M Nicholas: Ill-considered concept of a cup too many (13 Jul 1998)

13 July 1998

Ill-considered concept of a cup too many

By Mark Nicholas

THERE should, by now, be one less limited-overs competition in the first-class calendar, but there is not. Benson and Hedges, the most exemplary and loyal supporters of county cricket, said a rather anti-climactic goodbye yesterday evening and in the place of their full and fair 50-overs competition comes the half-cock Super Cup, which may spin a little more cash but more relevantly further clogs up the already jam-packed summer of '99.

The Super Cup is gratuitous through its unnecessary presence let alone through its bizarre means of qualification. The flawed thinking in its conception was to make the four-day championship more competitive by rewarding the top eight teams with a place in a one-day cup. It is a sop for the championship alternatives of two-three divisions, of the three-conference idea proposed in Raising The Standard, or of simply retaining the championship as it is and extravagantly increasing the prize money.

The fixture card next year is overcrowded by a 17-match County Championship, a 60-team NatWest Trophy, a 25-match per county 50-over National League, the Super Cup and various small festivals. Then there are four Tests and, wait for it, 42 matches in the World Cup. And this, all between late April and mid September and in our weather. Fancy staying fascinated by that lot for long. The fact is that this is too much cricket for the players, and overkill for spectators and television.

Do your maths closely and you will find that the revamp has ensured more domestic cricket rather than less - 101 days next season as against 97 this season were a county to win all the competitions. This cannot be sensible and it must further detract from attention given to the County Championship.

Two one-day competitions are ample. One, the NatWest, played as a knockout over 50 overs per side; the other, the National League, also over 50 overs but in two divisions of 16 home and away matches. It is not too late to change this for next season. The Super Cup must go because its raison d'etre was rushed and ill considered. It is a mistake, it is no disgrace to admit as much and to clear the way for closer concentration on the other competitions. The National League can easily be cut back from 25 games to 16. It is not necessary to play everyone in your own division twice and then also to play the teams in the other division.

What we really require is more one-day international cricket. The venues sell out, children are attracted to the glamour of the occasion and the immediacy of performance and result and television will back it big time. One-day internationals are still mistrusted by the English establishment but they are the box office of the modern game and should be given more of the stage.

TALKING of the stage, a word here for Paul Prichard, who took the Lord's stage by storm over the weekend. If the extreme movement of the ball, both in the air and off the seam, yesterday afternoon made batting hopelessly hazardous it must not be forgotten that there was plenty to encourage the Leicestershire bowling on Saturday morning too.

Prichard's offensive was as memorable as any of the cup final innings, fit indeed to sit with the maestro Graham Gooch's hundred in 1979 when Essex first won at Lord's. It was as if Prichard had resolved to enjoy his day out. He played a series of thrilling strokes through the covers, and twice over them for six and smiled as broadly as if he were tonking it about on the village green.

Cup finals are special for men such as this, fine and honest cricketers who are a fraction below the international line but who, on their day, come right up to scratch.

Prichard first played in one in 1985 but Essex lost. He was here when they lost again in 1989 so he has had to wait a long time to deal with the gremlins. One day, when the slippers are by the fire, he will reflect on his joyous and spirited performance which came at a moment when his beloved county most needed him.

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