MCC ask members which Lord's games matter most after Eton-Harrow and Varsity rebellion

GEORGE DOBELL: A survey, sent on January 10, invites members to choose five 'minor' fixtures they would like to see prioritised from a list of 17 options

The MCC has apologised to its members for a "lack of consultation" over its decision to axe historic matches from its fixture list and asked them to help decide which games should be played at Lord's in the future.

A survey, sent on January 10, invites members to choose five 'minor' fixtures they would like to see prioritised from a list of 17 options. 

Those options include the Eton v Harrow game, which was first played in 1805, and the Varsity match (between Oxford and Cambridge universities) which was first played in 1827, which were the fixtures the MCC executive (and the committee) originally decided to axe.

That decision sparked a furious reaction from some members, who said they should have been consulted on the issue. They recruited a sufficient number of disgruntled members to ensure an SGM was called but it was later cancelled when the SGM 'requisitionists' and the MCC committee agreed to work together to find a solution. 

That solution is the survey and a decision to reinstate both fixtures in the 2023 calendar. The survey will close on January 30, with results scheduled to be shared in February. 

^{A survey has been sent to MCC members asking which minor matches are most worth keeping at Lord's [Getty Images]}

The issue started when the MCC concluded they had two problems. One was the amount of cricket played on the main square at Lord's, which they wanted to limit to 60 days. The other was a perceived imbalance between traditional matches (such as the Eton v Harrow game) and the need to provide more meritocratic opportunities for other fixtures (such as the MCC Foundation day, which provides a chance for boys and girls from state schools to play on the ground).

"Lord's has been showing the strain of fulfilling its various commitments to host cricket across all formats," the message to members from Guy Lavender, MCC chief executive, states. "In order to provide the best opportunity for ground staff to prepare the highest quality of pitches - so important to MCC retaining our major match allocation - the cricket committee recommended that restrictions needed to be placed on the number of days the main ground could be used for matches.

"These considerations led to a detailed review of the minor non-professional match programme at Lord's. In late 2021 a decision was made by the MCC Committee to discontinue the historic fixtures, played at Lord's, between Oxford and Cambridge, and Eton and Harrow. It was decided to replace these matches with annual showcase 'Road to Lord's' fixtures for both universities and schools, which would enable the four institutions, among others, to earn their right to play at Lord's on competitive merit.

"A period of reflection and review has clearly identified that the lack of consultation was a mistake and upset many members. It was an error for which we apologise; we now have an opportunity to put it right."

^{The committee's decision to cut the Eton-Harrow fixture was at the centre of a member rebellion last year [Getty Images]}

The survey features a series of questions which invite those who disagree with the staging of the Eton v Harrow and Varsity matches to explain their reasons for the decision. Among the options is one which states the matches are "incompatible with MCC's commitment to diversity, another which describes them as "a threat to the club's broader cricket strategy and long-term future" and one more which suggests they "damage the club's reputation".

The survey also makes clear that the club is committed to three days of corporate cricket to satisfy various lucrative sponsorship deals. These matches are not, at this stage, part of any survey.

The games vying for selection in the survey also include the Village Cup final, the Champion Club final, the Disability Premier League finals and various MCC playing member fixtures.