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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 15, 2017 8:21:59 GMT
Hhs,
I was told by the Eastbourne Chairman it was more than 4,500, so clearly the 3,000 ground capacity stated is wrong. There was no way
of knowing apart from ticket sales. There were over 500 people in the hospitality tent alone and presumably none of those had to buy one.
Rather like at Horsham, the media scan the crowd and make up a figure. My partner had bought a ticket but never had to present it
to anyone.
What ever the actual size, it was well above anything Hove has seen, as it was the highest attendance figure for any Sussex 50 over tournament
match by a county mile. As the Eastbourne Chairman said (interview comes later during the week), a 50 over game is ideal for an out-ground,
as T20 is too short and 4 Days too long. I do wonder whether county cricket has missed out on a fantastic opportunity to farm out the RLC to
out grounds around their county. You just need a cricket Chairman with the dynamism of Ian Fletcher-Price. Certainly, the most impressive
person I have met for awhile.
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Post by philh on May 15, 2017 8:25:18 GMT
I have to say I couldn't see much. The front two rows in the members' area were full by the time I arrived. I had to sit five rows back peering through a gap so that I could see both ends. If someone in front moved slightly, I had to move too. There was certainly a good attendance (the ice cream man said that sales were far better than expected) but I doubt that I will not go to Eastbourne next year. As for the game, I wouldn't be over-critical of our performance. We lost wickets at the wrong time and when you lose wickets at the wrong time in these games, it costs you 15-20 runs each time. If we had scored 280, I think it would have been a tight game. The worst thing was that we spilt some catches plus there one or two hard chances which didn't quite go our way. Gloucestershire always just had enough in hand to get over the line even when the run rate crept up to 8. |
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Post by crickettrader on May 15, 2017 9:09:00 GMT
Given the stated pre match 3,000 ground capacity I find it hard to believe there were 4,500 on the ground as there were hundreds of empty seats throughout the day. I actually thought the crowd was about right for the facilities which I couldn't fault. Bar, refreshments tents, toilets all seemed easy to access all day and despite
bagging a front row deckchair in the members area I was surprised walking around the ground how much better general viewing was than had maybe been anticipated. Like I say if all the empty seats had been filled obviously those ten rows back would have struggled. Overall an excellent day out blessed with the first proper sunshine of the season. I suppose only spoiled by the result although I didn't think it was an awful game as it was in the balance until Taylor did his stuff. He could easily have been out to an ugly hoik before smashing the next ball for a massive six. With the rate still at over 8 an over from about the last 7 at that stage it could still have been game on had he gone then.
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 15, 2017 9:52:32 GMT
ct,
I concur. I thought the facilities were excellent. The seating (view-ability) was not nearly as bad as first mooted. Many people were
standing up and watching the game, so empty seats are a bit of an illusion. Eastbourne will become an annual event which I applaud.
Just a shame not more RLC games are farmed out to other out grounds like Hastings. It is a perfect format for them and they should
attract a larger attendance than at Hove.
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Post by flashblade on May 15, 2017 10:08:46 GMT
ct, I concur. I thought the facilities were excellent. The seating (view-ability) was not nearly as bad as first mooted. Many people were
standing up and watching the game, so empty seats are a bit of an illusion. Eastbourne will become an annual event which I applaud. Just a shame not more RLC games are farmed out to other out grounds like Hastings. It is a perfect format for them and they should attract a larger attendance than at Hove. The photos and video on Lizzie Ammon's twitter feed gave me the impression that many people had to stand if they wanted to see what was going on! The large number of empty seats may have been a reflection of the problem, not as you suggest, evidence that there wasn't a problem. Since we last played there in 2000, the ground has undergone changes. The refurbished football stadium has substantially encroached onto the 'old' playing area, which means the boundary is now hard up against the football ground. The club evidently felt that they had to have all non-corporate spectators placed at the top half of the ground - hence the unprecedented concentration of seats, resulting in poor sight lines. It's not the club's fault, but they are not in a position to provide the facilities that were available 17 years ago. It would take a lot to persuade me to watch cricket at the Saffrons in those conditions. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 15, 2017 10:53:32 GMT
Fb,
Perhaps, I was lucky but I had no problem with the seating and watching the game. Agreed certain areas of the ground were better
than others. In some sections, the back seating was elevated on wooden sleepers to improve visibility. My only grievance was the
muffled tannoy system. That must be improved for next season.
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Post by deepfineleg on May 15, 2017 11:16:54 GMT
What ever the actual size, it was well above anything Hove has seen, as it was the highest attendance figure for any Sussex 50 over tournament match by a county mile. Is that biggest for this season or ever? I'm sure Hove has been quite full for Sunday games in August sunshine. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 15, 2017 11:27:33 GMT
dfl,
Apologies: I was referring only to the Royal London Cup tournament which began in 2014. I would suggest an average size attendance
for such a match even during the August sunshine is around 1,000 to 2,000 people. I may be wrong. Sussex's lack of success in the
tournament hasn't helped, only winning a handful of games during its first three years.
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Post by flashblade on May 15, 2017 12:08:59 GMT
dfl, Apologies: I was referring only to the Royal London Cup tournament which began in 2014. I would suggest an average size attendance for such a match even during the August sunshine is around 1,000 to 2,000 people. I may be wrong. Sussex's lack of success in the tournament hasn't helped, only winning a handful of games during its first three years. Most 50 over games at Hove have been 2:00 pm starts, finishing c 9:30. This did not appear to be a popular format. |
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Post by Wicked Cricket on May 15, 2017 12:16:33 GMT
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Post by inkyfingers on May 15, 2017 17:57:25 GMT
I was surprised that the county didn't have a merchandise stall at the Saffrons (or if they did, it was expertly hidden).
On a sunny day, why did they pass up the chance to sell a few sun-hats and caps?
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