CMJ: Counties closer to changes (4 September 1997)

Thursday 4 September 1997

Counties closer to changes

By Christopher Martin-Jenkins

A TWO-DIVISION County Championship from 1999 is rapidly becoming a probability. The first-class counties will hear early next week the proposed amendments to the idea of a three-conference championship and a 25-match one-day national league which the England and Wales Cricket Board were virtually obliged to make after Tuesday`s special meeting of the First Class Forum at Lord`s.

The board`s main full-time executives were yesterday digesting the views of county delegates at the meeting. They are likely to have a new plan in the post to the counties this weekend, in time for the vote which the forum, comprising the 18 first-class counties and MCC, must make on Sept 15 if county cricket is to change.

Against the better judgment of many of them the prospect of two divisions, with promotion and relegation for three counties each season, now appears a lesser evil than the unconventional approach favoured in the blueprint.

One county chairman suggested yesterday that most county executives would have affirmed the proposed plans when they were first aired, but six weeks later faults in the proposals for the professional tier had become apparent.

Tim Lamb and John Carr, the cricket experts, and Cliff Barker and Terry Blake, responsible for finance and marketing, have been charged with a revision of the blueprint. Lamb has stressed a 25 match one-day league would not be feasible if there are 16 championship games.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)