The Ashes 21/22

[CosbehFox]

9 hours ago, Tommy Fresh said:

The Ashes in 2005, was how I ended up getting in to cricket. Prior to that series I hated cricket and had this idea it was a boring sport, having a series like that on terrestrial tv was massive and is probably half the issue now with attracting young people to the longer format. Without looking in to it the actual schedule, but I'm assuming having a majority of the County Championship played during the week throughout the school term doesn't help.

 

19 hours ago, Corky said:

The ECB should do far more to encourage families to attend first class cricket but they won't because they believe kids can only sit there for a couple of hours at a time.

 

if you keep telling people it's too long and boring they'll be put off from going.

Like many things in the 'modern era/world', the beauty lies in the quirks of the County Championship being that slower and less intense version. Rather than sit down and watch the entire thing, you can pop in and pop out. The beauty of an empty ground for children is they can mess around for a bit or just chill out for a bit with their Switch. You don't have to watch every ball and you don't have to be there for the day. Just try and get the sport in the conscience of people, families and kids; ideal chance to hand out free plastic cricket kits etc. The CC games should be taking your family and have a picnic (you see this in the likes of SA/NZ for their test matches). 

 

Now the counties/ECB don't help themselves because the prices for a single day are high and there is a failure on reduced prices/free tickets. They don't dare suggest picnics because they want their food outlets used. They should be going more heavy on the corporate day out type stuff with legends/ex players doing extended lunches. Post-work tea sessions on Thursdays or Friday. At the mo, it makes absolutely naff all actual cash flow on the attendees. So just throw everything at. 

 

That's before we get onto taking advantage of quaint things such as out grounds - which for some reason! actually do really well because the organising parties for these actually do some of the above.

 

If we are going onto playing standards, personally I feel this is more about player availability rather than opposition quality. Any reduction in the number of counties will just replicate the current status quo. We have a top division which is supposed to be a better quality. In recent years, we've had a Division 2/3 to further reflect the steps in quality. Yet the counties with the most international players are in Division 2 because of their unavailability in these players. By all means - reduce the fixtures to improve the quality but don't reduce the player pool in the process. Personally I think the Blast format has too many games but I would imagine the counties want that many home games. For a long time, I've advocated the return of 50over WB KO Cup as well. 

 

 

Edited 18 January 2022 by Cardiff_Fox

[Corky]

A day at a first class game is really enjoyable. It is good to take a break from the action, the slower periods of the game and there's an hour during the day (lunch and tea) to relax, maybe even play on the outfield.

[Tommy Fresh]

26 minutes ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

 

Like many things in the 'modern era/world', the beauty lies in the quirks of the County Championship being that slower and less intense version. Rather than sit down and watch the entire thing, you can pop in and pop out. The beauty of an empty ground for children is they can mess around for a bit or just chill out for a bit with their Switch. You don't have to watch every ball and you don't have to be there for the day. Just try and get the sport in the conscience of people, families and kids; ideal chance to hand out free plastic cricket kits etc. The CC games should be taking your family and have a picnic (you see this in the likes of SA/NZ for their test matches). 

 

Now the counties/ECB don't help themselves because the prices for a single day are high and there is a failure on reduced prices/free tickets. They don't dare suggest picnics because they want their food outlets used. They should be going more heavy on the corporate day out type stuff with legends/ex players doing extended lunches. Post-work tea sessions on Thursdays or Friday. At the mo, it makes absolutely naff all actual cash flow on the attendees. So just throw everything at. 

 

That's before we get onto taking advantage of quaint things such as out grounds - which for some reason! actually do really well because the organising parties for these actually do some of the above.

 

If we are going onto playing standards, personally I feel this is more about player availability rather than opposition quality. Any reduction in the number of counties will just replicate the current status quo. We have a top division which is supposed to be a better quality. In recent years, we've had a Division 2/3 to further reflect the steps in quality. Yet the counties with the most international players are in Division 2 because of their unavailability in these players. By all means - reduce the fixtures to improve the quality but don't reduce the player pool in the process. Personally I think the Blast format has too many games but I would imagine the counties want that many home games. For a long time, I've advocated the return of 50over WB KO Cup as well. 

 

 

How much are memberships now for kids? I remember back when I had one it hardly cost anything and you could go to every game. 

[Guest Lako42]

Can you still take a bat and have a hit on the outfield during breaks? 

[Corky]

46 minutes ago, Lako42 said:

Can you still take a bat and have a hit on the outfield during breaks? 

Not sure but Grace Road has plenty of space behind the stands to have a knockabout on.

 

 

[leicsmac]

Test Cricket sells well in England, but that doesn't mean much if it doesn't sell well in other places. And in by far the biggest market of all, the shorter-form game is by far the biggest draw.

 

That's where the problem lies, and that is really out of the hands of the ECB.

[SouthStandUpperTier]

And now it's the women's turn to get tonked. Aussies chase down 170 with 3 overs to spare for the loss of just 1 wicket in the opening T20 of the women's Ashes.

[Super_horns]

Ashley Giles got the tin can it seems.

 

Anyone else to go ?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60237871

Edited 2 February 2022 by Super_horns

[Corky]

Wheelie bin in the wheelie bin.

[Tommy Fresh]

6 minutes ago, Super_horns said:

Ashley Giles got the tin can it seems.

 

Anyone else to go ?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/60237871

Good, just need Silverwood to follow now