Counties set to reject Champions League

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Counties are unlikely to take part in next year’s Champions League Twenty20 competition because it is likely to clash with the climax to the domestic season.

The end of the English season has already been brought forward by a week to allow the Friends Life t20 winners and runners-up to take part in the Champions League, which involves domestic Twenty20 qualifiers from across the world.

But next year’s Champions League has been pencilled in for early September which would mean that the county season would have to finish two weeks earlier than this season.

English teams do not have automatic places in the Champions League proper which means that they have to take part in a qualifying tournament before they get a shot at the £1.58 million first prize.

Despite its financial appeal counties decided at a recent fixtures planning meeting in Birmingham that they would forego participation in next year’s Champions League, unless a later date can be found for the tournament, and extend the county season into the third week in September.

Next summer’s fixture list will be even more congested because the ICC Champions Trophy is being staged in England. To avoid a clash with the one-day international tournament the Friends Life t20 is likely to be pushed back into July and be interrupted with two rounds of County Championship matches.

A suggestion that the Championship season should have its earliest-ever start on April 3 was rejected by counties who have asked for the competition to begin six days later. Next season’s final fixture list is subject to the approval of the ECB board.



Date: 29/08/2012 11:21:58 by MBaldwin
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