Proposed new English franchise tournament

That amount of money is peanuts to Sky or BT surely? I imagine the ECB will make it viable for them to take a punt on it for a few seasons and put everything into making sure the deal is sweet.


Our friends on the Ovalworld forums are unsurprisingly seeming to be not in favour:

"As Nick Holt rightly concludes, the pay-off will be attractive both to counties who are struggling financially and the staging fee will appeal to those Test grounds struggling with large debts who are unable to sell out their grounds regularly for the county T20 tournament. But or a club like Surrey, there is nothing to gain and everything to lose from the deal if we are unable to play in the new tournament under our current name.

It strikes me that, while there is much in this over which we have little control (most of our first choice players would make much more money from the new franchise tournament than by playing for us either in the County Championship or county T20 format which will run concurrently), we do have one trump card. We don't have to allow the new tournament to be played at The Oval - we can easily afford to tell the ECB where to stick their £300,000 'staging fee' to whore out our ground to London Lepers or whatever they will be known as.

Let's hope for all our sakes the Club are prepared to show some balls, even if the majority of other counties are bought off. "

This has been the view from Surrey the entire time. That they deserve their own franchise because they sell their ground out anyway. This looks very unlikely to happen. Yorkshire were of a similar view, though I imagine they will be happy to vote for the proposal given their financial situation. Does anyone think that any other counties are still likely to vote against now they know they will get the money and to keep their own T20 competition? Perhaps Surrey do not realise that they are not as indispensable as they believe as there are 9 test match grounds in the country and 8 teams needing a ground. Refusal to let the Oval be used will not be a major obstacle and another of the grounds can be chosen.

I can vaguely see the argument why the new proposals might be in the interests of English cricket, but all I see from a Sussex perspective is a future of misery where no meaningful cricket is played in the county. Any decent player who may have started on Sussex's radar will just be signed up by the 8 franchise host counties, who will hold all the financial and political muscle, and therefore attract all the decent players

certainly fail to see why I should be in a rapturous, orgasmic state as fluffy seems to be in. All I see is a future of Sussex as second class citizens

.....ive also always had a problem with Graves and the ****loads of money owed to him by Yorkshire - huge conflict of interest which for me undermines all he is trying to do

Simon/alythman,

Good to hear from you again and I enjoyed reading your posts.

'Orgasmic' is a bit OTT - excited might be closer the truth. I am excited because "if" the Nick Hoult revelations are true and we won't know
what is going on until next Wednesday, when the goalposts may change, anyway, county cricket has an opportunity of paying off their
£90m+ debts. It may take awhile to achieve but an annual £1.5m a year + £300k to the TMGs for hosting the matches, finally offers clubs
like Northants, Durham, Warwickshire, Yorkshire etc.. an opportunity to make vital inroads.

I am also excited because an EPL offers cricket a chance to survive in to the future. The sport desperately requires new people to come and watch
it, especially the youngsters. This has been proven in Australia where a majority percentage of those who attend the Big Bash matches are new
to the game. Such people would rather see a City-based team packed full of top world cricketers from England and overseas, rather than their county side
in a more tame, low-key 'T20 Blast'. And, like football, where I support two clubs, Brighton and Liverpool, in cricket I can now follow Sussex and an EPL
Franchise team which excites me too. 

As for your depressive view, "all I see from a Sussex perspective is a future of misery where no meaningful cricket is played in the county..." There
will still be 14 Championship games; presumably some form of 50 over cricket + the present T20 Blast. Don't ask me how all this will be fitted in,
but perhaps we will learn more next week. The EPL is only planned for one month - so the other 5 months of the season will be service as usual.
So, I don't understand the melancholy. If other games are played in that monthly window, then it could be beneficial to Sussex as they may not
experience such a player drain as some other counties. While it offers further opportunities for the youngsters to gain vital experience in the 1st XI.

'Fluffmeister' I like the name. May I have the rights to use it? Perhaps, I should change my avatar to a brown bear?    Meanwhile, I agree with you about
Colin Graves. There is an uncomfortable conflict of interest involved. How this can be resolved, who knows? 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkR0krOm9M4

Intrigue is upon us at Sussex CCC as the BIG day beckons (Wed Sept 14th) when the ECB tell us their latest plans on creating an EPL.
Not surprisingly, some Sussex fans are not happy.

Journalist Simon Hemelryk who is in my good books, as he bought my 2008 bat, in a charity auction, with all the Sussex players signatures
during last November's 'Meet the Players' event for £40, tweets:

Simon Hemelryk Retweeted George Dobell

"This suggests @sussexccc may support city franchises. That could be a huge mistake that would anger many fans."

(Non-disclosure agreements cloud T20 debate: www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2016/content/story/1056059.html …)

This was then retweeted by former club CEO, Dave Brooks, and the Sussex Inner Circle. Brooks added, "I would encourage @sussexccc
members to share views with their Board. Meeting on Mon to agree position..."

Does this mean there will be a behind closed doors meeting with the Inner Circle and Zac and Jim? Aren't all Members invited or do, yet again, the
IC gain special privileges? 

Hemelryk then asks: "Have members had letters about this? Where and what time?" He adds, "If Sussex support this, as a member,  I would be disgusted."

The Inner Circle then concurs, "Sussex fans do not want this, lets hope Jim May and @zacstert20 vote the correct way."

This email conversation, once more, shows the influence the IC "believe they have" over the Club. So, a minority group of supporters can, on their own,
without any support or agreement from other Sussex Members who may hold differing opinions to them, set up a special and elite meeting with the Sussex
hierarchy, in the hope, they can persuade them not to agree with the ECB. And should a former club CEO be allowed, still, to have influence and sway over
Sussex CCC?

Is this fair? Is this right? Is this legal?

Meanwhile, the editor of The Cricketer Magazine and Channel 5 cricket analyst supremo, tweets:

simon hughes ‏@theanalyst"

"Those county supporters who don't want change in the structure are sleep walking to county crickets grave..."

PS: The inner circle "invite-only" Forum is neck and neck with us re: Members. Each now has just over 300. But when it comes to monthly page views, this Forum
crushes 'em. 

So, why does Dave Brooks tweet: 

"I would encourage @sussexccc members to share views with their Board. Meeting on Mon to agree position..."

As for your 'no influence' response.

Jon Filby, one of the founders of your Inner Circle Forum, alongside Martin Denyer, was first made Vice-Chairman by
Jim May and the Club Board.

No influence?

He then left that position, so he could work alongside Zac Toumazi to bring about 'Sussex Cricket PLC'. 

No influence?

Who overseers the Club Museum and has been its secretary for the last 4 years.

No influence?

And, I've been told by my own IC club moles, may now be being groomed by Jim May to become the next Sussex CCC Chairman in 2017.

No influence?!? 

Your Inner Circle and the club hierarchy are as thick as thieves given the present Club Chairman and the former CEO are also at the top of it!