Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

[Stevens]

Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

The reason that I ask you this is that Australia the best cricket nation of the past 10 years has only 6 teams in it's version of the county cricket championship.

I was thinking if there was less county cricket teams, say through having regions say (6 regions) instead of counties that this would strengthen the domestic cricket seen and in turn strengthen the England cricket team and make them World Champions and replace Australia as the best cricket nation in the world.

I am not the only one to be debating the structure and make of the County Cricket Championship (look up cricket county championship on wikapedia).
Perhaps if we has less teams more money could be put towards putting retractble roof in one at least on stadium in each region of England and end the farce of rain delays at (major) cricket matches (like they are doing with a retractable roof over the whole of Centre Court at wimbledon Tennis tournament from 2009).

What do you think?

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

I'd like to see a three tiered structure, with promotion and relegation. Each division would be for 6-8 teams, games played home and away.

If they went for the 8 team structure, it would allow the likes of Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands to field teams and help overcome the fact that they have no first class system in their own countries. It would also allow for for another 3 teams to enter the fray.

Realistically, 3x6 would be the way to go and has the added bonus of freeing up time to allow for an English qualifed regional tournament (4 regions, 4 games minimum). This tournament would put the best 44 players into action against each other and go someway to bridge the gap between county and test cricket.

The extra space in the season would/could be filled with more twenty20 (have to be careful of overkill though) or some other kind of all star competition.

 

[jimmy33]

Re: Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

By the way, the reason Australia is so strong at cricket isn't because there are 6 states. That is just a coincidence. I think it is because the structures are so good, from junior upwards. Also there is the win at all costs attitude that is needed to get to the top, that every Australian cricketer has

 

[Kram81]

Re: Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

I remember Mike Hussey once saying that playing County is about 70% playing standad compared to the Sheild. Such a strong Australian domestic comp has to be an advantage as it reduces the gap to the next level, a few states would probably be equal with some international teams.

IMO County has too many.

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

By the way, the reason Australia is so strong at cricket isn't because there are 6 states. That is just a coincidence. I think it is because the structures are so good, from junior upwards. Also there is the win at all costs attitude that is needed to get to the top, that every Australian cricketer has

You are right, there is more to it than the top level domestic competition but it still plays a part.

The ECB are slowly sorting things out from the bottom upwards but there is still a lot resistance to change.

 

[edladd]

Re: Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

I think 3x6 makes sense. Having more teams in England to Australia's 6 makes sense from a population point of view, as they have a much bigger population, ~2.5 times it in fact. (England and Wales - 53m, Australia - 21m). Obviously though, I don't know what the grass-roots structures are like in either country, so maybe that needs to change too.

 

[Stevens]

Re: Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

Having the top league with 6 teams is the way forward (as it would make the top league's standards higher and less of jump up in standard for the players from county to internatonal football) however many leagues divisions there ends up being (but as usual there is competiting interests beween the needs of the various factions in English/Welsh Cricket like the counties wanting to stages as many matches as apossible to make money out of them and the England national team and counties competing for the use of players on certain dates).

I disagree that there should be 3 divisions because the counties in the bottom/3rd division could be starved of too may resources becuase at that level they will struggle and be straved for resources as most resources could be graviting towards the more attracive top league (which they will take even longer to compete in than in the 2 division structure) could (negativley) effect the development of cricket and players in those counties in the 3rd division to the detrament of the English National team (like the clubs in the Scottish football League division 3 dead wood making the numbers).

If we have to remain with 18 teams (which I am against) we should have two divisions playing home and away with top flight of 6 teams (too keep standards high) and a bottom league of 12 team with automatically one up one down with the second bottom top flight playing off against 2nd, 3rd and 4th in second division in promotion/relegation single leg knock out play-offs (highest finishing team get home adavantage).

PS Lets have 5 points per win; 1 point per draw and zero points per loss to make the scoring easier to understand and a bit fairer for all concerned.

what ya think
thanks

 

[Peakite]

Re: Is there too many teams/counties in the County Cricket Championship?

Well for a start you forgot the number of points for a tie .

More seriously I wouldn't be in favour of a reduction in the number of first class counties. It always seems that those most vocally in favour of this frequently seem to be associated with sides who would be expected to continue or form the basis for a more regional or even a city club.

That's not to say I don't think that there needs to be something done to improve the standards, I rather see initiatives to bring more youngsters into the game (let's us see it more in the public eye), improve coaching and provide a gradual build-up of strength instead of quick and drastic action.

Not sure the two division format is much of a success either. There hasn't been a mass migration of players to the top tier; we hardly see any movement of the better players from the relegated sides to remain first division players. There have been several of defending champions (and close challengers) relegated, promoted sides doing very well and this season has, Surrey aside, seen a very even first division. I don't think the standard of the two divisions is that different and would quite happily see the distinction abolished.

Whilst I can see the attraction of a smaller 'elite' division (which would need to be a closed shop) some would have to suffer to put it in place. I do want to see the England side improve, and have the chance to do so, but I'd never want to see a system put in place that prevents sides from rising to the top on merit (unlikely it would ever happen, but I support a step 4 football club and I wouldn't want to think we'd be blocked from rising up the pyramid to increase the strength of those above us - unlike our egg chasing 'tenants').

We also don't have an easy six unit division for the country that people can identify with. It's easy for the Australians with their states. The only real obvious UK splitting is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which is clearly not appropriate here.

A possible alternative is to have a winter competition played abroad between sides composed of the top England qualified county players. Televise it here (so kids can see the game at a high level), make it financially worthwhile for the players involved (including appropriate bonuses for winning) and trying to do some promotion into new areas. The pitch would need to be of a good standard, but otherwise wouldn't expect the grounds to be of a top first class standard. Three or four sides roughly based around regional groupings of counties.