Friends Of Ham

Yorkshire 241-7
v Sussex
close on Day 1

LV County Championship Div 1
at Headingley

Tuesday 22 September 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

The Drink

I looked back in horror at what I said at the beginning of the cricket season. That I'd try & get around to a few more places in Leeds. Then I checked the Blog. Felt a bit same old same old. So, last game, don't flag.

But essentially I've shot myself in the foot. I finally made it to Friends Of Ham. Not really their fault. They were good as gold. But, neither did I enjoy it.

My own fault. Too crowded. The staff double as maitre d' & find you somewhere to perch. But even at half six on a Tuesday, it was all too hectic for this old fella. Victim of success. Maybe I got it wrong. Maybe it's table service only. Either way, I got some black looks from punters at the bar as I peered at the Clips.  I felt a bit pressured. (Due to critical mass of punters, not the staff). Didn't ask to taste. And then, when I got back to my perch, it'd basically been given to someone else.

No criticism though. It was just too busy for this lazy afternoon drinker. Should have looked & swerved.

Went for Arbor Ales, Oz Bomb on cask at 4.7%. At first I thought that one has come up a little bit on the sour side of citrus. And maybe a bit thin. But, no, later on it gets there. Indeed, very pleasant. But, let's have it right, I rushed it & got the train.

I counted 4 cask & maybe 10 keg.

The Cricket

I'm going to say it. Batting now lacks application. Long season. Lyth still out of sorts. Went LBW for 3. Bairstow too cocky & aggressive. Trying to play shots on the walk, all bottom hand. At just 106-3. Despite bluster, did one off 18 balls. Pointless.

Rashid was also wristy aggressive. But, at least he connected. But, the general lack of application means that players are  getting to fifty & not kicking on. The Sussex bowlers kept at it. Helped by rests during the stop start rain breaks.

Opinion Piece

The last knockings of what has been a magnificent season for Yorkshire. I'm not going to take the piss and blog a season review. Look forward not back. For the last few months the media, airwaves, and wires have been full of chatter about the domestic structure for 2016.

Here is my knee jerk assessment. In general, I feel we play too much cricket. We start too early in the year. Dark, wet, miserable. We finish too late in the year. Dark, wet, miserable. Games at the mercy of the weather. Results a lottery at times. 1030 starts in September. All that is compounded by mad scheduling at times. One end of the country to the other.

The media chatter has the problems as;

Player burn out. Too many games, too much travelling.
Format switching. Red ball. White ball. 50 overs. 20 overs.
Not enough white ball quality to service ICC World Cups. Where England routinely struggle.
And, the Shiny Thing Syndrome. Everyone else is talking about Australia's T20 Big Bash League. "I want one".

Let's start with T20.

It strikes me that we need to work out how we want to make money from the Domestic T20. Do we want to pile it high? Lots of preliminary games. Hoping to get bums on seats. Selling some burgers & beers. Pulling in the corporate prawn sandwich chompers. One game on subscription tele, with four or five other games the same night at other counties. Easier to qualify than to get knocked out. 18 play, 8 qualify.  Games coming thick and fast. Day in day out.

Or, do we want a more intense, high profile, public attention grabbing tournament. It is not quite as simple as this but, do we want quantity or quality. What Counties lose on gate receipts, they will need to make up by TV rights. That is clearly going to be a difficult ask.

I firmly prefer an 18 County model. But, if it is an 18 County pile it high model, you can't ask or expect paying customers to keep coming day in day out. You can't have the dedicated window model. You must have the Friday Night Lights model.

This year, each County has played 14 T20 group matches. To eliminate 10 Counties. We started on 15 May. We finished on 24 July. Hone down to the T20 issue. Ignore all other formats for the moment. That's 10 weeks. Let's call it three T20 games every fortnight. Or, for your home games. Three a month. Don't sound bad do it? Like football. Like rugby.  People could buy into that.

But, not if you shag the scheduling up. Yorkshire played 15 May. Three week gap. Game. Nine day gap. Two games in 5 days. Two week gap. Two games in 5 days. Ten day gap. Last home game. Longish gaps. Two home games in short order TWICE. That is what you're trying to avoid with the Friday Night Lights model. Crazy. Now, I know they were scheduling other formats in as well. But, take T20 cold. That stop start affair won't pull the punters in.

The basic maths revolves around 18. All play all gives you 17 games. Split into 2 groups of 9. All play all gives you 16 or 8. In 2015, we played unbalanced 2 groups of 9, 14 games. I'm not too fussed if we play unbalanced. It's a Cash Cow, some, but not high, integrity tournament.

The Big Bash is unbalanced. Eight teams. Each plays eight games. The other 7 once. And then "The Marquee" game. So, the Sydney Sixers play the Sydney Thunder twice. The Melbourne Stars play the Melbourne Renegades twice.

I'll rule here. In an English Domestic T20 structure, it is inconceivable that Yorkshire won't play Lancashire at Headingley & Old Trafford. Likewise, Middlesex play Surrey at Lord's & The Oval. You're using the tournament to generate income & galvanise support. Forget promotion & relegation. Forget mixing it up. Forget smaller Counties. Those home & away, traditional rivals games are a MUST. In any model.

So, you could do 2 groups of 9. All play all. Plus one "Marquee Game". Giving you a 10 game T20 group season. Ten games would have to be Friday Night Lights. Not dedicated window.

I'll vote for that. 10 T20 games spread across 10 weeks.

209/427