Critical Mass Crowd

Derbyshire 128 all out (18.2 overs)
v Yorkshire 131-3 (16.4 overs)
Yorkshire win by 7 wickets

Friday 15 May 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

Opening round of the revamped relaunch of the T20 Blast reboot. Still lots of peripheral chunter about Franchises & Big Bash.

Let's debunk a few myths shall we?

Australian international stars are NOT released for their T20 Domestic Big Bash. Sure, like here, you get the odd player for the odd game. When the moons are aligned correctly. But, like here, the Australian international players mainly miss the domestic season, all formats.

The Australian Big Bash does NOT make money (yet). It is an investment, mainly by the Board. And they are still growing it (hopefully to profit).

It is not Franchised. Kentucky Fried Chicken is Franchised. A centrally controlled brand. But, individual outlets owned by local entrepreneurs.

I'd argue very few people want truly Franchised T20 in England. Franchise has become shorthand. And lazy shorthand at that. Shorthand for; fewer T20 teams, with new (maybe City) names, with a right old Buzz around it and all over the tele & papers, played in front of big crowds.

Shiny Thing Syndrome.

People see the Big Bash on telly. They hear the pundits rave. They think "that looks brilliant". We should have one.

Opinion. What they really see is large colourful crowds & razzmatazz. What they want is large colourful crowds & razzmatazz. All power to that.

You & me both know. Large crowds are self perpetuating. There is a critical mass. There is a tipping point. It tips when new people start coming because everyone else is. Not because of "the high quality of the cricket on offer". They don't want to be at the game. They want to be part of the event. The Great Tamasha.

That is what the Big Bash has achieved. Against a backcloth of 8 existing large stadiums which can cope with the crowds. And it's on Free-to-Air Aussie tele. So the potential crowd can see what's happening from their living room.

It's a resounding YES from me for large colourful crowds, who help create an event which more & more people want to be at. I'll even have all the razzmatazz. I'm sure that will help.

But. How do we get that? Which bits of the Big Bash Model do we blindly follow? Search me.

I'd stick to Counties. By all means have Vikings, Bears, Gladiators, etc. But don't have Leeds, Nottingham, Manchester, etc.

I'd have fewer games. Quality over quantity. You need to create a sense of event, occasion, anticipation. I'd try & make the cricket centre stage. The razzmatazz can enhance rather than take over.

I'd have a free-to-air TV Deal.

Maybe that's 3 Divisions. Maybe that's 3 Conferences. Maybe the break/make up is on size of grounds rather than merit. Maybe there is no promotion & relegation. Maybe that's 10 games instead of 14. Whisper it, maybe that's just 5 games against your Division/Conference rivals.

Maybe it's Lancashire, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Middlesex & Surrey in a perpetual Division 1. Maybe. And, you'd need some big spreadsheet so that ALL Counties got to share in the profits. Even though Leicestershire might be in Division 3, they'd take an agreed & appropriate share of the big pot. No County is cast adrift.

How did Yorkshire do tonight? The new lights were great & they didn't fail. It looked a decent crowd to me. It's difficult to guess a number. Inevitably it was more of a football crowd than a family crowd. The cricket was centre stage, with a bit of excitement. But far from gripping. Music, Viking mascot, flag waving kids, fireworks at the end. The players stayed late to sign autographs & glad hand. A good effort.

I run around so much, I rarely get a chance for a decent drink in Leeds. Redressing the balance. I hit Tapped Leeds, 51 Boar Lane, Leeds, LS1 5EL. 14 Keg. 12 Cask. I'll work through them all by a week on Thursday!

Nice day, so the windows were open to the street. Modern leather & wood inside. Brewing kit down one side. Great place. Great beer range.

Bad Seed, India Lager on keg at 5.8%. Insanely opaque. Very refreshing. Main taste is the bitterness. Tending towards salad leaves. But a lot of tropical & citrus fruit going on - mainly upfront. Some dry straw in the finish.

Tapped/Kirkstall NZ Extra Bitter on keg at 5%. Unusual. It's very bitter. But not intense. Like a supercharged English bitter rather than IPA style. The bitterness kicks in quickly off a short fruit, then sweet malt hit. I wouldn't call it a traditional finish, the bitterness just grabs your throat.

138/297