you are chairman of the ecb?

[chris.hinton]

And you have the power to change the Format of the Domestic game. what would you change

For Me i would have:-

* More Twenty20 matches
* National league to be regionazlied and to be 50 overs
* County Championship to change to 8 teams in to division and 10 in the second with 2 up and 12 down and everyone will play on the last day.....
* Minor counties cricket and Second xi cricket to merge into a Division format plus cup competition.


What would you do

 

[Andre]

No I'm not the chairman of the ECB, so I can't change a thing

 

[Rik]

I do like the idea of everyone playing on the last day. That would make it really competitive.

 

[Bazza]

Yes it would.

I would prefer two up two down in the leagues because with 1/3 of teams changing division every season I don't think there is a noticeable difference in standard. Only about three teams at the top of division one and the bottom of division two are much different from all the rest.

I would agree with making the NCL 50 overs.

But no, I'm not the chairman of the ECB, and even if I was I wouldn't be able to make this happen just because I wanted to.

 

[hourn]

if i was chairmen of the ECB, i'd completely overhaul the FC system.


- one division of 10 FC teams; playing 9 4-day county competition games, and 9 1-day competition games, plus finals in each competition.
- maximum 22 players per squad county squad, plus 5 developement (under 18) players.
- grade competitions within each county with 10-14 STRICTLY non proffesoinal teams per county.
- second XI competition with players made up from remaining county squads and the best performed players in the grade competition.
- scrap the C&G Cup competition.
- aside from the two above competitions, perhaps maybe the 20-20 competition. It can make awfully bad habits for cricketers, and adds to already busy schedule, but it does seem to be bringing in massive money
- one national academy, along with 3 regional acadmies.

but it would never happen - most english fellas would choke on their tea at the very first point.

 

[Langeveldt]

+ Longer season (Ending later, because Octobers are usually not bad in the UK)

+ The same amount of 20-20
+ Fewer Championship matches
+ 50 Over NCL

+ Ban EU passport players
+ Maintain 2 Overseas players
+ Introduce the rose bowl as a test ground

 

[Rik]

One overseas player is enough, and the Rose Bowl is a nice ground but every game staged there seems to be a swing bowler's playground.

 

[luckyeddie]

The banning of EU passport holders is impossible under European law, sorry.

Other than that, I agree with most of Langeveldt's points.

Bit of a 'hmmmm' about the Rose Bowl, though, as yet.

 

[Neil Pickup]

if i was chairmen of the ECB, i'd completely overhaul the FC system.


- one division of 10 FC teams; playing 9 4-day county competition games, and 9 1-day competition games, plus finals in each competition.

but it would never happen - most english fellas would choke on their tea at the very first point.

Which counties do you cut? It would leave a gaping hole in eight counties' cricket, and probably cause irreparable damage.

- maximum 22 players per squad county squad, plus 5 developement (under 18) players.
- grade competitions within each county with 10-14 STRICTLY non proffesoinal teams per county.
- second XI competition with players made up from remaining county squads and the best performed players in the grade competition.
- scrap the C&G Cup competition.
- aside from the two above competitions, perhaps maybe the 20-20 competition. It can make awfully bad habits for cricketers, and adds to already busy schedule, but it does seem to be bringing in massive money
- one national academy, along with 3 regional acadmies.

This I like, with the exception of dumping the C&G.

Would also change the NCL to 50 overs - I mean, what's the point of 45?

Langeveldt, you can't ban EU passport players, it's illegal - if you have a passport (and for the most part, it's an English passport) then you are a national of that country so must be allowed to play. Actually, could we get rid of Rik..?

I agree with two overseas players - they improve the standard of FC cricket, and the players missing out will be the worst English players.

Minor Counties and Second XI cricket was merged until fairly recently and split for a good reason. However, using the Cricket Board XIs rather than "Second XIs" and grade cricket, it might work.

And I don't see the gain from more Twenty20 - it's about right IMO

One last point - find a competent terrestrial broadcast partner.

 

[Rik]

Actually, could we get rid of Rik..?

This I can argue with...

I agree with two overseas players - they improve the standard of FC cricket, and the players missing out will be the worst English players.

as well as this...

One last point - find a competent terrestrial broadcast partner.

but not this!

 

[Langeveldt]

In SA, they have finals for the first class Supersport cup and finals for the One Day Standard Bank Trophy..

Whoever wins each final wins the respective trophy...

Im not sure how they structure it, but it would be an attractive system to have in English cricket... Like having a One Day and Championship final...

 

[marc71178]

as well as this...
[/B]

Can you give your arguments against this (2 overseas?)

