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Cricket Cash Crisis

Friday, April 4 2003

Cricket clubs throughout Somerset will be hit in the pocket after relevations in yesterday's national press regarding a massive legal bill for the negotiations over counties internet rights. So far it has taken two years to try and negotiate the finer points of each county's website rights and this uncertainty is going to cost odinary cricket clubs up and down the country dearly.

This huge legal bill together with the detention of prize money from the World Cup has meant the ECB has to cope with an overall cost of several millions of pounds.

It seems the counties themselves rejected the proposal to make them carry more of the burden and now amateur county boards will foot the bill.

It seems incredible that the ECB have taken so long to hammer out this issue of internet rights which is still to be finalised even now. With all parties scrabbling around, desperate not to lose out on potential earning via the web, it is England's local cricket clubs who will suffer with many set to struggle ove insurance costs this summer. ECB Chief Executive Tim Lamb was quoted as saying that: "It is only right and proper that all parts of the game should bear the pain."

Absolute rubbish, Mr Lamb. Cutting people's wages and competition prize money is the kind of action to take but the people that most need funds are paying the biggest price.

Furthermore, the counties, who still have a strong say in ECB financial issues, ought to be ashamed of themselves.....

Posted by John