Middlesex CCC

The fixtures are a disaster for those of us who work during the week. Only 2 days of weekend CC cricket at Lords - against Lancashire in mid-April when the chances of rain must be high - and 1 day at MTS. Why do 3 out of the 4 June fixtures, and all of the September CC games start on Monday or Tuesday? Why is there no play on the August bank holiday Monday or the first May bank holiday?

Can anyone explain this in terms other than the ECB trying to eliminate CC cricket altogether?

One mystery home venue as well in T20.

Fixtures in June,they could easily be moved across to have Friday starts,can't see a problem with it.
Although I do shift work,and,must admit,lucky I get some weekdays off,to actually have the chance to meet with fellow members who work.Monday-Friday is a virtual no-no now.

Think it's bad for next year,wait until this time 2019 with it being even more of a mess!

On Facebook,have seen people saying they are going to cancel membership due to the fixture carnage this coming season.

As usual trying to find a site with ALL matches for the season (that's all 18 counties plus England and world cup matches is proving elusive.

It's probably out there somewhere, but if you google things like 'English domestic cricket fixtures 2019, it throws up England matches. Pointless going to ECB site, as that has to be the worst website any major organisation has ever devised.

I like to see ALL the fixtures, because it helps me work out which matches might be live on Sky.

So far I have been unable to find a site that delivers this simple, not unreasonable to ask for information, but I did manage to get all the 50 over matches on one site, which leads me to believe our game v Sussex on 27th April is likely to be on tv (only match). Also maybe game v Surrey at The Oval on 25th April (one of only two games that day) or possibly v Kent (canterbury) on 7th May. Although there are lots of matches that day, it is one of only two floodlit games that day. As it is the last round of matches it would need us (or Kent) to be in with a shout of qualifying for it to be on tv.

'Quarter finals' are just a few days later on 10th May, and semi- finals two days after that on 12th May (so no real chance for away fans to book ahead) with final 27th May.

Would like to repeat the same exersise to see which T20's might be televised, but due to the ECB site being complete cr*p I haven't been able to find a site that gives ALL fixtures on a day by day basis.

We have 8 weekend days of cricket at home next year (including outgrounds),We are lucky.
Someone has posted on Twitter they have 3 weekend days at Essex..1 county and 1 day each of t20 and 50 over.

Cheers LL, didn't appear on my computer for some reason but fine on the phone

Should have said Royal London Final on 25th May (not 27th).

Managed to find site with all T20 matches.

On that basis only our home match v Surrey on 8th August looks like a certainty for Sky (no other T20's that day, and they do like to cover the London derbies) The away game against Surrey on 23rd July is one of three games that day, so might be covered.

Other 'possibles' are games against Essex on 18th July and 14th August (one of three games both days) and game at home to Hampshire on 22nd August (one of two games that day).

Is this what you want Chunky: [www.espncricinfo.com]

Thank you, Talliman.

I like my games on Sky, so the first thing I try to do is work out likely tv contenders.

I see a couple of T20's I singled out clash with Test matches, although there have been occasions when Sky have covered all day at the test, to be followed straight after by a live T20 match.

As we are no great shakes at T20 the pessimist in me assumes that whenever there are more than three matches on the same day (well, one actually), the chances are it won't be us on the box!

I am used to the first few rounds of County Championship matches beginning on a Friday, with the rounds subsequent to the Royal London Cup group stages offering little weekend play, which wouldn't have been the most ideal fixtureslist for people who can only attend at weekends and whose minds are on football at the start of the season or who aren’t keen on attending matches in chilly conditions. However, the 2019 season is even worse, as the fact the RLC group stages begin earlier deprives the season of a few early rounds of Championship matches beginning on a Friday. The lack of weekend matches makes it hard to disagree with those around the country who are considering not buying a membership next season.

In the Championship, we will face Derbyshire, Glamorgan, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Sussex twice each, and Durham, Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire once each. As I have said, I like the idea of having maximum opportunities to take points off the sides challenging for promotion and to play the sides struggling at the bottom, and I would like to think that this fixturelist hasn’t worked out too badly in that regard. Lancs and Sussex will surely be in the promotion race alongside ourselves and Worcs, while maybe Glam and Leics will end up struggling. I don’t know whether a seeding system was used to produce the fixturelist, or whether it tried to ensure that teams which met once in 2018 will meet twice in 2019.

In the Twenty20 competition, I was correct to anticipate that we will have one home match against Kent, one away match against Glam, and two matches against the other teams in our group.

