So it is that time of year again. The time when the summer can really start. The time the cricket purists hate. The time the cricket-hater actually comes to a game. The time when orthodox goes out the window and in flies unorthodox. The time is Twenty20!!!
It all kicks off tomorrow with a repeat of last years final, Hampshire versus Somerset. Its a welcome change of format for us after a very difficult start to the season for the Hampshire squad that had high expectations in all competitions. There will be changes in the team with South Africa's World Cup star Imran Tahir coming into the team, along with Shahid Afridi, and Michael Lumb, who has returned from the Indian Premier League. This might be just what the doctor ordered as hopefully we can release the shackles and play freely.
Baring an absolute miracle, this is the only realistic chance of bringing silverware to the Rose Bowl this summer. With only one victory in all forms of cricket so far this season I admit we may not be favourites but the nature of Twenty20 gives every club optimism for success at the beginning of this tournament. The bookmakers odds prove this as even though we are in a poor run of form the bookies still have us at 2nd favourites to win the competition outright.
With the rewards of success in Twenty20 for Club and player being great Counties have made large investments in their overseas players for the competition. World class players like Muttiah Muralitharan, Shahid Afridi, Scott Styris, Murali Kartik and Kieron Pollard are all coming over to star in this years Twenty20 so there is no shortage of crowd pulling names. So this is the chance to attract new supporters to the game. Its short, its fun, its loud and its a great excuse for a beer or two in the setting sun!!
Amongst all this razzmatazz we have some serious business to get down to, preparation for the Test match which is only 15 days away. That hallowed piece of turf was brushed and cut out today, and its ready for a bit of water after the match tomorrow night. There is huge unspoken pressure for this game to be a success on all fronts for the Rose Bowl. I just hope the first ball doesn't roll along the ground and bowl the England Captain!!!!
But the sleepless nights haven't started yet, and I doubt they will. Its a good pitch that has been proven in the past. I am more interested in how it develops over the 5 days, (that must be the grass nerd in me), and how much it changes and deteriorates as the game goes on. Ideally it goes to the afternoon session on the 5th day, everyone will be a winner then!!!
For up-to-date pictures, news and maybe a bit of gossip follow me on Twitter @Karl_McDermott
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
County Cricket......Does It Work??
I watched a programme on BBC recently that had Sir Alan Sugar taking a look at football and its current financial situation. It got me thinking about County Cricket and I found myself making comparisons to County Cricket and professional football.
Most Counties have released their financial figures for 2010. Of the released figures only 4 Counties have recorded an operating profit. Hampshire are unlikely to record a profit, Lancashire are talking about a £2 million loss, and Yorkshire were similar. How long could this continue for?
A lot of Counties are doing ground and stadium redevelopment of some matter to keep up with the times and give their players, staff and customer the best experience when they walk through those gates. Counties cannot rely on cricket as their only income anymore and need facilties for weddings, seminars, functions etc to make their Club financially sustainable all year round. Hosting pop concerts is also another road some Counties are going down to make money. Obviously this all costs money. The Test Match grounds are spending multi-millions to provide a world class environment for player and spectator, with the smaller Counties too spending vast amounts of money redeveloping their grounds and buildings. It is a process of speculating to accumullate in the future, but can Counties record a million pound loss year after year?
So why are these losses happening? As in every walk of life the economic downturn has hit cricket hard. The ability to attract sponsers and sell corporate hospitality is more difficult than ever. The money is just not out there. For us at Hampshire a huge amount of investment has gone into hosting our first Test Match in 4 weeks time. Whether we hit our budget forecasts remains to be seen. To give you an idea, last year Yorkshire hosted the neutral Test between Australia and Pakistan. They lost over £1 million pounds on the game. Test Match ground Counties rely on sold out grounds and successful corporate hospitality to make these games a success. Does the punter have the money to spend??
Twenty20 was an initial success for all with big crowds and huge interest in the game. It was a novelty, a good night out in the height of summer, good weather and beer! Then the number of games increased. There is great debate whether this is good for County Cricket or not. Essex, Somerset and Sussex for example rely hugely on Twenty20 as they pack out their smaller grounds for every game. Without these games they would be lost. With the Indian Premier League being so big a lot of world class players are now becoming T20 specialists. The cost of these players has risen hugely, a T20 specialist now costs more than an overseas player cost for a whole season in years gone by. And most Counties have two!
Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I hope so or else I will be unemployed!! One Counties Chief Executive has been in the press saying he would not be surprised if a County went bust in the near future. Hopefully this will not be the case. There are only 18 First Class Counties with a lot of proud people behind these Clubs that are working hard to ensure this will not happen.
So heres to the immediate future at The Rose Bowl, which is our inaugral Test Match, England vs Sri Lanka. It is an exciting month ahead! Lets hope for some good weather!!
Most Counties have released their financial figures for 2010. Of the released figures only 4 Counties have recorded an operating profit. Hampshire are unlikely to record a profit, Lancashire are talking about a £2 million loss, and Yorkshire were similar. How long could this continue for?
A lot of Counties are doing ground and stadium redevelopment of some matter to keep up with the times and give their players, staff and customer the best experience when they walk through those gates. Counties cannot rely on cricket as their only income anymore and need facilties for weddings, seminars, functions etc to make their Club financially sustainable all year round. Hosting pop concerts is also another road some Counties are going down to make money. Obviously this all costs money. The Test Match grounds are spending multi-millions to provide a world class environment for player and spectator, with the smaller Counties too spending vast amounts of money redeveloping their grounds and buildings. It is a process of speculating to accumullate in the future, but can Counties record a million pound loss year after year?
So why are these losses happening? As in every walk of life the economic downturn has hit cricket hard. The ability to attract sponsers and sell corporate hospitality is more difficult than ever. The money is just not out there. For us at Hampshire a huge amount of investment has gone into hosting our first Test Match in 4 weeks time. Whether we hit our budget forecasts remains to be seen. To give you an idea, last year Yorkshire hosted the neutral Test between Australia and Pakistan. They lost over £1 million pounds on the game. Test Match ground Counties rely on sold out grounds and successful corporate hospitality to make these games a success. Does the punter have the money to spend??
Twenty20 was an initial success for all with big crowds and huge interest in the game. It was a novelty, a good night out in the height of summer, good weather and beer! Then the number of games increased. There is great debate whether this is good for County Cricket or not. Essex, Somerset and Sussex for example rely hugely on Twenty20 as they pack out their smaller grounds for every game. Without these games they would be lost. With the Indian Premier League being so big a lot of world class players are now becoming T20 specialists. The cost of these players has risen hugely, a T20 specialist now costs more than an overseas player cost for a whole season in years gone by. And most Counties have two!
Is there light at the end of the tunnel? I hope so or else I will be unemployed!! One Counties Chief Executive has been in the press saying he would not be surprised if a County went bust in the near future. Hopefully this will not be the case. There are only 18 First Class Counties with a lot of proud people behind these Clubs that are working hard to ensure this will not happen.
So heres to the immediate future at The Rose Bowl, which is our inaugral Test Match, England vs Sri Lanka. It is an exciting month ahead! Lets hope for some good weather!!
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