PAUL EDWARDS: I do not expect broadcasters to trash a competition for which they have paid millions of pounds but I do expect the commentary to be balanced and the presentation to avoid the crude promotion of the ECB’s message
Freedom of speech is one of those phrases that trip off the tongue without visiting the brain. At times taken for granted, at times grievously abused, it is thus threatened by both complacency and extremism. Although one can rightly be arrested for inciting someone else to religious or racial hatred, Andrew Doyle’s recent book Free Speech has suggested that other dangers are less obvious. Apparently, the police can now even investigate what one thinks. Bad luck with that.
No, you haven’t clicked on an article about civil society or political philosophy; this is still a cricket column. But my broader thoughts about this topic have been stirred in recent days and, quite frankly, I blame my editor Sam Morshead.
For had it not been for his piece on TheCricketer.com I would not have known that a banner reading “Forget The Hundred, Warwickshire CCC, Follow the Bears” had been removed by stewards from one of the stands at Edgbaston during a recent Royal London Cup match.
The explanation, so one understands, is that Warwickshire did not want their club badge, which occupied, at best, one-fifteenth of the banner’s total area, associated with an “anti-cricket” message. The original piece continued: “The fans who brought it into the ground with them said they were told ‘the club wanted us to remove the banner due to the amount of money the ECB have put into The Hundred’ ”.
Let us just consider all this for a moment. Warwickshire, where Birmingham Phoenix have played for less than a fortnight, were so defensive and insecure about the new competition and their relationship with the ECB that they could not allow a banner to remain, even though it encouraged spectators to support the county that have played on the ground since 1894.
The notion that some folk should encourage a county in clear preference to a construct was unacceptable to them. The consolation is that such clod-hopping, atypical stupidity has had its just reward. The removal of the banner was shown on Twitter and reported here last week. And now it has a little more publicity. It is so out of character for a club where I have – or had – many friends.
But July was a rough month for banners. A week last Friday during Lancashire’s Royal London Cup match against Sussex at Sedbergh an Old Trafford official ordered the removal of one that read “Not The Spin”. The fact that some explanation is necessary suggests how ill-conceived the action was. “Not The Spin” is the name of a magazine published by the Lancs Action Group, an organisation that has often been critical of the club’s hierarchy.
Now let it be made perfectly clear that although I cover a fair number of matches at Old Trafford I have no connection whatsoever to the LAG. Indeed, it seems our views on Sedbergh as a venue for Lancashire’s games are diametrically opposed. But I could not understand the rationale behind the removal of a banner which, I suspect, would have meant little or nothing to most spectators on the ground and which, unlike the one at Edgbaston, did not even espouse a view obviously at variance with any official one.
Yet again, of course, the action rebounded on its perpetrators. More people noticed the kerfuffle around the removal of the banner than would have paid the thing a scrap of attention had it remained.
Grounds like Taunton have been well-attended against the backdrop of The Hundred
I didn’t much enjoy writing the preceding paragraphs. Rather like thousands of others, I have come to appreciate county cricket all the more over the past couple of weeks and have been heartened by reports of large attendances at Royal London Cup games in Taunton, Chelmsford and Scarborough.
The Hundred, while its benefits for women’s cricket are surely plain, has also made me understand anew how fundamental is my attachment to the 18 counties, many of which are well-run by officials who could probably earn more elsewhere. But the free speech I enjoy in these columns brings with it an obligation to display objectivity, even when writing about the things I love.
And so, subject to the type of conditions outlined in the first paragraph, I will always defend a person’s right to say or write whatever he or she wishes. There are plenty of societies around the world in which such a right does not exist and I would not wish to live in any of them.
Michael Atherton has appeared on Sky Sports' coverage of The Hundred
And yes, I will defend even the commentators on The Hundred, some of whom have been so obsessed with the promotion of the new competition that they hang their objectivity on a hook just inside the pod and praise everything in sight. But I am not the only one who has noticed this. Friends wonder where they might get a pint of what one or two former international cricketers are drinking because they wouldn’t mind an hour or two of purblind euphoria either.
