T Chesterfield: South Africa - Old idea for new plans (30 Apr 1998)

Thursday, April 30, 1998

Old idea for new plans

Trevor Chesterfield

In Centurion

There is nothing wrong in taking an old idea out of its wrapping and dressing it up as something new. It has been done, successfully, before.

Which is what the United Cricket Board have done to give the first-class game image a dash of much-needed refurbishing with a final to decide the winner of the SuperSport Series.

Just how SABC decide to handle this one 10 months down the road should be an interesting exercise; perhaps an apoplectic cough as they pass to SuperSport Centurion. The national broadcaster has all but ignored the event and the pay-channel's commitment to the game in this country the last two seasons.

Hopefully they will show the same maturity the displayed on Wednesday night when Dr Ali Bacher, managing director of the UCB, unveiled the long awaited and much needed revamp of the first-class structure.

The last (Castle Currie Cup) final was held at St George's Park at the end of January 1990 with Western Province and Eastern Province sharing the title and Gary Kirsten scored 175 and his older brother Peter 128.

What is interesting, but denied B Section provinces in the 1960s and 1970s is the automatic promotion-relegation system, along with a revamped Standard Bank Cup as Zimbabwe and Kenya lose their place in a system which did little to help their image as ICC teams.

The top six/bottom five plan for the A and B sections to be instituted after next season neatly rejects a proposal put forward by Free State's Seppi Lusardi. His "master plan" demanded a five/six ratio but failed to take into consideration growth factors of provinces such as Northerns, who are emerging from an seven season downward trend.

It did not fit in with the forward thinking which the UCB planners, the executive, hope to achieve is a stronger base for the first-class structure designed to develop top players for a growing pool of strength.

From 1999/2000 A Section teams will play 10 matches while a decision about the fate of the B Section teams has still to be decide with the current UCB Bowl structure falling away. This will mean that provincial B teams need to play a series of friendlies. It is just the shake up the game needs, although there are going to be teething problem areas.

"We need to regenerate interest in the first-class game as it it out top competition," Dr Bacher said.

Next summer's plan calls for a league of nine teams with four home and four away games and a final over five days. The top six sides are to make up the A Section for 1999-2000 with the bottom three being joined by North West and Easterns in divisions two. It is felt the promotion/relegation system will give smaller provinces a chance to lift their standard.

"What we are doing is mapping out a future blueprint designed to have a dramatic affect with the changes built around the national side, which is our marketing product," he added.

While the contracted players would continue to be looked after, the demands in the modern, professional era required players to know responsibilities. The UCB saw them as ambassadors for South Africa.

Division Two matches would be televised, he said, adding that the national selectors would give equal consideration to players in both divisions.

What is going to cause interest is how the UCB plan to decide how two sides from the bottom five in Standard Bank League will earn promotion to the cup event. Most likely net run rate and league win factors will gain priority.

Source :: Trevor Chesterfield, Pretoria News