Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Northamptonshire seem to be turning around their recent(ish) financial woes by making a small profit and aiming to be debt free by 2020.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/47305248

Remarkable stuff from a non-test and non-hundred county, giving hope to the future of county cricket when it is getting derailed with a new competition nobody really wants.

Josh Cobb has signed a contract extension with them too

Alviro Patterson wrote: giving hope to the future of county cricket when it is getting derailed with a new competition nobody really wants.

or alternatively being so reliant on T20, the 100 will kill them off first....

sussexpob wrote:

Alviro Patterson wrote: giving hope to the future of county cricket when it is getting derailed with a new competition nobody really wants.

or alternatively being so reliant on T20, the 100 will kill them off first....

I don't think the venues who don't stage 100 will have their T20 gates affected if at all. Conversely those staging 100 will as I don't think spectators will attend both 100 and T20.
Great that Northants have turned their finances round- I believe Derbyshire and Durham have done likewise.

westoelad wrote: I don't think the venues who don't stage 100 will have their T20 gates affected if at all. Conversely those staging 100 will as I don't think spectators will attend both 100 and T20.
Great that Northants have turned their finances round- I believe Derbyshire and Durham have done likewise.

Its obviously hypothetical, but I think while you maybe correct in some regards, I can see a lot of county's being flattened or severely damaged by the 100 even if they dont host matches. Its going to be a question of the quality of final product, and factors like geographical proximity. As an example, take our respective counties. Is it likely CLS gets a franchise? Nope. Is it likely Sussex get one? Zero chance. Where will the nearest franchise be to the biggest city in the NE (Newcastle).... probably Leeds. 2.5 hours each direction drive, probably not that dissimilar on the train (thats also expensive). Are people from Newcastle going to travel 5 hours on an evening for a cricket match? Nope. I cant see it making a large difference.

Brighton/Preston Park to Elephant and Castle now the Thameslink has been extended? Probably 50 minutes. From there you are what, 500 meteres from the ground? Trains all the way into the early hours at regularly. Aside from that, how many people in Sussex commute to work into London anyway? Very very many. So, if given an option to book tickets for the London Zombies or whatever dumb yankie name they will no doubt use, when Kohli is turning out to bat with Chris Gayle, facing the best bowlers around..... would you trade that to watch Phil Salt bash around some 37 year old medium pacer from South Africa?

A lot of the counties that have struggled, or have relied on T20 cricket to survive, are located in that pocket of the Midlands...... with a Franchise almost certain to end in Birmingham, that could really dent Gloucestershire, Northants, Notts, Derbys, Worcs and Leicestershire..... they are all probably around an hours drive max away from Brum, or all have direct train links in.

I cant see how both co-exist. If the 100 ends up with World Class imports, people will sacrifice the county nights. If it ends up not being that, people wont bother.

Only one shall stand after say 5 years, I literally cant see how both can work.

Can't see Northants being overly affected by The Hundred as Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and Lord's are at least 60 miles away.

An East Midlands Hundred team at Trent Bridge may have a catchment area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, but deep rooted rivalry between counties may well prevent building a regional fanbase.

Edgbaston might be inconvenient for North Gloucestershire fans, traveling on the M6/M5 during teatime is no fun and public transport was naff during the West Indies Day/Night test match. Ironically if Birmingham Bears is to revert back to Warwickshire for the T20 Blast, it might end up as a popular move as Warwickshire fans were against the name change.

Not sure how T20 crowds at Old Trafford and Headingley would be affected by The Hundred though.

Accessability, and more important quality, are the 2 factors, I agree, that will determine the success of the 100. Reality is, though, that I'm not sure that the quality will be any greater than the current T20. Looking at the Bigbash just finished and there are no stellar names shouting out. McCullum and Gayle are now dimming stars and BCCI won't allow Indian players to be available, nor many Pakistanis as 100 clashes with their flagship T20. Maybe a few recently emerging WIndians but they're touring England in 2020 anyway. Clearly then the tournament is not going to be awash with megastars as Mr Graves envisages. Can't see, therefore,many commuting 50+ miles or so to watch it.

AB De Villiers will play for Middlesex in this year's t20 blast

andy wrote:AB De Villiers will play for Middlesex in this year's t20 blast

That's a great signing!

I wonder what he costs?

Durhamfootman wrote:I wonder what he costs?

Depends on who is paying

Alviro Patterson wrote:

Durhamfootman wrote:I wonder what he costs?

Depends on who is paying

It's some promising academy batsman who will be paying- with his place in the side. What sort of message does this sort of recruitment give to upcoming local youngsters?

Warks have signed Ashton Agar for the entire Blast, which feels like a good signing to me

I have some interest in the Sheffield Shield when it starts, but by the time the huge midseason break is over it feels like a reheated dinner. It feels like they've marginalised something that they have no regard for until many more people have no regard for it.

Yorkshire have signed Duane Olivier on a 3 year deal, who has turned Kolpak