Much more seriously Mike Atherton wrote in The Times: “A gripe is that the early hard sell was jarring. There should be enough confidence in the game to allow the competition to sell itself and, crucially, for viewers to make up their own minds. If everything is wonderful then nothing is; if everything is the best ever, then nothing is. Viewers are not fools.”
Neither, I might add, are very many commentators. It has been important for me to watch the presentation of The Hundred when I am not working at the Royal London Cup and I reckon wall-to-wall propaganda is finally giving way to analysis.
No, I do not expect broadcasters to trash a competition for which they have paid millions of pounds but I do expect the commentary to be balanced and the presentation to avoid the crude promotion of the ECB’s message. Not for the first time, I miss Richie Benaud, but that’s merely to be expected. If you avail yourself of free speech it helps to understand the power of words.
Posted by Steven Jackson on 17/08/2021 at 10:18
An excellent article. Glad that Sedbergh is mentioned; a beautiful setting. I was fortunate to attend both fixtures this year. Credit to Lancashire for fulfilling its 'Showpiece' fixture with Cumberland when many counties had cancelled theirs. The venue provides an excellent opportunity to 'spread the word' of county cricket to a neighbouring county that doesn't normally see a first class team. On the subject of the 'Not the Spin' flag, one cannot be wholly surprised that Lancashire took exception. This group appears to be wholly negative in its approach to Lancashire and goes to the point of appearing rude to our hosts with regard to their objection to the Sedbergh ground.
Posted by Tkm on 09/08/2021 at 21:36
I think the commentary may be slowly changing is because the commentators are realising the audience are calling them out on their propagandist approach.
Posted by Graham Hepburn on 09/08/2021 at 21:20
1. I would expect stewards to know their local situation, so the removal of the banners you mention is understandable. 2. I agree with your point that the 100 has been good for the women's game, but cannot see how that could have been achieved without the link to the 100 mens game
Posted by James Thompson on 08/08/2021 at 21:02
Thanks for the article, Paul. Freedom of expression is wiped by the weak-minded action he describes at Edgbaston. The counties failed to back Surrey in their resistance to the ECB's plans for the new company set up to run the Hundred, and here we are. As someone laconically observed, 'as with Covid, we've got to learn to live with the 100'. Could it be that the ECB would like to reduce the number of professional counties to eight or 10? Hmmm. I did go to a 100 match. The stuff over the PA was incessant, noisy, condescending and mostly unnecessary. I won't be going to another.
Posted by Davo on 08/08/2021 at 06:11
Have caught a couple of the games down here in Oz. Can’t comment on the freedom of speech thing, but have to watch the games with commentary off. Who is the target audience? 5 year olds? Gameplay is great, tight bowling and disciplined batting but rubbish commentary.
Posted by Ron Neesron on 07/08/2021 at 23:06
The county traditionalists are as bad as those spouting the 100 propaganda! Give it a chance, have a look at the diverse crowds and full houses that are happening at all the grounds. If you started from scratch you wouldn’t have 18 counties - too many average professionals getting paid who kids don’t want to go and watch hence empty grounds. To get the best players in the world a meeting franchise tournament needs to happen - ultimately that’s what the hundred will do and it’s catching the imagination of many people who have never watched cricket, that can only be a good thing. Those that blame our test cricket on the hundred are a joke! Test cricket is ruined by players chasing the money in the IPL, the big bash etc... but then again the Indians are still good, as are the New Zealander’s - so maybe it’s just talent? Or maybe we have too much average county championship cricket and there should be less professionals and fewer counties with others becoming minor counties and having amateur cricketers? Controversial I know but the reality. Also if you started from scratch you’d chose cities like every other sport, not counties, again controversial for the counties steeped in history but it’s a fact of life that no other sports have professionals playing for their counties and it means nothing to anyone outside of cricket so will only die out - cricketers seem to be hiding away from that fact! Anyway I say the hundred is great if it brings in new audiences which it does...
