I've written an article on the improvements I feel could be made to England if the County Championship were to be further split. Its in the England feature article( I would provide a link if i knew how) and I would welcome considered comment/discussion on my ideas.
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Three divisions article
- Thread starter Swanny
- Start date
chris.hinton
International Captain
I agree with you this would mean a better chance for these players to be at there best
The idea isn't to bad but it has two major flaws that really stop me from liking it.
1 - You say that the fact that teams only have 4-5 quality players and that is unacceptable... Well IMO it would make English cricket rather dull for the 2 lower divisions if all the stars went and played for the Division 1 sides (most already complain about a Surrey bias), which god knows what happens when the England squad is announced as most of Division 1 would dissapear :rolleyes:
2 - As a result of the above, it would just be a matter of time before the Divison 2 and 3 teams go out of business due to being unable to attract the fans as they all just want to go see the Div 1 sides, considering they already strugle with the "unacceptable" amount of 4-5 quality players that they current have.
You want to pay a quick look at the World Club Cricket forum, currently there is a mass debate going on about this issue and it has casued untold problems between just 30 mangers.
1 - You say that the fact that teams only have 4-5 quality players and that is unacceptable... Well IMO it would make English cricket rather dull for the 2 lower divisions if all the stars went and played for the Division 1 sides (most already complain about a Surrey bias), which god knows what happens when the England squad is announced as most of Division 1 would dissapear :rolleyes:
2 - As a result of the above, it would just be a matter of time before the Divison 2 and 3 teams go out of business due to being unable to attract the fans as they all just want to go see the Div 1 sides, considering they already strugle with the "unacceptable" amount of 4-5 quality players that they current have.
You want to pay a quick look at the World Club Cricket forum, currently there is a mass debate going on about this issue and it has casued untold problems between just 30 mangers.
luckyeddie
Cricket Web Staff Member
It would be the end of county cricket as we know it.
There are two possibilities - if all the top players gravitate to the division 1 sides and it is those same players which make up the test side, what do you do at the end of the season? Do you relegate the bottom club? And suppose they were only bottom because 5 of them hardly played in the championship because of international callups?
What then? What happens to those players? Do they go to the other counties or do they stay at the original (now division 2) team?
The only sides which would eventually survive would be Middlesex, Surrey, Lancs, Yorks, Notts and Warwickshire - the ones with the test venues (Durham?) .
Sure, have 6 counties in the top division - but who's going to vote for it? The 6 counties which would make up the top division. Do you know why?
I reckon the only way it could work is to get rid of promotion and relegation in the first place. We got away with two divisions - but can you detect a gravitation of the top players to the division 1 counties? I can't.
There are two possibilities - if all the top players gravitate to the division 1 sides and it is those same players which make up the test side, what do you do at the end of the season? Do you relegate the bottom club? And suppose they were only bottom because 5 of them hardly played in the championship because of international callups?
What then? What happens to those players? Do they go to the other counties or do they stay at the original (now division 2) team?
The only sides which would eventually survive would be Middlesex, Surrey, Lancs, Yorks, Notts and Warwickshire - the ones with the test venues (Durham?) .
Sure, have 6 counties in the top division - but who's going to vote for it? The 6 counties which would make up the top division. Do you know why?
I reckon the only way it could work is to get rid of promotion and relegation in the first place. We got away with two divisions - but can you detect a gravitation of the top players to the division 1 counties? I can't.
Bazza
International 12th Man
One of the biggest fault with the two division competition in my opinion is that there is no visible divide. OK it's probably more competitive but there is no difference in standard IMO. I mean yes Derby suck and Surrey dominate but generally there are probably 12-14 teams who are almost inseperable, and that's the way it always will be.
Three-up-three-down doesn't help and I am not a fan (would prefer 2), but it does mean more games are competitive right until the end, which I guess was the main aim and this has been achieved.
I don't think there are any major problems with the English domestic system at the moment - it is better than at any time in the last 10 years IMO. I don't think any drastic changes need to take place right now - England are on the up and producing more players with better talent than for many years....
Three-up-three-down doesn't help and I am not a fan (would prefer 2), but it does mean more games are competitive right until the end, which I guess was the main aim and this has been achieved.
I don't think there are any major problems with the English domestic system at the moment - it is better than at any time in the last 10 years IMO. I don't think any drastic changes need to take place right now - England are on the up and producing more players with better talent than for many years....
chris.hinton
International Captain
3 divsision of six will sort out the players fitnesses and also it will reduce the matches to 10 and also you could not have any matches whilst the test match is going on......
luckyeddie
Cricket Web Staff Member
Sorry, 3 divisions of six would only work if you do not allow promotion and relegation from the highest division.
Now, in order to justify a top division of 6, your job now is to select the elite counties - and to tell the other 12 that they are finished as far as professional cricket is concerned.
Solve that one and I will believe that there is a possibility.
Now, in order to justify a top division of 6, your job now is to select the elite counties - and to tell the other 12 that they are finished as far as professional cricket is concerned.
