Membership Refunds .

[Slogger]

Two of my mates have signed up as life members and a third is considering it. They either haven't been members or not for many years. One was told that 12 people had signed up last week and so far around £100k has come in via new life memberships.

You can see why the club have done it. Cash in the bank. I only hope the new life members get value for their money eventually. It's effectively a gamble on the future of county cricket.

Indeed Nat. I guess all of us on here hope their bet pays out!

[Andy]

Two of my mates have signed up as life members and a third is considering it. They either haven't been members or not for many years. One was told that 12 people had signed up last week and so far around £100k has come in via new life memberships.

You can see why the club have done it. Cash in the bank. I only hope the new life members get value for their money eventually. It's effectively a gamble on the future of county cricket.

Indeed Nat. I guess all of us on here hope their bet pays out!

It's a gamble but I hope Nat's friends will be able to attend matches 2022 onwards.

[SirChef26]

It's a risk but potentially a very high reward for anyone considering life membership. You'll never get such a good value offer like this from the club again because as Nat said, they're only doing it because they desperately need quick cash to get us through the pandemic. Once things are back to normal, those current life membership prices will be long gone!

For anyone considering it, I'd say take the plunge (easy for me to say I know). County cricket for all its dissenters in high places has survived for over 100 years. I'm sure it'll plough on long enough for you to get your money's worth. I just hope it ploughs on as the top domestic level of English cricket rather than being relegated to a minor county competition in favour of eight regional clubs (test match counties).

[Slogger]

Alex - I agree. The risk is that it becomes some sort of semi pro circuit - maybe 3 day games with some if not all of the minor counties coming in and becomes a feeder competition for the 100 ball franchises. It would never surprise me if the 100 ball franchises end up playing 5 day games to replicate test matches. Funnily enough the county game in those circumstances, although lacking the big stars, might feel more like the set up in the 1960s?

Personally I think the professional national summer game retreating into a small number of big city grounds, when most of its supporters and participants live outside those conurbations would be a major error. We are purporting to move big cricket into city centres at the point where the pandemic is driving people out of those places! My sister lives in Hackney and she was telling me the other day about large numbers of vacant rental properties in her patch!

[bwildered]

 Wonder how many life members over the years now regret getting it ? When originally purchased circumstances were different regards  festivals,  formats and now the availability of players to franchise are all to consider.

[Andy]

It's a risk but potentially a very high reward for anyone considering life membership. You'll never get such a good value offer like this from the club again because as Nat said, they're only doing it because they desperately need quick cash to get us through the pandemic. Once things are back to normal, those current life membership prices will be long gone!

For anyone considering it, I'd say take the plunge (easy for me to say I know). County cricket for all its dissenters in high places has survived for over 100 years. I'm sure it'll plough on long enough for you to get your money's worth. I just hope it ploughs on as the top domestic level of English cricket rather than being relegated to a minor county competition in favour of eight regional clubs (test match counties).

Here, here!

[nat]

"...It would never surprise me if the 100 ball franchises end up playing 5 day games to replicate test matches...."

That is exactly the plan. They've even said so but not in so many words. That is why we must try to kill the Hundred competition.

[essexfan548]

Wonder how many life members over the years now regret getting it ? When originally purchased circumstances were different regards  festivals,  formats and now the availability of players to franchise are all to consider.

I don't regret becoming a Life member. I'd been a member for a number of years even though I was not living in Essex any more. I saw it as a way to support the club as well. I've been a Life member for 28 years now - it's not all about 'getting your money's worth'.

[Slogger]

Wonder how many life members over the years now regret getting it ? When originally purchased circumstances were different regards  festivals,  formats and now the availability of players to franchise are all to consider.

I've been a member since 1976 (as a junior) and kept it going even when resident outside the county between 1993 and 2004. I converted to life status in 2007.

In that time we've seen a reduction in the championship fixture list, the disappearance of 40 over cricket and the demise of festivals. I don't regret taking out life membership but I'm getting slightly less value from it than I might have expected. It's not so long ago that we would have two festivals in the school summer holidays (ok people didn't like Garon Park but it was dead handy for me and Colchester must have been one of the nicer out grounds on the circuit).

I have to say that the period from 2016 to 2020 saw some of the most competitive cricket I've seen from an Essex side - right up there with the Fletcher-Gooch era. I rate 2019 as my second best season watching Essex after 1979. We'll see with the 100 ball tournament. I actually quite enjoy seeing some younger players getting a go but the downgrading of the 50 over tournament and the ridiculous scheduling of the knock out stage makes you wonder.

[Postman]

"...It would never surprise me if the 100 ball franchises end up playing 5 day games to replicate test matches...."

That is exactly the plan. They've even said so but not in so many words. That is why we must try to kill the Hundred competition.

Dead right sir. This is the real Trojan Horse of the whole 100 thing as far as I'm concerned, and has not received anything like enough comment in the media. I don't much care about the hit and giggle tournament they are planning for this year but it would be a major blow to everything in English cricket that I care about if we ended up with franchised or similarly artificial first class units playing 10 matches a year or even less. They would lose any close links to the places where most cricket lovers live and their players would probably be interchangeable between teams according to what suited the England management at any particular time. I predicted last year that it could all come to pass under cover of the pandemic and that day gets nearer the longer we have to have a restricted domestic season.

[SirChef26]

It’s clear the ultimate endgame is that they want an identical domestic system to Australia. Eight states/regions/counties based at the test match venues with a squad size of around 20 each plus full academies (the same applies for the domestic women’s game). Each would be partnered/linked to whichever Hundred side plays at the same venue with the Hundred side competing in the premier limited overs comp, with the states/regions/counties playing both 4 day comp and a 50 over comp. The players not playing in the first XI would probably compete in a new second XI competition with the best academy players, similar to what the counties currently do.

The ten left over counties would be relegated to minor counties, all competitions stripped of first class/list A status and fade into obscurity with any young cricketers of promise snapped up by the academies of the eight states/regions/counties. Nothing more than a farming system. They’d throw a few financial crumbs to the ten left over by having the odd 50 over/ 4 day game at the grounds of the relegated ten counties in a similar way to what the Hundred was planning to do with their women’s competition.

The big question/hurdle for the ECB is how to make it happen, since you need a majority vote and we’ve seen what lengths that had to go to in order to get the Hundred approved. They could go ahead and just cut all county funding in a bid to financially force the change upon desperate counties, but they’d probably risk the government getting involved, so they have to be more shrewd than that.

[nat]

IIRC the ECB board changed so that the counties are no longer in the majority. So, the counties could be outvoted on any changes the ECB would want to make.

I suggest the end of the 1st class county system is nearer than a lot of people think.

[bobw]

Alex,

I wouls agree with most of what you say. I would just think the ten left over counties will become feeders for the big eight. There is no need for the eight to have second XIs when there are ten other teams around.

[mawallace]

Interesting to see this email from Gloucestershire

From Monday 1 March, Gloucestershire Cricket will be running a ticket ballot for domestic fixtures this upcoming season.

With the full fixture schedule now announced, now is the time to plan your summer ahead of our domestic ticket ballot opening.

For the 2021 cricket season, Gloucestershire Cricket Members will be prioritised and at the front of the queue should there be any capacity restrictions

[LeedsExile]

Seems to me that there will be restrictions for the first couple of months of the season when the Championship is played but by the time the Hundred happens crowds will return so all is well in the world.