Posted by Dr Paul Rone-Clarke on 07/08/2021 at 20:55
A few points. Firstly, I know several people who have been to Edgbaston. They were offered free entry if they arrived before 4:00pm. Full ticket price required if they arrived later. No-one I know who has been to Edgbaston has yet paid to enter. Edgbaston is not owned by the 100 - nor any entity associated with the 100. It is owned by a committee appointed by WCCC. The Bears and (even as a Pears supporter - and this pains me) the club is WCC's ground first and foremost. If those members who by proxy own the ground (or are at least custodians of it) are unhappy Yes I'm a Worcestershire supporter. And "The Phoenix" are "Warwickshire in a tu-tu" I don't have, and likely never will have, any interest in supporting them, or any 100 team. I mean it's not as egregious as the Trent Rockets? Blimey, that is basically Nottinghamshire through and through hardly any change in personnel. But most tellingly. What does the 100 offer? 5 balls with an options second 5 and 20 balls less. In practice this isn't even remotely interesting. We've seen seamers given a second 5 get hammered, so now seamers bowl 5 ball overs. Instead of 6. To paraphrase someone "Big whoooop" A format that is so very similar to another format, and disenfranchises 10/18ths (ok 5/9ths) of the existing fan base needs to be DAMN special. Also the idiot factor? Streakers and drunks on the pitch. Never seen so many. That's maybe what you get when you offer free tickets as an incentive to turn up to watch 2 games in a row with a bar. Let's see where this competition lands in say 2023/24 once the novelty factor has worn off.. T20 has been a success for almost 20 years. Will The 100 last 5? I doubt it.
Posted by roger pell on 07/08/2021 at 16:07
surely it is not above the ken , to play 2 T20s' when they are scheduled , women earlier then the men . that way womens cricket is promoted and they get to play in front of large crowds . throw the money grabbing 100 away
Posted by Marc Evans on 07/08/2021 at 14:39
Don't know why anyone should be surprised about the promotional shinnanygings of the Hundred, as it's purely a marketing excercise anyway. It works actively against its competing formats, pushing the county championship into corners and disrupting the 50 over (where we are world champions) Royal London Cup. Vaughan and Peterson have always been dismissively self opinionated, so why should their rather shallow support of this venture be any surprise.
Posted by Richard Coleman on 07/08/2021 at 13:15
I’m sorry but I think this article is ridiculous. It has nothing to do with free speech. The hallowed turf of a cricket ground is also a business. What business would allow a banner against its interests? What business would let someone display something against its interests or that of its effective biggest customer? How can you say that Edgbaston were so “insecure and defensive”, playing in front of an effective sell out ground with more media time that ever. Cricket grounds are not public spaces, such a verbose article over a non-event.
Posted by Nigel Ross on 07/08/2021 at 08:47
I totally agree with Paul Edward’s observations. Personally, I hate the 100 and the nonsense that is perpetrated about it’s appeal. If the ECB wanted to sell a form of Franchise cricket, the BBC would have gone for a T20 formula. Let’s call for some proper objectivity and allow audiences to form their own opinion without this incessant brain washing.
Posted by barry mordsley on 07/08/2021 at 07:12
such an accurate reflection on what is happening to the wonderful game-and managing to discuss constitutional matters too. So sad. as a lawyer who loves cricket very good to read
Posted by Dudley Ankerson on 06/08/2021 at 21:55
An excellent article. Mike Atherton got it right.
