Middlesex 'drifting towards irrelevance': Gatting leads revolt

[essexfan548]

Interesting article which also mentions Sussex and Lancashire at the end.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/mar/31/middlesex-drifting-towards-irrelevance-mike-gatting-leads-revolt-cricket

"A group of past Middlesex players led by Mike Gatting, the former England captain, has delivered a withering assessment of the county's leadership on the eve of the new season and warned the club risks 'drifting towards irrelevance'.

In an open letter to members  'a clarion call ahead of the club's annual general meeting on 15 April' Gatting and his co-signatories have highlighted a lack of transparency and called the cricket setup 'a mess'. Desmond Haynes, the former West Indies opener, and England?s Mark Ramprakash are among others to have put their names to the letter. ...."

[vim]

And what will this new leadership bring to the table. If they took over, the members would be longing for the previous lot to come back.

[nat]

Much as I dislike them (from their 1970s/80s arrogance) they do need a permanent home ground...and quick. Uxbridge would seem to be the best bet.

[Oldhasbeen]

Much as I dislike them (from their 1970s/80s arrogance) they do need a permanent home ground...and quick. Uxbridge would seem to be the best bet.

I've always had a bit of a downer on Middlesex since I went to Lords for a poorly-attended CC game c50 years ago and me & my friend, both Essex members, asked to go into the Middlesex members' section (mostly to see the famous pavilion) and were snootily dismissed by the stewards in their ghastly MCC ties; at other away CC games I went to, I was allowed into the members' section - even the Oval, I think - once I flashed my Essex membership card.

[vim]

It was an elderly member of Essex and the MCC. After an issue in trying to gain entrance to the members' enclosure, more than five minutes before the start of play. Nominated the Stewards at Lords, as the rudest people, that you would ever meet.

[essexfan548]

Stewards at their outgrounds aren't much better. When I went to Radlett, parking was advertised at ?3 and I checked by phone that was for Essex members too.

However, on arrival, despite the signs saying 'Member parking ?3' - that was just for Middlesex members and I was charged ?5.

No-one helped with getting out of the ground at the end and it was a free-for-all, far worse than Meteor Way.

[smandlej]

All I remember about going to a county match 60-plus years ago was that there was a visiting members' pavilion or such-like.  Must have been Middx v Glam, as my friend from Cardiff and I went in there (I used to have Glam membership as well in those days), recall standing at the window with our lemon-and-limes watching the match - we were probably 16 and 17 years old at that time, hence the soft drinks.

Lynda

[vim]

The visiting Pavilion may have been the old Q stand. It got the name, from the letters on the entrances outside the ground.

This was the scene of an incident when someone pulled out a knife. This and the incident of the Umpires being jostled, happened in areas solely for MCC members and their guests.