 2 and won the county championship the following season. They went a whole season unbeaten. Meanwhile the previous champions Middlesex went straight down and they are far from certain to come back up again this season.

There may be some difference in standards between the two divisions, but it is clearly nowhere near as dramatic as made out.

I know it is going back a decade but Stuart Broad didn't play any first division cricket before his international call-up and then Test debut. He's done alright.

The fact so many counties often switch divisions over a short period of time suggests it is competitive (with a couple of poor teams).

I think they play too few matches to make relegation / promotion meaningful.

It creates jeopardy, I agree but does it mean anything.

Were the teams like Lancas and Middx who won one year and got relegated really that bad.

Equally was a team like Essex who went up and then won Division 1 that good?

It feels like to me that they are creating drama for the sake of it.

How would the football's divisions look if relegation and promotion were decided after 14 matches?

[Lou Grant]

I admit I've switched off from county cricket since the county championship went into hibernation in favour of the 50 over nonsense, but apparently on a gorgeous late spring bank holiday (at least where I was) there was not a single match played yesterday.

Imagine that - most people have a day off, perfect to spend some time supporting their local county side and there is not a single match taking place. And then they say county cricket is dying and they don't get the crowds in. I wonder why, eh?