What's in a crowd? Exploring the motivation of those who bought a ticket to The Hundred

AADAM PATEL AT HEADINGLEY: Charlie, 8, is keen to tell me it has taken him precisely three hours and 38 minutes to get to Headingley. He is here with his stepdad Ian: the pair watched the tournament on the TV and decided to buy some tickets

The first ball of the day is yet to be bowled but eight-year-old Charlie’s enthusiasm is obvious.

He has travelled up from Colchester to watch his new team, Oval Invincibles, kitted out in their bright turquoise shirt.

Charlie is keen to tell me it has taken him precisely three hours and 38 minutes to get to Headingley. He is here with his stepdad Ian: the pair watched the tournament on the TV and decided to buy some tickets.

It’s Charlie’s first cricket game ‘up north’ and he lets it be known that it’s the furthest north he’s ever come.

“Watching The Hundred is part of my daily routine,” he says.

Whether The Hundred is ultimately a success story and what its impact might be on the wider future of the game is a polarising topic.

Yet over the course of my day at Headingley, one thing is certain: this competition entertains, thrills, and captures the imagination of plenty.

A crowd of more than 10,000 – from all over the country - got their cricket fix in Leeds courtesy of a pair of captivating matches, set against a backdrop of real energy in the stands.

“I think that people up north are actually so much nicer,” Charlie tells me. For all the talk of what happens on the pitch, sport has the capacity to teach life lessons off it.

^{Oval Invincibles travelled to Northern Superchargers on Saturday}

Charlie loves the competition for a variety of reason from its kits to the fact that he gets to watch both women’s and men’s teams on the same day.

Stepdad Ian, meanwhile, sees himself as more of a cricket traditionalist but is glad to see how this format is helping to introduce the game to a new audience. He loves the razzmatazz of the occasion and is fond of the live music. He was initially cautious, but Charlie has successfully converted him.

Also in the stands at Headingley is Michael, his wife and his two children.

They’ve made the journey down from their home near Newcastle for their first game of cricket and are pleasantly surprised by the action.

“We’ve loved the cricket, it’s been much better than expected,” says Michael, who also decided to buy some tickets after seeing The Hundred on TV.

The kids, with their new Northern Superchargers merchandise, are keen to tell me about how much fun they’ve had, and the passion for cricket in their hometown.

Which in turn, begs me to ponder the following question: could The Hundred one day expand into the north east too?

If the ECB truly want to maximise the game’s appeal to new audiences around the country with city-based teams, can it look more ambitiously than cheaply categorising such a vast part of the country under a single name?

Across the stands, however, a common narrative is starting to emerge.

People are watching The Hundred at home and consequently wanting to get involved. The ECB are keen to promote this notion that ‘The Hundred is for everyone’ and, while many supporters of the county game would strongly disagree, a simple stroll around the ground does indicate that the competition's wingspan is widening.

My little brother and my cousins are here too - a group of young British Asian lads between the ages of 16 and 23.

They're not only here to see the likes of Jemimah Rodrigues and Adil Rashid; they're here for the buzz and the vibe around the tournament. It’s the first time at the cricket for most of them and on the basis of their reactions, it won’t be the last. 

^{A view of the crowd at Headingley}

From conversations around the ground, it's clear that those turning up to these game are not necessarily doing so because of a love for the game of cricket. Instead, their attendance is a search for entertainment.

Ultimately, the want to have a great time. 

A quick walk to the other side of Headingley and the famous Western Terrace, where Michael, aged 71 and from Halifax, is here with his son Gareth and grandson Reece.

All are cricket fans but, for Michael, it’s the a first visit to Headingley in around 20 years.

“I used to come and watch Boycott play back in the day,” Michael says.

The concept of The Hundred itself is something that would have been mocked in those days but Boycott himself states how “the tournament is a concept for today's society”.

All are initially sceptical about the format of the game, whether it’s a gimmick and whether certain changes were necessary but Michael is keen to point out: “It’s a faster world now, people want quick, instant action - It’s simple. It’s quick. It’s fun.”

Asked what they would change, they’d like to see the women’s game get the evening slot on a weekend to really elevate their platform, and this is certainly something the organisers should consider next summer, but the trio are delighted with the atmosphere, the experience and the value for money for their ticket.

Rather amusingly, it’s a shout of “the bloody parking cost more than the ticket” that makes my day.

^{There was still plenty of fancy dress, and drunkenness in the crowd}

The promise of a family-friendly atmosphere has certainly encouraged more and more families to buy a ticket to The Hundred, but that environment doesn't quite stretch across a long day at Headingley.

By late evening as Superchargers' chase reaches its culmination, a pocket of the Western Terrace begins to find its laddish voice.

The stand is filled with fancy dress costumes and in full voice, with the subject of its chants ranging from Harry Maguire to Michael van Gerwen to Sweet Caroline.

Do families with children want to see scenes of predominantly drunk men? Unlikely, and this is cricket's challenge. Because that atmosphere is now an integral part of modern-day cricket in this country.

It can add to the theatrical nature of live sport - like Tom Curran shushing the Western Terrace, before then getting hit for four and six in the final over. But it can also be a major distraction. The ECB faces the tough task of balancing these competing interests.

As I make the short walk from Headingley to Burley Park to get the train back into Leeds on Saturday night, it’s refreshing to hear how much fun the crowd have had.

I ask several groups whether they’d go back to watch The Hundred again. It’s a unanimous ‘yes’.

I leave the final word to Charlie.

“I’ve saved nearly enough money to get two more tickets for me and him (stepdad Ian),” he says.

It might be divisive, but The Hundred is doing something right.

The ECB’s Hundred Rising is providing eight aspiring, young journalists the opportunity to tell the story of The Hundred men’s and women’s competitions through their own eyes.