Bringing alcohol into the ground

[Diatribe]

I did try drinking a glass of beer when I was about 15 yrs. of age, I found it to be foul tasting and it also made me feel bloated. Ever since then, I've stuck to ice cold milk.

[Valentines Park]

The trick is to mix it Dr Feelgood style.

[Mick]

The trick is to mix it Dr Feelgood style.

The year that was released we won our first Championship !

[Mick]

Moving away from the subjects of Diatribe's abstinence and, more interestingly, Feelgood's only top ten hit and back to the matter in question.

Danny,

On Wednesday, arriving at the Members entrance at around 1:30 I was directed to the bag search table. At this table a burly, bearded security guard was making a couple of late middle-aged gentlemen pour the contents of about 4 cans and one bottle of beer into plastic cups (thoughtfully provided). Partly because it was holding me up and partly because I felt sorry for them I got involved and pointed out that the security guard must be mistaken as the club had tweeted about 45 mins earlier " ....alcohol is permitted into the ground but must not be in a glass." I offered to show him the message but he wasn't interested.

You frequently ask what you can do to maximise benefits to members, and, whilst we all appreciate that most of the things members want are outside of your control, one thing you could do is treat members as welcome and responsible visitors rather than conniving smugglers. Are bag searches of members really necessary. Is there anything wrong with bringing a reasonable amount of alcohol into the ground. If you smartened up your product line with some decent local Essex produce you might find less people inclined to bring in their own.

During the interval, we had security guards posted all round the outfield standing grimly staring into the crowd as if ready to fend off an invasion. Really? Not a great image of a friendly welcoming community-conscious county cricket club. Let them guard the square and let the children play on the outfield.

Above all, do not confuse the 50-over matches with the Friday night piss-ups that pass as cricket matches. I can appreciate the need for more overt security on such occasions.

[Sunny1066]

Well said Mick.  Spot on.

[Starfish]

Thanks for post

Will pass comments on to necessary people. The bag searches take place for the safety and security of everyone, we conduct these to follow ECB guidelines. It would be impossible for us to operate safely by not doing some of the searches.

We have security on the pitch to prevent the odd person from damaging the wicket or stealing the sky camera stump.

We are reviewing food options to bring improvements in offering, value and range for 2015.

Thanks as always for valued comments

[nat]

Thanks for post

Will pass comments on to necessary people. The bag searches take place for the safety and security of everyone, we conduct these to follow ECB guidelines. It would be impossible for us to operate safely by not doing some of the searches.

We have security on the pitch to prevent the odd person from damaging the wicket or stealing the sky camera stump.

We are reviewing food options to bring improvements in offering, value and range for 2015.

Thanks as always for valued comments

No sorry disagree. A complete over-reaction and damaging to the club.

[Slogger]

And of course Lords let you take a bottle of wine/2 pints of beer into all games including glass bottles. I asked a steward there about that and he said MCC members like taking in a bottle of wine/champagne in to the ground so the club decided that a small amount would be allowed for everyone and that the ECB/ICC could therefore take a running jump. It doesn't especially bother me as Wednesday was the only white ball game I've got to this year at Chlemsford or Colchester and I was driving but the contrast in approach is interesting

[Mick]

Thanks for post

Will pass comments on to necessary people. The bag searches take place for the safety and security of everyone, we conduct these to follow ECB guidelines. It would be impossible for us to operate safely by not doing some of the searches.

We have security on the pitch to prevent the odd person from damaging the wicket or stealing the sky camera stump.

We are reviewing food options to bring improvements in offering, value and range for 2015.

Thanks as always for valued comments

Danny,

Not quite your usual comprehensive response. You have not addressed why the club were tweeting that alcohol not in glasses could be brought in but had not informed the security guards accordingly. What is the issue with a couple of cans of beer that suddenly goes away when it's poured into a plastic glass? Missiles perhaps ?  Then surely anything in a can (or indeed any hard object) should be subject to the same policy not just alcohol. I'm sorry Danny, but you're hiding behind the "health and safety" mantra to defend a lot of intrusive and unnecessary (not to mention inconsistent) procedures which are followed at best randomly by the security personnel. If the bag searches really were "for my safety" I would want them carried out rather more professionally than they are!

As for allowing youngsters to play on the outfield, I had said that the wicket (and precious Sky kit) could and should be guarded. That need not preclude use of the outfield.

[Starfish]

Thanks for comments

Apologies if there were any miss communications with regard the policy.

Thanks

[Mick]

Thanks for comments

Apologies if there were any miss communications with regard the policy.

Thanks

Miss Communications ? We could have a competition like Miss World.  Winner gets to do the announcing at County Championship games; couldn't do any worse than the present incumbent. 

Danny, we're not getting much closer and you haven't answered any of my questions. Who was right ....  tweeter or security guard ?

[squarelegumpire]

Danny makes the point that the "alcohol in glass bottles" rules is a result of ECB GUIDELINES. Not rules! Danny, we'd be grateful if you'd point that out to the relevant people. Guidelines.

Clearly too many on the Committee don't trust their fellow members, and indeed because of the opaque electoral and committee structure are frequently not actually representative of the ordinary member.

[Starfish]

To clarify no glass vessels are allowed at the ground

A limit of four cans is allowed - please refer to ground regulations

Thanks

[squarelegumpire]

So for the 50 over QF (assuming it's at Chelmsford) my wife and I can bring a plastic 75ml container of wine, plus two cans of M&S gin & tonic? Plus two plastic "glasses" out of which to drink the wine?

[firehazard]

So for the 50 over QF (assuming it's at Chelmsford) my wife and I can bring a plastic 75ml container of wine, plus two cans of M&S gin & tonic? Plus two plastic "glasses" out of which to drink the wine?

It would seem that you could bring in a 3-litre wine box...