Countdown to Blast Off!

[Andy]

See: I should be in marketing!

Had a chuckle at this from cricinfo. Uncouth indeed.

Essex are also sensitive to uncouth behaviour. They suffered pitch invasions and souvenir stealing of stumps and a Sky wicket mic in the early T20 years. With the Chelmsford crowd renowned for boos and hostile chants if the home side are not playing well - a strange phenomenon in county cricket - the club have gone one step further.

[Valentines Park]

If Essex are sensitive to uncouth behavior why are they so keen to encourage the Friday nights drunk crowd?

[Blocky]

load of rubbish from Cricinfo.

[Valentines Park]

load of rubbish from Cricinfo.

Makes a change.

They've normally got the club pegged right.

[Andy]

Not sure it is rubbish - many on here lament at the standard of behaviour at T20 matches, and I've definately heard booing even when listening to home matches on-line. 

[Valentines Park]

I've definately heard booing 

Was Rob Key walking to the crease?

[nat]

I've definately heard booing 

...

How terrible. Must have woken up the wrinklies from their slumber.

[Andy]

I've definately heard booing 

Was Rob Key walking to the crease?

No that was a heavy tramping sound not unlike Godzilla, but without the screaming inhabitants of Tokyo.

Mind you, there is a remake of that film coming out, presumably they'll be casting for the sequel, 'Meester Lobert Key' should audition...

[Blocky]

I've definately heard booing 

Was Rob Key walking to the crease?

No that was a heavy tramping sound not unlike Godzilla, but without the screaming inhabitants of Tokyo.

Mind you, there is a remake of that film coming out, presumably they'll be casting for the sequel, 'Meester Lobert Key' should audition...

nice one...pmsl.

I'm in attendance the majority of T20.  yes there are a lot of people in the bars.  They may well have booed, but what is rubbish is anyone booing Essex. 
The opposition get a frightful amount of stick, and if I'm honest..good. Those individuals such as Dernbach, deserve every bit of stick he gets for his attitude towards our players and our crowd/ground.

It's a different format of cricket, the crowd is different, and it was invented to get a different crowd spending money at cricket grounds.

If you don't like it, don't go.

We should however, ensure that the ground is safe for all that come into it, and if this involves security clamping down on drunken stupidity, then I'm fully in favour.  But we should not discourage the excellent partisan support.  If you've ever watched Yorkshire play Essex at headingly in limited overs, you would find their crowd is significantly worse....in respect of behaviour/sledging

[squarelegumpire]

I agree with Blocky!

[Diatribe]

It's a different format of cricket, the crowd is different, and it was invented to get a different crowd spending money at cricket grounds.

I'm surprised Rupert Murcoch hasn't brought out an accompanying 'Evening Sun' to accommodate their literary tastes.

[IlfordEagle]

There's nothing wrong with partisan support & the crowd generally get behind the team hence Fortress Chelmsford(!!) - Thanks for that Bumble, not!!
Like others my gripe is with the behaviour of the drunks especially on Friday nights (this year of course 5 out of 7 are on that night), Stewards/Security are sometimes a bit slow to react to any of this, if at all. The problem is that many of these people don't watch any other cricket & believe they have the right to shout out what they like, including personal abuse which sometimes goes a bit too far.
As for the wrinklies - most of them don't /won't attend T20 & many won't even attend longer 1 day matches either.

[Valentines Park]

many won't even attend longer 1 day matches either.

Can't blame them.

50 over cricket is an even worse spectacle than Crash-Bang-Wallop.

[Blocky]

Guys, I'm aware some of you don't like the format.  Here's the thing see.  You've got a lot of people that go to work during the week.  Getting the chance to watch our boys on a Friday (or any other evening) is a major bonus, for a good number of those.  I think it's about time that some of our membership, who appear to be4 stuck in the 1920's (or bloody well should be) recognised that without the "crowd of drunks" Essex CCC would probably be in serious financial trouble.

Why is that?  Because the 145 quid a summer for a membership does not cover the clubs outlay.  Seriously, and be honest, how much beer does the Pavilion sell during LVCC games?   I would be surprised if they sell a couple of nines a game.  How much food does the club sell in LVCC games?  not a lot.  Why, because our retired members are very well organised.  They bring their own lunch and they bring flasks of tea/coffee.  They spend virtually nothing in the ground.  Fair enough, no problem with that.

But you better get it into your nuggets that this club will be properly in the khazi if we don't get 6000 crowds at 7 T20 home games, spending significant amounts of cash across the bars and in the shop.

And as I've said so many times before..you don't like it, don't go.  it costs you nothing to not attend.
Happy Friday chaps!

[Valentines Park]

How did the club survive prior to 2003 then?

T20 is a recent invention after all.