Windies 2017

[Blocky]

They can play it at Castle Park.

that's not a great idea is it?  I love Castle Park, but I wouldn't put a tourist match there now.  6000 at Chelmsford, with proper seating (other than the HCE) 2,000 at CP....same level seating , lack of facilities....

come on..

 i think it's an excellent idea.  can get 5-6000 in to CP and would help sustain the festival.

go on then.  I'll humour your idea....

Give me the costing for seating 6000 people at CP for 3 days, and how much this would cost the non-members to get in to make the festival break even...?

[alji]

You should also consider the impact on the NHS. Thousands with stiff necks from having to try to see round the several people in the rows of seats in front of them on the flat, and stiff backs from being crammed into temporary stands with less leg room that you get on a low-cost airline. Park grounds are only ok if you can sit in the front row.

[Andy]

For a one-off international contest like this, we should use a ground with proper seating and proper drainage rather than somewhere where the seating is uncomfortable and the likelihood that the outfield will be extremely soggy. Unless some bright spark considers putting on mud-wrestling during the lunch break intervals...

[nat]

Hang on a cotton-picking minute....
...
I thought you were all in favour of retaining festival grounds. CP has successfully housed 5-6k people in the past. 3 days of good crowds plus another CC or 1 day game would be just the ticket.

[Andy]

Hang on a cotton-picking minute....
...
I thought you were all in favour of retaining festival grounds. CP has successfully housed 5-6k people in the past. 3 days of good crowds plus another CC or 1 day game would be just the ticket.

OMG I've turned into Boris Johnson.  Must've been all that mud...   

Festival grounds certainly do have a role to play. As much as I love Castle Park, I know it is a bit of a gamble because of the local conditions. The CG has better drainage and facilities (!?) so do we put a potentially money making tourist match there, instead of at a festival ground? We tended to do that in the past.

[Slogger]

When was the last time we played the tourists away from Chelmsford?  I've a vague recollection of a game at westcliff v New Zealand

[Perov]

We played the South Africans in Castle Park, Colchester 1965.

[nat]

We played the South Africans in Castle Park, Colchester 1965.

There you go then.

[bwildered]

Think the last tourist game played in Colchester was against the Indians at the start of the 70's, but not at the Castle Park , but the Garrison Ground .
Unsure but might have been because of the weather .

[Andy]

Think the last tourist game played in Colchester was against the Indians at the start of the 70's, but not at the Castle Park , but the Garrison Ground .
Unsure but might have been because of the weather .

Was that when a certain G Boycott also got a couple hundreds against us? Not playing for the Indians, although I dare say his Amma could have played the eccc attack with a popadom on the Garrison ground wicket...

[Perov]

The Indians were at the Garrison in 1971, the same festival that Mr Boycott scored 233 against us.
Colchester also hosted Pakistan in 1967.

Westcliff had New Zealand in  1969, and 1973.
Southend had the Aussies in 1961, West Indies 1963, Aussies 1964, West Indies 1966 and Aussies 1968.

[Andy]

The Indians were at the Garrison in 1971, the same festival that Mr Boycott scored 233 against us.
Colchester also hosted Pakistan in 1967.

Westcliff had New Zealand in  1969, and 1973.
Southend had the Aussies in 1961, West Indies 1963, Aussies 1964, West Indies 1966 and Aussies 1968.

Thanks. Wasn't the 1971 festival moved from Castle Park at the last minute?

[firehazard]

...
Westcliff had New Zealand in  1969, and 1973...

I remember the 1973 game at Chalkwell Park. School exams had finished, so I got on the train to Westcliff each day. Essex lost by an innings, but it was an enjoyable three days. I must have the scorecard somewhere...

[Slogger]

Wandering off topic, I never saw us play at Westcliff. Hailing from the north of the county it wasn't the easiest place to get to without a car and I was still a teenager when we stopped using the ground. My son played there for his junior team a few years back and I was struck by how short the straight boundary must have been. He also played at Gidea Park, Romford which seemed a bit bigger but with not much space beyond the boundary