Key events
With half an hour gone, let’s skip around the grounds: Division One
Essex, 28-0, are holding their own against Surrey. Yorkshire, 25-1, have lost Lyth to Abbott – who operates without Abbas this year. Nottinghamshire’s Fergus O’Neill has tucked into Durham, 24-2. Roderick and Libby are racing along against Somerset, Worcs 49-0,; while Sussex, 40-1, have lost Haines for 17 at Edgbaston.
RIP John Curtis
Worcestershire’s players are wearing black armbands in memory of John Curtis, known as JC, a devoted Worcestershire fan and writer. John joined the club as a junior pear, then operated the scoreboard at the Diglis end before becoming a journalist covering the club for decades, including during the famous Brian Lara 501 match.
Worcestershire CEO Ashley Giles said: “John was the heartbeat of the press box and a treasured part of the Worcestershire family.
“His passion for the club was matched only by his kindness, humility and tireless commitment to telling our story with care and authenticity.
“Whether it was the first ball of the season or the last word of a report, John brought New Road to life for many.
“We will miss his words, his warmth, and his friendship deeply.”
He was indeed a lovely man. Rest in peace.
And the first wicket of the season goes to…Ian Holland, who persuades Zain ul-Hassan to edge to Peter Handscomb.
While at Wantage Road, Zak Crawley has been bowled….
Ali Martin
Greetings from Edgbaston, where the sun is out, the air is chilly, and a large gathering of well-wishers has just said farewell to Keith Cook after nearly 52 years of service at Warwickshire. It was a lovely send-off for the club’s ever-upbeat operations manager (and general Mr Fix-it), with special dispensation granted to preside over the toss. This also triggered some amusing confusion out in the middle when Cook used a one Euro coin and no one was quite sure what counted as heads. Anyway, Alex Davies won it and has opted to stick Sussex in. No Chris Rushworth or Oliver Hannon-Dalby for the Bears – both veterans are injured – so new recruits Ethan Bamber and Vishwa Fernando are sharing the new ball, Dan Hughes and Tom Haines the men trying to take the shine off it.
And here come the umpires! Followed by Rory Burns and his men, then Paul Walter and Charlie Allison. The sun is out and Kemar Roach has the ball in his hand.
Briefly on the Hundred largesse. This from the ECB website:
Through consultation with the whole game, we have agreed a distribution model that will see 100% of sale proceeds shared amongst the recreational and professional game. The first 10% of any portion of the ECB’s share, or a host county’s share will go straight to the recreational game.
The proceeds from the ECB’s 49% will be divided across the 18 professional counties and MCC (less the 10% to the recreational game).
In order to minimise the risk of financial polarisation between hosts and current non-hosts, the ECB and counties have agreed to apply a formula to increase the value received by each of the current non-host professional counties.
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Proceeds up to £275m valuation (of the ECB’s 49%) will be distributed equally to the 18 professional counties and MCC.
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Proceeds between £275m and £425m valuation (of the ECB’s 49%) will be distributed only to the 11 current non-host professional counties.
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Proceeds over £425m valuation (of the ECB’s 49%) will again be distributed equally to the 18 professional counties and MCC.
Any proceeds from the sale of any of the host professional counties 51% will be distributed as follows:
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Again, a 10% distribution to the recreational game.
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10% equally distributed across the 18 professional counties and MCC (excluding the host county) – this is to ensure that all professional counties benefit from any future growth of a host county’s retained shareholding.
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The remaining 80% of the value being retained by the host county.
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Are there limits on how the counties spend their money?
The sale of equity in each of the eight teams in The Hundred presents a significant opportunity for a considerable capital injection into the game of cricket in England and Wales.
The recreational game will receive 10% of total sale proceeds. With regards to the money distributed to the professional game, our overarching principle is that these funds should be employed to support the financial sustainability of professional cricket.
We will utilise the County Partnership Agreement (CPA) to ensure that while counties do have autonomy over their funds, they are operating within a framework and are held to account on their financial sustainability.
The expenditure of funds is expected to be in one of three core investment areas: building reserves, revenue generation, debt reduction.
”Now then Tanya!” Hello there Tim Maitland.
“Welcome back!
”Firstly, while you buggers might be basking in freakish sunshine for the start of the county championship season (how often does that happen?), here in the subtropics we’ve been “freezing”. We were down to 10C last weekend, which is unheard of in March.
”To put that in perspective, the many unheated, government-run, open-air swimming pools opened on Tuesday. Rather than lose three hours out of my day schlepping to the nearest heated pool, I went to my local baths on Wednesday. Afterwards the lifeguards, who scuttled into position on my arrival, told me I was their first customer of the year.
”If anyone is struggling to understand the subtext of this admittedly pointless story, it’s this: I hope you get snow over Easter.
”On a more important note, a suggestion for the ECB before it gets its snouts in the trough of the Hundred franchise sales and awards itself huge bonuses: stick enough of the money in trust and use the interest/proceeds to fund the counties, but only on expenditure that grows attendance or consumption of the championship itself.
”I also still believe the championship would benefit from a marketing spend and branding as “Proper Cricket” aimed at luring future curmudgeons into the so-called joys of the longer game. All done in suitable shades of off-white.”
Ah thank you Brian Withington. Here is the link to common BTL terms.
And with ten minutes to go at Chelmsford, the ground has been cleared apart from a couple of men with a brush. And the big news is that the toilets have been redone.
Bat or bowl? Essex and Yorkshire buck the trend
Chelmsford: Essex won the toss and will bat
Southampton: Yorkshire won the toss and will bat
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire won the toss and will field
Taunton: Somerset won the toss and will field
Edgbaston: Warwickshire won the toss and will field
The County Ground: Derbyshire won the toss and will field
Sophia Gardens: Leicestershire won the toss and will field
Lord’s: Lancashire won the toss and will field
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire won the toss and will field
Olly Stone to miss the start of the summer
Poor Olly Stone, before a ball has even been bowled. Stone (Nottinghamshire) has been ruled out of all cricket for 14 weeks following scans and subsequent surgery this week, which confirmed a right knee injury. He started feeling discomfort during Nottinghamshire’s pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi.
He is aiming to be back to full fitness by August.
There were queues at Chelmsford -or should I say the Ambassador Cruise Line Ground – this morning. And some name changes (at least to me) – what was the River End is now the Sir Alastair Cook end, and the Hayes Close End is now the Graham Gooch end.
Season preview
Trophy cabinet or wooden spoon?
Division Two fixtures
The County Ground: Derbyshire v Gloucestershire
Sophia Gardens: Glamorgan v Leicestershire
Lord’s: Middlesex v Lancashire
Wantage Road: Northamptonshire v Kent
Division One fixtures
Chelmsford: Essex v Surrey
Southampton: Hampshire v Yorkshire
Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire v Durham
Taunton: Somerset v Worcestershire
Edgbaston: Warwickshire v Sussex
Preamble
Good morning! Magnolia – tick. Sunshine – tick. Daffodils – tick. Cricket – tick. Yes, it’s back, the County Championship, 18 counties battling it out for one title, April to September.
If you’re a regular to this blog– welcome back! Hope the trials and tribulations of winter haven’t been too onerous.
If you’re new here, come on in, the water’s lovely. Readers regularly chat about the cricket, and life, underneath the blog (BTL – below the line) – so please do join in. Somewhere is a glossary of terms used by older hands which I’ll link to when I find it.
Here at rickety, faithful, Chelmsford, the players are out in the middle, footballs are being kicked, run-ups measured, calves stretched. I’m off to find a filter coffee, but settle in and open the curtains – it’s beginning.
