Never trust a man with shiny shoes & a Perma-Tan...

[Andy]

Lord Maclaurin seems to be dragging up solutions for a problem from 20 years ago. Get rid of a few counties and magically the England Team will improve. Conveniently forgetting that:

a) Team England refuses to look at any Talent outside the favoured few counties.
b) Most of the incompetent performers on this trip have played virtually no county cricket in the past 2-3 years.
c) the quality of the county game has been reduced by attempting to drastically restrict overseas & Kolpac players: if the likes of Trent Copeland aren't qualified, how will the next generation of England batters learn to play quick bowling?
d) By pandering to regional biases, money has been thrown at peripheral counties who even get to host international cricket where realistically they should be playing footie and water polo.
e) Who decided to increase the number of counties from 17 to 18?

Fewer old stagers hanging on for benefits, more cricket played in high summer rather than in April and you'd see lower playing costs and more people at county matches. Simple.

Mike Atherton was right, for once...

[IlfordEagle]

Some good points raised there, I saw Trent Copeland bowl at Colchester last Summer & was very impressed, you couldn't fail to learn from the likes of him. Careful re the 17 County increase to 18 or Latecut may be back to complain! Seriously I think Durham have more than justified their promotion but have benefitted more than somewhat by generous funding/loans/grants as opposed to longer standing FC Counties who haven't had such benefits - no bitterness just a realistic view.
It did make me wonder when Glamorgan got an Ashes Test almost immediately whereas Durham had to gradually step up in quality to get theirs!
Scrapping some Counties & going for regions is a complete non starter (unless Surrey & Kent are amongst those being scrapped!!), you will then lose many fans - I for one would not watch a composite side with other Counties especially the aforementioned 2!
England players do need to play a bit more for their Counties - at least 4 FC games I would say especially 2/3 in succession to get some continuity & form, also scrap some of these meaningless 1 day games & untimely England A matches which just take players out of their Counties at crucial times.

[Slogger]

Agree with what other posters have said. Make the competition stronger by allowing more quality overseas players and play fewer ODIs.

One point Andy - my 12 year old plays water polo for Basildon - it's a cracking game!

[Andy]

Agree with what other posters have said. Make the competition stronger by allowing more quality overseas players and play fewer ODIs.

One point Andy - my 12 year old plays water polo for Basildon - it's a cracking game!

My colleague's son is involved with the national team. No disrespect to either of the sports mentioned, but living in the North West it is genuinely difficult to see how a sport which is so heavily dependent on the weather plays so much of its money-spinning international matches in the West and North.

[squarelegumpire]

Surely Essex is already the East Anglian side …… Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambs.

However,only joking;  is there a suitable gound in Norwich?