Cricket Witness No 1 - Class Peace

135 Change of Culture; Change of Cricket stratum of cricket during the 19 th century, the county system had been its keystone, enabling it to substantiate the explicit claim for cricket to be regarded and respected as the national sport par excellence . A combine of the Packer explosion that demolished the cosy low pay mode with the abrupt and seemingly unstoppable decline in customer support has left first-class county cricket in destitute shape. High salaries and low attendances make for an uneconomic catastrophe. The counties are in hock to the national ruling body the ECB, all of them being reliant on annual grants therefrom, much of this funding the fruits of televised cricket. This power requires them to release talented players to accept England contracts which curtail their appearances for the counties to the detriment of the pleasures of county watchers. Unlike the old days – ‘Len Hutton, Yorkshire and England’ – casual fans are often unable to identify from which county some England players have emanated. It has reached a pretty pass where top players have played more first-class matches for England than for their counties. That, of course, is in part a consequence of playing many more international fixtures than hitherto but it is scant compensation for the loyal county member deprived of a sighting of his or her county’s best players. To test that dominion of national over club cricket, visualise the wrath of such football managers as Arsene Wenger or Pep Guardiola were their star players removed from their squads for continuous international duty. However, that central domination is not total. The England cricket authorities do need a readily well-filled sump from which to draw players suited for international performance. It makes for an uneven and uneasy relationship. The county circuit is not as fit for purpose as it should be but any attempt to uproot it and create a fresh base is and would be met by strenuous disapproval. The county turkeys would refuse to vote for an ECB Christmas. The ECB control is immensely strong, as Durham’s 2016 punitive treatment – relegation to the second division and a 48 point penalty in exchange for a £3.8m bail-out – for financial failings bears witness. Nevertheless, any talk of mergers or closures of county clubs find all the county clubs clinging together in ‘I am Spartacus’ mood. In its modern role as a conveyor belt for TV funded international first-class and one-day teams, the current county system fails on two serious counts. As to size, it is certainly too cumbersome for its function as a womb for England cricketers. Australia might benefit from a slightly wider range of first-class cricket below Test level but seems to trundle along steadily enough with only about 50 top-class professional players. Conversely, it could be argued that the English county pattern is too sparse in incidence to offer regular top-class cricket to all parts of the UK. Eighteen teams playing sixteen games frequently in almost empty grounds; ‘Much Bowling in the Morgue’; this was a descriptor I utilised many years ago when many would have more readily picked up the Richard Murdoch / Kenneth Horne reference. It related personally and specifically to watching a county game at Trent Bridge on a fine summer’s morning. For an hour