Usury

Yorkshire 275 all out
v MCC 282-6
close on Day 2

Played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Monday 21 March 2016

Dry Day

Twitter @ball_sup

Yorkshire published their accounts & the AGM Agenda just before I came out to the UAE. And I'll miss the AGM. Here's one thing I've got a bee in my bonnet about.

I blame the ECB. Yorkshire have a historical anachronism problem. I'm going to say, for Donkey’s Years we didn't own Headingley. Even to this day, rumours persist as to who owns what. And not just physical. Who owns the money from beer & food in particular bits of the ground.

In the old days, that seemed less of a problem. But. Hosting Tests became crucial to generating income. Selling food & drink & prostituting County Clubs in many more ways became crucial to maximising that income. And, other Counties wanted a piece of pie. It was always Lord’s, The Oval, Edgbaston, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford & Headingley. Rotation. Of sorts. Official. Or unofficial.

But, then the authorities went 180. From - you've got a ground, can we rent it from you for our Test Match. It became - how much are YOU going to pay US if we bring our Test Match to you? Madness. Counties had/have to pay to host a Test. And hope they make enough money to pay the ECB off.

Cue. Durham, Hampshire & Glamorgan (& others) plunging themselves into Debt or Personal Fiefdom to chase the Rainbow. Madness.

Because Headingley was a decaying higgledy piggledy pigsty which we didn't own. We had to. No. No. No. We DECIDED to dig deep. Buy the ground. Rebuild the ground.

Putting Middlesex, the MCC & Lord's aside. The other decaying, higgledy piggles didn't have the double whammy. Buy & Rebuild. Rebuild, yes. But, buy, no.

I've got 20 20 Hindsight. We should have stopped the World & stepped off some time ago.

We're saddled with a debt which commonsense says we'll struggle to pay the interest on. Which has changed us from a Members Club to a Personal Fiefdom. And now. By smoke & mirrors. We owe that money to some other organisation with the word Graves in it.

And. To keep up with the Jones’s. To have a chance of hosting Ashes Tests & ICC World Cups. We plan to TAKE ON MORE DEBT to rebuild the Football Stand.

I'm against it. That's a mad Business Model. The ECB need to be told.

Lots of people borrow to invest in property. Either because it'll grow in value & they can sell it. We've bought a cricket ground. Which other cricket club are we going to sell it to?

Or because it'll generate income for them, like if they've bought a shop. We're paying the ECB for them to use our ground. That ain't income where I live.

We can't generate income to reduce the debt. But, I do have a plan to not increase the debt.

DON'T BORROW ANY MORE.

293/608