Posted by Robert Henderson on 06/08/2021 at 15:51
Here is a proposal for giving cricket followers a fixture list which would provide for 17 championship matches, 17 T20 matches and a 50 over competition: What else can be done to improve matters in the County game? I suggest this: 1. Scrap the divisions in all forms of the game. This would improve the spectator interest because all counties could be seen at least once every two years playing against a member’s team at the home ground of the member. It would also make scheduling much easier. 2. Have only three competitions, the Championship, 50-overs and Twenty/20. 3. The season to run from the last week in April to the second week in September. That would give 20 weeks to fit everything into. 4. Play the 17 championship matches once a week between the last week in April to the end of August. These to be played from Saturday to Tuesday. 5. Turn the twenty/twenty competition in a league . These games to be played on Fridays. The four top teams to play in a retained finals’ day in Sept. 6. Make the 50-over competition a straight knockout The four bottom championship teams from the previous season to play off with the winners progressing to the competition. This would give 16 entrants which would mean a maximum of 4 games. 7. A 4 day North v South match in the middle of the season to mimic the old Gentlemen v Players match. 8. A 4 day Champion county v the Rest match in September. 9. Ban all foreigners, Kolpak or otherwise, from the English FC game. 10. The ECB to release Centrally contracted players for all Championship games when they are no playing Tests and there is a reasonable period of time between one Test and the next. The frequent injuries, inconsistent play of both England bowlers and batsmen and fallible fielding recently suggests such players are suffering from too little not too much cricket. The county fixture list would be simple under such a regime. The Championship game and the twenty/20 match would be played over five consecutive days on the days and at times most likely to attract spectators. As the Championship match and the Twenty/20 would be played at the same ground each week , five days on the trot should not be too onerous because there would be no long drives or settling into new hotels between the Championship and Twenty/20 games. A county would play eight Championship and Twenty/20 home games one year and nine the next. The County fixture list would be the same each year with each county playing the same county at the same time each year.
Posted by Richard Vaughton on 06/08/2021 at 14:34
What an excellent article that said what needed saying. I was impressed that it did not go further - as it easily could have done - and torn strips off the many tasteless and unnecessary aspects of the Hundred. It kept its cool. Thank you for that and for the article.
Posted by John Knowles on 06/08/2021 at 13:06
Get rid of Kevin Pieterson, he drives you mad
Posted by rory davis on 06/08/2021 at 11:46
Thoroughly agree with the article. I see Mr Edwards once again promotes the obvious about Sedbergh, it is truly a beautiful venue. However is he seriously supporting a County teeming with wannabe venues playing outside its boundary, at a ground with desperate weather, no facilities outfield or spectator wise and completely without any transport connections? Prettier than a pretty thing but completely inappropriate for a commercial match which even when sold out, costs the club a five figure sum.
Posted by Andy Cullen on 06/08/2021 at 11:14
Spot on sir. Well said. Bollocks to the hundred.
Posted by Doug on 06/08/2021 at 11:02
Good piece. Thoroughly agree. The BBC have been hardly impartial on the whole 100 thing, removing all comments that dared criticise or compare with things like the ODC (6000 at the Oval yesterday for a rain affected game). They have up removing them eventually because it was over 50% of posts! The 200 is a parasite and like the ECB should be treated accordingly. Thanks.
Posted by Graham broadbent on 06/08/2021 at 09:54
Well written. The carnival circus they call the 100 is an admission by the failed ECB that they failed to market the T20 properly from the outset. They have wasted millions trying to rival the IPL & BIG BASH & failed. All the best internationals arent even playing & welshfire not having a single welshman in the team sums the joke up. I haven't & wont watch one simply because they are just confusing all cricket with 5 ball overs,etc. The london cup & somerset for me
Posted by John Atherton on 06/08/2021 at 09:25
I love watching cricket in the order of time, 5day and 4 day cricket first, 50 overs second and 20 overs third. No interest whatsoever in the marketing extravaganza that is the 100. I have enjoyed the streaming services this summer that are excellent and went to one local RLC game that was sadly rain affected. Would go to more if reasonably local to me. The Hundred never. Even if that were to become the only form of professional cricket, I would simply go to the local common to watch club cricket instead.
Posted by Derek Gibson on 05/08/2021 at 21:32
Refreshing observation, but your last line says it all, the lament of Richie Benuad. The dreadful commentators like Pietersen sums up the debacle that is going on but is also taking players away from the 50 overs format and utilmately the first class game. 183 ao says it all. Meanwhile here's some hoola hoops.
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