As September approaches the domestic season is hotting up nicely. In the First Division of the County Championship half a dozen sides have not given up on winning the pennant; half a dozen are still keeping an eye on the ignominy of relegation (yes, it is possible to do both simultaneously).
There is the chance of a climax as exciting as 2010, when the England and Wales Cricket Board’s metaphorical helicopter was hovering in the air on the last afternoon before delivering the trophy to Nottinghamshire. (Actually it was not a very enjoyable afternoon for followers of Somerset, who were within half an hour of winning the championship for the first time … but the competition was the winner.)
Now is the time of year when the diehard supporters – and there are many more of them out there than one might think – keep in constant touch with what is happening around the shires via one of the 21st century’s countless sources of info. Every fall of wicket seems to have a butterfly effect. “That means another bonus point at Edgbaston so maximum batting points are essential at Chester-le Street and there will have to be a challenging declaration at Lord’s because a draw is no good to either side.”
A lot can happen in four rounds of championship cricket: a couple of victories can transform a season, as a vibrant Surrey side have demonstrated in recent weeks. This coming week Surrey look on, so they hope for damp, low-scoring draws everywhere when the other eight sides in the First Division lock horns.
Currently Middlesex and Yorkshire are best placed and intriguingly they are destined to meet at Lord’s in the final round of matches in the third week of September. This week Yorkshire are at the Ageas Bowl, where Hampshire are clutching on to First Division status by their fingernails. (Oddly in cricket there are not massive financial implications from relegation but staying in the top division really seems to matter.) There have been some dull surfaces down at Southampton this season. Dare the home side spice their pitch up a little? Yorkshire, no doubt, hope they will.
Meanwhile Middlesex, the only unbeaten side in the division, are at Edgbaston. Former England players abound in this fixture and some of them may be eyeing a recall (whether it be old Ian Bell or young Sam Robson) but their main focus will be a victory that may prove decisive. As Andrew Strauss hoped at the start of the season, both sides have leant on the contributions of their spinner: Jeetan Patel for Warwickshire, who is not qualified for England, and Olly Rayner for Middlesex, who is.
Likewise spin bowling could be a major factor at Old Trafford, where Lancashire frequently play two specialist spinners. Somerset are the visitors and their leading wicket-taker this summer is the 25-year-old left-armer Jack Leach. Recently the ball has turned at Taunton (far more than it used to) and Leach alongside Roelof van der Merwe has been busy. Leach is a no-nonsense left‑armer with an easy, orthodox action which means that he obeys one of the cardinal rules; he bowls a consistent line and length at a good pace. There are also signs that he enjoys a tight situation; he has been centre stage with bat and ball in two taut victories at Taunton.
At Chester-le-Street two sides more preoccupied with survival meet. Nottinghamshire, a prosperous county, are the favourites to be relegated. Durham, with severe financial problems, have battled bravely yet again but their lack of resources cannot be overcome year after year. Mark Stoneman is off to The Oval next year while Mark Wood’s future with the club may well be dependent on whether he gets another ECB contract (if so, he will probably stay).
On Sunday and Monday four First Division sides contest the semi-finals of the 50-over Royal London Cup, with Yorkshire taking on Surrey at Headingley first and Somerset playing Warwickshire at Edgbaston the following day.
Amid all this excitement there remains uncertainty and some discord over the future of the domestic structure, in particular that of the T20 competition. City franchises are still on the agenda. Crucial to the outcome will be whether counties such as Northamptonshire, brilliant winners of this year’s T20 tournament despite their financial difficulties, can avoid the temptation of being paid great chunks of money not to play T20 at the highest level at Wantage Road. This would be just one undesirable outcome of the city franchise scheme.
Some research, not commissioned by the ECB but put together by Oliver and Ohlbaum Associates, who are sports media rights specialists, suggests: “There is little consumer demand for the proposed city-based T20 competition even among younger and currently more casual fans of cricket.”
They regard the ECB’s enthusiasm for the franchise system as a quest for lost revenue. “The main impetus behind the new competition could be that it gives the ECB new broadcast rights to market. The ECB has been locked in a contract with Sky for all forms since 2012 and has not been able to capitalise on the buoyant UK rights market. The length of the current cricket deal (this runs until 2019), which included an option for Sky to extend by two years, has stagnated media growth.” Oliver and Ohlbaum estimate the loss to be in the region of £60m, a figure that will have those at Chester-le-Street and Northampton salivating.
