Provinces continue to swim against the tide

South Africa's provincial administrators have rejected a radical restructuring of domestic cricket, opting for the implementation of a promotion-relegation system rather than a provincial competition, which would have meant at least four smaller unions having to merge.

The idea of two divisions has been doing the rounds for five years, but financial worries have forced the issue to the top of the agenda. Several of the provinces are facing serious shortfalls, and Percy Sonn, the president of the United Cricket Board, warned that provinces were "facing financial ruin and in the meantime our standard of play is deteriorating. We cannot go forward if we don't change."

But the provinces were unable to agree of a definite format for the tournament, and they demanded that the new system not be introduced until 2004-05 at the earliest. That left Gerald Majola, chief executive of the UCB, unimpressed, and he accused the provinces of "wasting time".

Even when these matters are resolved, the issue will not be at an end. Cricket South Africa (CSA), which runs professional cricket in the country, have yet to agree to the changes, and it is quite possible that it will reject the recommendations on the grounds that they don't do enough to address the dire financial situation. The CSA are due to meet with the UCB in mid-July.