I remember my commissioning article for a top Cricket website was on this subject, but don't think it exists any more.

 

[luckyeddie]

For a start, I'd ensure that Trent Bridge got a clobbering for that disgraceful pitch a couple of weeks ago instead of fining Derbyshire every time a ball moves off the seam.

And then, next week when Corky steps forward to answer the charges over his, er, reaction to the Leicester Twenty20 fiasco, I'd say "Now, Dominic, here's the law book. Here's why you were wrong - now don't be silly. Just a warning - heat of the moment and all that stuff" instead of what Tim did say on Radio 5.

 

[Rik]

Can you give your arguments against this (2 overseas?)

I remember my commissioning article for a top Cricket website was on this subject, but don't think it exists any more.

I feel that we have enough Non-England-Qualified players in the EU passport holders which are basically clogging up places that could be taken by young talented English players who might be of some use to the England team which this competition is suppose to service. But since, by law, we cannot ban them from playing, I would get rid of the 2nd overseas player. Also I feel that most of the 2nd overseas players are barely better than their English counterparts, Scott Brant, Mike Kasprowicz (ok he's Glamorgan's 1st), Northants' 2nd (Nel, Wright et al), even Noffke. That is my arguement.

 

[Bazza]

You have a point but counties don't have to employ two overseas players. I'm sure if the side was good enough then they wouldn't. I mean Surrey don't have any EU players that I can think of right now and when Azhar was on international duty I can't recall seeing a replacement. I like the situation as it is now. More competition for places makes players work harder and get hungrier. We're too soft sometimes in this country.

The Rose Bowl, well I don't think it is a swing bowlers paradise, more like seam bowling, but that is because three years ago it was a field with wild ponies roaming around. Give it another two years to settle and it should be a good batting track (like the old Northlands Road) and then would be suitable for test cricket. Everything else about the ground is in place already.

 

[chris.hinton]

if i was chairmen of the ECB, i'd completely overhaul the FC system.


- one division of 10 FC teams; playing 9 4-day county competition games, and 9 1-day competition games, plus finals in each competition.
- maximum 22 players per squad county squad, plus 5 developement (under 18) players.
- grade competitions within each county with 10-14 STRICTLY non proffesoinal teams per county.
- second XI competition with players made up from remaining county squads and the best performed players in the grade competition.
- scrap the C&G Cup competition.
- aside from the two above competitions, perhaps maybe the 20-20 competition. It can make awfully bad habits for cricketers, and adds to already busy schedule, but it does seem to be bringing in massive money
- one national academy, along with 3 regional acadmies.

but it would never happen - most english fellas would choke on their tea at the very first point.

Hourn some decent ideas there

1) Having 10 first class teams is a great idea, but who would they be it would be the 7 test ground sides plus 3 others but whom. would be a lot of upset

2) 22 players is too many about 18 plus youngsters

3) Grade(Club) competition range from 12-16 so i dont think there is any need for chance there

4) Second xi and Minor counties should merge and crate a new style competition

5) C&G Trophy is a great competition and must stay becasue Minor Counties get a chance to play First Calss Counties

6) i agree

7) yes i agree but it should be 16-24

 

[Neil Pickup]

3) Grade(Club) competition range from 12-16 so i dont think there is any need for chance there

The major issue with Grade/Club level cricket in England is the extent to which it can be dominated by overseas players, and really dominated.

 

[hourn]

when i say 10 counties, i don't mean dumping 8 counties, but rather mergin some of the counties, and dumping 2-3 of the reall under performing counties.

it would never happen, because of the amount of people that would be upset, but it was instantly double the amount of resources going into each FC player within England.

 

[hourn]

The major issue with Grade/Club level cricket in England is the extent to which it can be dominated by overseas players, and really dominated.

in Sydney, we have a grade competition, with 5 grades in it, and each club can only have something like 3 or 4 overseas players........

we have Jeff Cook (England) and James Marshall (New Zealand) playing first grade. They were both unpaid (or paid very little)

And we had a couple of travellers playing in the lower grades.

 

[Neil Pickup]

when i say 10 counties, i don't mean dumping 8 counties, but rather mergin some of the counties, and dumping 2-3 of the reall under performing counties.

it would never happen, because of the amount of people that would be upset, but it was instantly double the amount of resources going into each FC player within England.

It's easy to say that coming from a country with only 8 states or territories, but you need to remember that there are 38 counties in the UK, and none of them would gladly merge with their neighbours. Imagine the strength of feeling if NSW and Victoria were asked to merge.