England: Lancs bring in all-year deals (6 Nov 1997)

6 November 1997

Lancs bring in all-year deals

By Christopher Martin-Jenkins

LANCASHIRE have signed 23 players on 12-month contracts, the first time that any county has offered its cricketers all-the-year round employment. Dave Edmundson, the county's cricket secretary, said after the last player had signed yesterday: "I feel we are pioneering a sea-change in professional cricket."

The players have been given what Edmundson estimates to be "a 20 to 25 per cent increase in salary across the board." With the exception of players who are on tour with one of the England teams, they will report back for work on Jan 5.

It would have been earlier if Lancashire's head coach, Dav Whatmore, had not agreed to commit himself elsewhere before the change was agreed.

In future Lancashire players will be given October and November as a free rest period after the season but for the remaining 10 months of the year they will be managed by the county, using the time out of the season to coach and be coached.

They will also represent the county as ambassadors in schools and the local community, undertake specialist physical and technical programmes, and prepare themselves by a variety of courses and seminars for a future life outside cricket. "This is a whole new concept for a professional cricketer," Edmundson claimed.

A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board in reaction to the Government's decision to exempt Formula One motor racing from the ban on tobacco advertising in sport is expected today. The Benson and Hedges Cup will be played for the last time next season.

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LANCASHIRE'S decision to employ their players all the year round in future may herald a new approach to the employment of cricketers in England, especially if the verbal commitment to smaller playing staffs becomes a genuine trend. Surrey have talked about longer contracts and the considerably less prosperous Sussex have called their players back at the start of March next season rather than the traditional starting date in early April.

It will be expensive, however, especially in a climate of rapidly rising salaries for potential match-winning cricketers. The common denominator in the probable moves over the next few weeks of Chris Adams from Derbyshire to Sussex, Devon Malcolm from Derbyshire to Northamptonshire and Chris Lewis from Surrey to Leicestershire is the agent that each of these players employs to look after his interests. Sums in excess of £50,000 are on the table - in Adams's case the overall package is believed to be worth nearer £70,000 - and there is a good deal in it for the "Ten Percent" men.

Whether Sussex definitely get the signature of Adams, their probable captain next season, will depend on the England and Wales Cricket Board registration committee's decision on Nov 11. They must decide whether he should be re-classified from list one - a move contested by his former county, Derbyshire - to the uncontested list two, which would enable Sussex to sign another list one player. The role of the agent in this and other potential 'transfers' has already been discussed by the board and the Professional Cricketers Association, who are considering a licensing system for agents similar to the one run by the Football Association.

At Leicestershire's suggestion a cap on the amount any county may pay an individual is also under discussion, to try to prevent the sort of escalation of payments which has got leading rugby union clubs into financial trouble.

Surrey's chief executive, Paul Sheldon, stressed the need for a licensing system yesterday but said that he was hopeful that Lewis, whose agent is Gareth James, would sign a new contract to remain at the Oval. Surrey operate a system of paying their players in four bands, with set rates for uncapped, capped, exceptional players and internationals. Despite that, half of Surrey's £1.2 million annual expenditure on cricket - about £600,000, already goes on players' salaries.

Sheldon applauded Lancashire's initiative yesterday as "generous and far-sighted". He added: "We already employ some of our staff for winter coaching or marketing, but the overall wage bill is already considerable." Surrey have talked about bringing their players back at the beginning of March but this will not happen until 1999 at the earliest.

At a time when Australia's cricketers are considering strike action to improve their terms for summer-only employment, Lancashire's move - which will cost them some £200,000 extra a year - is an intriguing development. It is, moreover, an Australian who has been the catalyst. Dav Whatmore, their Sri Lankan-born, former Australian Test batsman, who took over as chief coach last spring, has been pressing the cricket committee for the change and the former England fast bowler Paul Allott has led the support from the cricket committee.

From January the players will begin courses in increasing their flexibility, endurance, speed and strength. Swimming, one of Whatmore's favourite methods for building the physical requirements for cricket and also used when he coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup, will be a regular activity.

Three former stalwarts of the county, Peter Lever, Jack Bond and Barry Wood, will be working with players on their individual cricketing skills. But the players will also learn communication skills which will help them when they cease to play professionally and they will spend time coaching in schools and as ambassadors for the club within the county.

Five Lancashire players will be away on tour for part of this winter, Mike Atherton and John Crawley in the West Indies, Peter Martin in Sharjah, Andrew Flintoff on the A tour to Kenya and Sri Lanka and the young leg-spinner, Chris Schofield, on the under 19 tour to South Africa.

Lancashire have asked the ECB to consider compensation in future for 12-month-a-year players who are needed for England teams overseas. Counties are already compensated when a player is picked for a home Test or international.

Reacting on behalf of the ECB, Tim Lamb, the chief executive, said yesterday: "We welcome Lancashire's initiative and no doubt other counties will follow. I know the Professional Cricketers Association are in favour too. Anything which helps the interdependence of the professional and recreational games - especially when players get out into the schools - is in tune with the whole ethos of the ECB."

Lamb was more cautious about the possibility of winter compensation. He said: "We are aware of Lancashire's aspirations and the question of compensation is a part of the current debate about the central employment of England players.

"In view of the increasing international commitments that is still being considered but there is more than one way to skin a cat," Lamb added.

"Rather than England contracts all the year round it is more likely that we will compensate the counties at certain times of the summer when it is particularly important that players should be fully available for England."

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