Members ballot

[vim]

No doubt when the public enquiry is held next year. That will be time to comment about the actions of Chelmsford Council.

Regarding the lack of conversation. I have not paid my 2021 membership and may write this season off. I have thought that next season we will be entering a honeymoon period as far as behaviour is concerned, which may last for a few years.

[squarelegumpire]

No doubt when the public enquiry is held next year. That will be time to comment about the actions of Chelmsford Council.

Regarding the lack of conversation. I have not paid my 2021 membership and may write this season off. I have thought that next season we will be entering a honeymoon period as far as behaviour is concerned, which may last for a few years.

I still haven't got over the bog the Council made of the access to he River gate.Is it better now?

I rather wish, too, I hadn't paid for this year. Just hoping that things will get better after June, although, sadly I'm not very optimistic.

[stewyww]

As one who was lucky (?) enough to win a booby prize for Saturdays play here’s my feedback for anyone interested.

Firstly unlike the poor souls who got Fridays prize at least we saw some play despite the best efforts of the umpires to make it otherwise.

If you are concerned about COVID I would say the experience was significantly safer than shopping in primark.  You are given a timed arrival slot based on your seat which will disappoint those used to turning up three hours before the start of play. But then again there is no need to reserve your seat with bags and cushions as you have an allocated seat which you can’t leave on pain of death. Plus you can’t nip back into town for a spot of breakfast as that is not allowed either.

Contrary to rumour you only have to wear a mask for the few occasions you are allowed to leave your seat - toilet breaks and getting a drink from one of the two food outlets.

All credit to the chairman who made a point of talking to every group of members. Quizzed on the attendance policy his stance was that he is not the bad guy and wants as many allowed in as possible but is restricted by the lack of common sense of the council whose health and safety officer appears to be a thirteen year old.

For me the most puzzling thing was the number of members attending. I counted them and there were about seventy five , which means either many had chosen not to collect their prize or the 200 limit includes some freeloaders and the security staff.

At the end of play you were supposed to have a timed departure slot based on your seat block but there were only about ten of us left so they didn’t bother.

In summary though it was just nice to see some cricket.  Although a day at a county game is not the same without the background sound of middle aged men discussing non league football or the time of the last bus back to Witham.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.
However, let's be very clear about one thing.
After the ECB and Sports Ground Safety Authority review, the amount the club could admit under stage 3 guidance was 600.
Presumably it was the SGSA and/or Essex County Council who evaluated the requirements for stewarding, medical and safety needs etc, and based upon this, the club decided to use only the south end of the ground to cut overheads. Based on this decision by the club, this meant a reduction in the crowd capacity to 200.

So it is not correct to make the council a scapegoat for this.

[Andy]

Stewyww is the council report anywhere online?

[mawallace]

To put this in context,   as I understand it the ECB and their team assessed the ground AND the council also has input.

When John was talking to the members he seemed to be more angry about the Council,  although he didn't seem too keen on the ECb lot either

[stewyww]

To put this in context,   as I understand it the ECB and their team assessed the ground AND the council also has input.

When John was talking to the members he seemed to be more angry about the Council,  although he didn't seem too keen on the ECb lot either

He might be angry, but at the end of the day he had the mandate to authorise a capacity of 600 members a day and he chose not to. Perhaps he doesn't realise how angry a number of the members are.
In fact, not only angry, but betrayed, stitched up and badly let down by a club which personally I have supported for 55 years.

[stewyww]

Stewyww is the council report anywhere online?

Andy, I haven't looked for it but presumably it should be in the public domain.

[Markwhy]

A lovely day at The Oval yesterday.Turn up when you want,you could leave the ground and return if you wanted to.No bag search,just very friendly helpful stewards.Free Scorecard.I know it is a bigger ground but nobody was bothered if you sat in your allocated seat,and I moved round in the afternoon to follow the rare instances of the sun.Only had to wear your mask wandering around the concourse,which is quite tight in some areas but nobody seemed to be worried.Great days cricket,and it felt very much like normal apart from wearing the mask.So glad I did not get a ticket in the ballot!!
How can things be so different??Hard to gauge crowd,but 3-4000 I reckon.It was so nice to be back watching live cricket.

[nat]

A lovely day at The Oval yesterday.Turn up when you want,you could leave the ground and return if you wanted to.No bag search,just very friendly helpful stewards.Free Scorecard.I know it is a bigger ground but nobody was bothered if you sat in your allocated seat,and I moved round in the afternoon to follow the rare instances of the sun.Only had to wear your mask wandering around the concourse,which is quite tight in some areas but nobody seemed to be worried.Great days cricket,and it felt very much like normal apart from wearing the mask.So glad I did not get a ticket in the ballot!!
How can things be so different??Hard to gauge crowd,but 3-4000 I reckon.It was so nice to be back watching live cricket.

Surrey seem to be doing a lot things right concerning customer service. Essex on the other hand...

[brazilianglen]

In response to the post by Markwhy

I had a 'freebie'  (using one of the many guest vouchers members receive) at the Oval on Thursday and I completely agree with his comments. Everywhere and everyone very relaxed. It was the most 'normal' I have felt since it all began in March 2020. A very uplifting day despite seeing about only an hours play.

It appears that in Stage 3, watching at the Oval is a massive contrast to elsewhere

[Postman]

Sees that Surrey aren't the only county to give people a much better experience than Essex-here is Paul Edwards on Cricinfo about Gloucs v Somerset at Bristol-

"But a very wet game did produce one undisputed victor: Gloucestershire have not just accommodated spectators on these extraordinary days; they have made them welcome and that warmth has extended to the media and the rest of cricket's caravan. Any necessary regulation has been light touch and enforced with the greatest good humour. As much as the spectators who turned up to watch the match, the Gloucestershire staff who made it possible for them to do so are a credit to the game."

Sounds like a different world...

[Cricketmad]

As for the Warwickshire game, we didn’t miss much after all. Pity the poor souls that actually had the misfortune to get in.

[Crisp]

Having travelled extensively throughout the country following Essex away throughout the years, this sort of service is normal with other counties.

Unfortunately, for the past 10 years our county has given members and supporters third rate customer service, all of which has been heavily exposed this season.

[bwildered]

 Question to those attendees of the last home game against Warwickshire .
What happens if you missed your allocated entrance time slot ?

[Slogger]

There does seem to be a lot of inconsistency about, presumably driven by local government. Some football clubs aren't allowed standing fans, but I've got terrace tickets for a game on Saturday. I had an unallocated set of seats for London rugby league on Sunday with no problems and me and the lad are off racing next week at Brighton - no problem getting a ticket. And there's the danger - there are other things one can do. I'm a life member so maybe am not as angry as some who have paid annual subscriptions but I reaĺly could do with knowing if I am going to the next home game - Mrs Slogger wants to go to Norfolk to visit a heritage site and she can't book it until Essex tell people if they have a ticket!