Short form cricket for schools only
Short form cricket will not now be introduced into next year's domestic First Class fixture programme, although it will be promoted heavily at secondary school level, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced today (Thursday 16
ECB Media Release
16-Sep-1999
Short form cricket will not now be introduced into next year's domestic
First Class fixture programme, although it will be promoted heavily at
secondary school level, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has
announced today (Thursday 16 September).
At a meeting of First Class County Chief Executives earlier this week it
was agreed that, with the return of the Benson and Hedges Cup, the
introduction of another tournament was not appropriate at this stage.
It was, however, acknowledged that cricket needs to reach a wider and
younger audience. Priority will be given to the development of a proposed
new secondary school game and the more extensive promotion of the CGU
National Cricket League (NCL) to help achieve this.
The latest research suggests that floodlit NCL matches are particularly
popular with spectators new to the sport. More than 11% of the spectators
at this season's matches had not attended a cricket match before and a record
12,626 people watched the Lancashire v Yorkshire match at Old Trafford.
Said ECB Chief Executive, Tim Lamb "The Counties are very conscious of the
amount of cricket being played next year and the need for supporters to be
clear about what is on offer. We need to get new competitions bedded in and
check spectator trends before we start adding new tournaments.
"This doesn't mean we have totally discounted short form cricket but we
need a period of stability before we begin making further structural changes.
We will continue to heavily target young people, in particular in conjunction
with our broadcast partners and through the CGU National Cricket League."
For further information contact:-
ECB Corporate Affairs: Telephone - 0171 432 1200