Solve that one and I will believe that there is a possibility.
chris.hinton
International Captain
The Aussies manage with six why cannot we
luckyeddie
Cricket Web Staff Member
Come on, Chris.
Ok, I'll have a go.
Middlesex
Surrey
Warwickshire
Yorkshire
Lancashire
Nottinghamshire
They are your 6 certainties because they have the grounds which generate the revenue which sustains the game (and the establishment) in the rest of the country.
Say goodbye Durham (test centre), Hampshire (probable next test centre), Kent, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Glamorgan, Somerset, Sussex, Northamptonshire, Essex, Gloucestershire because the only way the top players will gravitate to the top teams is by making the top division permanent - i.e. no promotion and relegation.
Not a pretty sight, is it?
Ok, I'll have a go.
Middlesex
Surrey
Warwickshire
Yorkshire
Lancashire
Nottinghamshire
They are your 6 certainties because they have the grounds which generate the revenue which sustains the game (and the establishment) in the rest of the country.
Say goodbye Durham (test centre), Hampshire (probable next test centre), Kent, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Glamorgan, Somerset, Sussex, Northamptonshire, Essex, Gloucestershire because the only way the top players will gravitate to the top teams is by making the top division permanent - i.e. no promotion and relegation.
Not a pretty sight, is it?
chris.hinton
International Captain
I would go for 8 personallly the seven test grounds and Worcestershire
chris.hinton
International Captain
luckyeddie said:
also i think that counties could merge
luckyeddie
Cricket Web Staff Member
And Somerset fans would say '..... and Somerset', Hampshire fans '..... and Hampshire' etc.chris.hinton said:
Mergers are definitely an option worth considering (but football has been considering the same thing for twenty years and nothing happened).
However, I can't see Derbyshire joining with Notts, Zummerzet with the hated Gloucester, Kent with (choke) Surrey, Essex with (spit) Surrey and so forth. Sussex and Hampshire? Worcestershire with Warwickshire? Northants with, er, Leicestershire with whoever would have them and so forth.
Nailed it down to a dozen but alienated so many supporters that the game would never recover for a generation.
Langeveldt
Soutie
The worst thing about the merger situation (IMO it will never happen) is that where do you play the matches?
If Somerset merged with Glamorgan (i dont think it would be gloucestershire), then where would the matches be played?
I would have no worries if all the matches were to stay in Taunton, but it would be a tragedy for the Glam supporters, and vice versa if the club were to be based in Sophia Gardens..
And what would the team be called? Glammerset?
If Somerset merged with Glamorgan (i dont think it would be gloucestershire), then where would the matches be played?
I would have no worries if all the matches were to stay in Taunton, but it would be a tragedy for the Glam supporters, and vice versa if the club were to be based in Sophia Gardens..
And what would the team be called? Glammerset?
luckyeddie
Cricket Web Staff Member
Can't see it either.
The emblem would be a problem. On second thoughts....
Right, lovely boys. The emblem is to be a Dragon, have you - with four legs, isn't it?.
Ee baint - ee be going to be a Wyvern - an ee be only gart two legs. Baint no draggern.
Ectually, I am the 24th Earl of Wessex - and the creature concerned is not a 'Wyvern' but a 'Wivven' - it is on one's family crest and has been so for 1,000 years.
Bloomin snarb comin' ere with yer airs and graces. Oi baint clutchin moi forelock for ee.
Come come, my good fellow. Have a glarss of one's special vat cider.
Zgrumpy? Ar, oi'll ave a drarp of ee.
That's the spirit, my good man. Now if one crosses one's palm with silver, would one do away with yon Welsh gentleman?
Ar. You be moi best mate, squire. Zummerzet it be - an we plays at Taunton.
The emblem would be a problem. On second thoughts....
Right, lovely boys. The emblem is to be a Dragon, have you - with four legs, isn't it?.
Ee baint - ee be going to be a Wyvern - an ee be only gart two legs. Baint no draggern.
Ectually, I am the 24th Earl of Wessex - and the creature concerned is not a 'Wyvern' but a 'Wivven' - it is on one's family crest and has been so for 1,000 years.
Bloomin snarb comin' ere with yer airs and graces. Oi baint clutchin moi forelock for ee.
Come come, my good fellow. Have a glarss of one's special vat cider.
Zgrumpy? Ar, oi'll ave a drarp of ee.
That's the spirit, my good man. Now if one crosses one's palm with silver, would one do away with yon Welsh gentleman?
Ar. You be moi best mate, squire. Zummerzet it be - an we plays at Taunton.
Langeveldt
Soutie
luckyeddie said:
Hahaha brilliant, although I cant see James Bryant or Nixon McLean, or any of our imports from up north talking like that
Ive lived in Somerset most of my life, and because our family is from elsewhere, i still cant understand a word that is being said at some places here... Whenever they say "he" at the end of the sentence it sounds like they are talking about a person, not some "Zgrumpy" or "Blaaaakthorn"
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