July 10th sees the first Zone 6 City Cricket event
George Dobell09-Jul-2001July 10th sees the first Zone 6 City Cricket event. Teams of six playersselected from three counties in the area roughly around the cities involved(for example Manchester will include players from Derbyshire,Nottinghamshire and Lancashire) will play an abbreviated form of the game.If the event is an attempt to reach out to a new audience then it is to beapplauded. If however, it is an attempt to sow the seeds of the demise ofcounty cricket under the respectable guise of missionary activity, thenperhaps it should be resisted.The last line of a recent PCA media release quotes from DavidLloyd: “In the late 60s, Cedric Rhodes, ex-Lancashire stalwart who was abit of a visionary and who held some outspoken views on cricket, onceremarked that the future of cricket lies with city cricket….”This phrase, together with earlier comments from the PCA, suggests that this initiative is more than an attempt to raise some money and the profile of cricket in the inner cities. It could be the first step towards undermining the counties and replacing them with amalgamated teams based around the big cities.”The original aim was to raise money for the PCA benevolent fund,” SteveMarsh, the former Kent wicket-keeper and now a leading light within the PCA,told CricInfo.”We hope and expect the event to be a success and we’d love to extend it.Perhaps it could cover two weeks and encompass 18 cities, or involve teamsfrom Sydney, London and Cape Town.”I do think this is a sign of things to come,” Marsh admits. “We wantto attract new supporters to cricket – while retaining the establishedones – and we think that many people will associate more with cities thancounties.”But is it, I ask, an experiment that gives us our first look at the futureof domestic cricket in England?”It’s not our aim to but if that happens then great,” he replies. “There isa feeling that we need to be more competitive. We can learn from theAustralian and South African examples. If we had reduced staffs then yes, itcould well become competitive.”If we took players from Middlesex, Surrey and Essex and formed one Londonteam you’d have a Test-strength side, that would enjoy higher qualitycricket against other strong teams. That would prepare the players betterfor Test cricket.””I’m not sure if that is the view of the PCA, but it is the view of mostplayers,” Marsh says.Some may say that we selected the best players from the 18 counties in thelast Test and still didn’t have a Test-strength side. The question follows: is it necessary for us to contemplate losing the counties in order to improve at Test level? Wouldn’t we be better served by supporting the clubs (there are several in inner city areas) in their attempts to reach out to new spectators, and to talk up county cricket? Ask John Bracewell or Mark Alleyne how much respect they feel they’ve gained for their unprecedented success in one-day cricket.It’s an unusual union that recommends unemployment for its members (whatwould Scargill say?), but it comes as no surprise to Somerset ChiefExecutive, Peter Anderson.”They are so elitist,” he said. “David Graveney [the Chief Executive ofthe PCA] couldn’t give a toss about junior players in county cricket.”If I was a junior player and I was paying my subs’ into the PCA I’d begoing to their meetings and demanding to know why they continually run downthe profession they’re supposed to be protecting. These people who failed toget a job in the corporate world think they can run cricket.””We’re used to the PCA telling us that they play too much cricket, but nowthey’ve arranged to play more!” he adds.Anderson isn’t impressed by the support of the ECB for the counties. He hasbeen given assurances that counties will not be merged, but fears that theremay be a hidden agenda.”We make 47% of the income for our club ourselves, and we could do evenbetter if they let us. The ECB are moving in the direction of putting outregional sides to play the tourists, which means another of our big dayswill go. And then they say we survive on a hand-out!” he says inexasperation.”There has been a concerted effort by leading cricket writers to destabilizecounty cricket. They’ve tinkered here and there and brought in twodivisions, and now we keep hearing that regional cricket is the way to go.”There is an uneasy alliance with David Graveney and his committments to theECB and the PCA. The ECB tell me that they don’t want to get rid of thecounties but I just don’t know what their real long term plans may be.”ECB spokesman Andrew Walpole had this response: “The ECB is dedicated toprotecting the 18 first-class counties. We support the PCA’s initiative toreach out to new audiences within the inner cities. The fact that the eventis part of our fixture list illustrates that it can co-exist with countycricket.”There is an oft-repeated myth that no-one is interested in county cricket orthat county grounds are always empty; that the standards are low and thatthe games aren’t competitive – all nonsense. The county members, whosupport the clubs financially and in spirit, have not been consulted.They do not want their clubs undermined, particularly if it isdone in disingenuous fashion.”I expect we will become a plc in due course,” Anderson reveals, encouragingthe view that the current status quo is endangered.”Cricket will never be the same,” the Zone 6 adverts tell us. Isn’t itbetter the way it is?