The Stanford 20/20 Tournament

[Relahni]

the argument that county championship attendances are crap is very silly. The Championship tends to be played midweek in the daytime when people are at work.

Of course, Test matches in England are sold out all the time. 20/20 may very well be the new fad, it may last, but seeing as it's a pot noodle compared to Test cricket's five course meal, I think I'll stick with the Tests ta

Each to their own. Some like 20/20. Not really my thing.

A few days off work, few cans and a decent test match is a good thing.

 

[embree]

but then some people would prefer to watch a penalty shoot out rather than a 90 minute game of football

 

[Relahni]

but then some people would prefer to watch a penalty shoot out rather than a 90 minute game of football

Or Prizefighter (3x3 minute rounds of boxing) - rather than 12x3 minute rounds.

 

[tarannau]

the argument that county championship attendances are crap is very silly. The Championship tends to be played midweek in the daytime when people are at work.

And what? The Government of the world’s going to grant a special extended weekend for cricket types, allowing them to catch the full 5 day spectacle during daylight working hours.

Internationals are not always full by any means. I've been to the Oval recently and it's been far from full. Besides, the English crowd's generally an unedifying contrast of snoozy, fusty old bluffers in blazers and moronic gut-out barmy army types who would look like uninspired and frankly wankerish in the average football crowd.

I like test cricket fwiw, but the 5 day variety is largely on its arse at a county level over here. Barely full grounds, an ageing demographic and tiresome drunken wankers to fill their place – how will tests really survive if players only rarely play the 5 day game? The fact that England has to rely on other nations’ spectators – because, let’s face it, nearly everyone does vocal support and carnival atmosphere better than boorish England cricket types – to pack out stadiums tells you all you need to know.

It’ll die eventually, made into a minority variant in our lifetime, whatever snooty barbs about ‘pot noodle’ cricket you want to spout.

 

[tarannau]

Or Prizefighter (3x3 minute rounds of boxing) - rather than 12x3 minute rounds.

Hey, but you can watch an evening of boxing and see multiple bouts. No need to sneak back into work the next week, covered in blood and gumshield fragments, pretending to have had man flu for the latter half of the week

 

[embree]

The point being that people are interested in it but can't go usually. I can't but I follow it.

Not hard to understand, Championship crowds have been crap for years, it's not really an argument against its relevance

Championship cricket is played over four days btw. And I hardly think England are reliant on other countries' spectators to make a spectacle of Test cricket, the reverse is true usually. Please try and stick to the facts rather than making things up

 

[embree]

Internationals are not always full by any means. I've been to the Oval recently and it's been far from full.

Oval Test matches have been complete sell outs for years

 

[Flashman]

Twenty20 is just a knockabout slog-fest though, it's okay for a hit n giggle few beers after work, but doesn't really measure up to a Test match.

That's not snobby it's the plain truth.

Anyway as I said I was cheering on the young WI lads, life-changing sums of money for some of them and their families

 

[tarannau]

Oval Test matches have been complete sell outs for years

Not on the couple of times when I went it wasn’t. Unless people weren’t bothering to turn up I suppose

Besides how long do you think the International game can support ailing county cricket sides. Attendances continue to decline to farcical level. Add to that international cricket’s no proving as large a draw any more over here – Sky attendances were down by over 15% again last year and in the credit crunch times money’s and tv fees are going to be dropping.

The same’s echoed elsewhere. Australia cricket’s on the wane, West Indies are financially fucked, NZ are a gnat’s fart. The powermakers are now on the Indian subcontinent and they’ll decide the future of the game.

The blazers at the MCC are making their last stand, but there isn’t the fresh blood into the game to sustain the status quo indefinitely.

I'd like to see test cricket survive fwiw, but I doubt it will be anywhere near as prevalent in years to come

 

[Jazzz]

I actually think this is just what cricket needed. The moment when an LBW decision - Bell not out? was referred to the video umpire - well that was revolutionary. The body language of the players - very different from usual games - they all really wanted to win. And there was a big crowd. Recently there was a whole one day tournament in the West Indies and they managed to make sure no locals turned up! And we've managed to make sure that they don't bring conches or dustbin lids into the hallowed turf at Lord's, that's for sure. This is a damn good kick up the arse for the sport.

 

[embree]

Not on the couple of times when I went it wasn’t. Unless people weren’t bothering to turn up I suppose

Besides how long do you think the International game can support ailing county cricket sides. Attendances continue to decline to farcical level. Add to that international cricket’s no proving as large a draw any more over here – Sky attendances were down by over 15% again last year and in the credit crunch times money’s and tv fees are going to be dropping.

well I shall assume my inability to get tickets because they were advertised as 'sold out' was my imagination then

county attendances are irrelevant, international players have to come from somewhere so the end of the county game is not an option. This isn't football, the economics are different

 

[tarannau]

That makes no sense. What do you mean by not an option or not ‘like football’? If the county clubs can’t afford to play 5 day cricket and the national boards don’t have enough money to prop up the game at that level, how will they survive. You going to rely on rich benefactors to support the sport you love?

…rich benefactors like Alan Standford for example?

 

[embree]

because in football the clubs support themselves and they provide international players as a by product of their own successful businesses.

in cricket, Test cricket is the raison d'etre and the international game supports the domestic game financially in order to produce those players. It's preferable for the counties to be as self supporting as possible but in effect there's no option, the Test game has to support the domestic one, else there's no Test game.

simple enough I'd have thought

 

[tarannau]

And just how long do you think cricket’s going to attract players who want to spend 5 days playing to pathetic crowds and muted support, just on the off chance they may represent their country and be seen at test level. You think the best sportsmen won’t look elsewhere – see what’s happened to the Windies, with their most talented athletes more likely to play American sports or athletics.

How long will the intl game be able to prop up the ailing counties, particularly when membership levels and affluent consumer demographics are waning, combined with increased financial pressure from the ongoing global recession.

It’s not really that simple or black and white, is it?

 

[embree]

And just how long do you think cricket’s going to attract players who want to spend 5 days playing to pathetic crowds and muted support, just on the off chance they may represent their country and be seen at test level.

well it seems to have been doing well enough for the last century. as I said, Championship gates have always been poor outside of festival matches and the immediate post war period when shove ha'penny contests attracted five figure crowds.

you seem to be confusing what happens in the Caribbean with Britain.

 

[Flashman]

Test and T20 will co-exist.