CMJ: Game contemplates new set of proposals (9 September 1997)

Tuesday 9 September 1997

Game contemplates new set of proposals

Christopher Martin-Jenkins

THE opponents of a two-division championship were handed a lifeline last night by the England and Wales Cricket Board. The 18 first-class counties and MCC, who together comprise the First Class Forum, were faxed with three new proposals by the board just as offices were closing yesterday evening.

They must be voted on next Monday at the official meeting of the FCF at Lord`s.

The new proposal is that the County Championship should continue exactly as before, a single league of 18 counties playing 17 four-day games, but that next season and beyond there should be an incentive, in addition to increased prize money, for the top eight counties. This would take the form of a brief new one-day knockout cup, which would replace the Benson and Hedges Cup but involve only the the top eight teams in the championship.

The `SuperCup`, a working title, would take place for the first time in May and June following next year`s championship. The top four teams would get home ties in the quarter-fi- nals. It would bring considerable extra income to the counties involved, with a final at Lord`s or some other major neutral ground, but would add only three days of cricket to the overall fixture list of the two finalists.

Illogical though it might be, therefore, to reward counties successful in the four-day game with participation in another one-day tournament, this would be icing on the cake, and as such probably more attractive to many counties than the other proposals.

It is further suggested that the bottom four teams in next year`s championship should be the ones who are obliged to play each other in the third round of the following year`s NatWest Trophy, which is now confirmed as a 60-over tournament with a final in late August. The first-class counties will get a bye in the first two rounds of the expanded competition but with this provision, at least two of the first-class clubs would eliminate each other at the first hurdle. The 15th team would be at home to the 18th, the 16th team at home to the 17th.

As expected, two divisions of the championship, based on finishing positions next year, with promotion and relegation for three counties from the 1999 season onwards, is also offered as an alternative to the three-conference championship proposed in `Raising The Standard`, the blueprint which was published five weeks ago. Either the existing championship or one split into two divisions of nine would be accompanied by a 16-match national one-day league in two divisions, with promotion and relegation for three.

The three-conference idea remains on the table alongside the 25-match one-day national league, but neither has any chance of being accepted. It remains to be seen whether the guar- anteed commercial attraction which a championship with promotion and relegaton would undoubtedly entail will be preferred in the end to the new plan, which has been designed to retain the status quo whilst giving the illusion of change, albeit with genuine additional incentives and disincentives for success or failure. It will be a surprise if it is not this 11th hour scheme which prevails next week. Only a simple majority will be required to determine the future structure.

Whichever plan is chosen, the counties were also en- couraged by the ECB last night to stage additional `Short Form` evening games from the year 2000 onwards. They would be played between 5 and 8 pm in mid-season, or 7.30 to 10.30 under lights. Either the `Cricket Max` idea pioneered by Martin Crowe in New Zealand (with questionable success) or `Super Eight` (eight-aside games) are proposed to provide "the commercial and pro- motional opportunities deemed necessary in the blueprint".

This new instant form of the game would be aimed at the young, possibly mirroring a game to be introduced into sec- ondary schools. Again, a majority of counties will probably buy the idea if the stable base of a 16 or 17 match four-day championship is to prevail. Whatever the counties vote for next week, however, the overall workload for the top players is not going to get any less and if the original objective of getting a stronger national side is not to disappear altogether, central contracts for England players will surely become a necessity.

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