It is a surprise that Radlett has been awarded a maiden first-class match, and something for which those associated with the Radlett club will certainly be delighted. It is even more of a surprise that it means that we will be hosting two Championship matches at outgrounds without either of them being at Uxbridge. From the team point of view, hopefully Middlesex will find playing at Radlett favourable. From the supporters’ point of view, I don’t know how many people who regularly attend our home matches will go to Radlett, as it is outside the London zonal system. I can’t see Lower Mound attending four days, while the absence of weekend play counts me out.

We will be playing one Twenty20 match and two Championship matches at Lord’s subsequent to the ground staging the second Test of the Ashes, after which demolition of the Compton and Edrich stands is due to begin, so hopefully those attending those matches won’t have much difficulty accessing the ground. The T20 match will be played four days after the final scheduled day of the Test, so the T20 match will probably the last one played before the demolition.

It is a pleasant surprise that none of the Championship matches around the country are scheduled to be day/nighters.

As the match v Oxford MCCU in March is listed on BBC’s website, it seems like the match will have first-class status. About the only doubt I have about whether it will carry this status is that counties sometimes face universities in what are seen as pre-season friendlies and thus carry no first-class status. As long as the match remains 11 v 11 and is played like a professional match, I imagine it will be first-class. Consequently, Sam Robson’s record of scoring the earliest first-class century in the UK will be threatened by this match or any other first-class matches beginning that day. I would strongly advise anyone attending to wrap up warm!

A lot of people who attend T20 matches do so to fill the time while the football season is not on. Therefore, the fact the T20 group stages run later into August than in previous seasons isn’t going to help attendances. I feel pessimistic about the chances of the match v Sussex at Uxbridge on Saturday 24th August drawing a large crowd, unless a couple of the London football teams are inactive that day.

Nuts! I meant to quote a post now can't delete this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 28/11/2018 09:18 by MiddleToWest.

Quote:

tbl
The fixtures are a disaster for those of us who work during the week. Only 2 days of weekend CC cricket at Lords - against Lancashire in mid-April when the chances of rain must be high - and 1 day at MTS. Why do 3 out of the 4 June fixtures, and all of the September CC games start on Monday or Tuesday? Why is there no play on the August bank holiday Monday or the first May bank holiday?
Can anyone explain this in terms other than the ECB trying to eliminate CC cricket altogether?

That's the conclusion I drew too.

The fools at the ECB are hell bent in ruining the County Championship,and along with that,some Counties as well.
On Twitter since the latest ECB fixture fiasco was released,there has been a good few people saying they won't renew membership for next season as just can't get to County games.
Less members = Less Money
Counties do,in a way,depend on members to stay alive....Do the ECB want counties to fall to the wayside?
I'm lucky,sort of,working shifts I am able to see a bit more of the CC,but taking leave from work to see a fair bit as well.

The ECB just DONT CARE ABOUT members of counties.

I note the messages here and on Twitter regarding the timings of CC matches for those in employment. Increasing age (old git Kev calls it) now sees me semi-retired so I'm less affected by start days but do have travel distance against me. Overall it's not a bad list for me.
I should manage a trip to Worcester, Radlett & Old Trafford. With the possibility of Lord's in April and Hove in August.

The majority of the first-class counties are still member-owned clubs. Fewer members would not only affect club finances, but make it easier to exact change for them to become limited companies owned by private investors. Such companies would be, imho, easier to manipulate by the ECB.

Exterminating cricket by stealth.

If the county game at Radlett goes for 4 days,finishing on 20th June,according to fixture list,there is no games until 30th June.

I don't get why the counties are not objecting. I understand T20 will take priority but why are there no weekend CC games in June (when there is no T20) or in September (during the T20 knockout stages)? This will lose the counties revenue not only in terms of memberships, but also gate revenue and corporate hospitality packages. Has this been mentioned in any of the forums?

The crazy scheduling is driven by the use of blocks for all formats. This creates the need for more rest days in the schedule. If we went to a scheme whereby list a games follow CC games on the same grounds, travelling and rest days could be cut which would allow a more sensible schedule.

I think the main reason why Middlesex’s (and probably a few other teams’) fixturelist shows a run of four County Championship matches in May and June in which each match begins on a Monday is because the weekends have been set aside for the knockout stages of the Royal London Cup, not that we are likely to be involved. The thing is, if a round of Championship matches begin on a certain day of the week and another round takes place the following week, then the latter round often has to start on the same day of the week as the former round to ensure that teams get three days off between matches. For example, if a round of matches runs between Monday and Thursday, then the next round of matches couldn’t begin on a Friday or Saturday, otherwise the players (and no doubt fitness staff and coaches) would complain that they would have insufficient rest. However, a round of matches beginning on a Monday could in theory be followed by a round beginning on a Sunday, as there are a couple of instances in the fixturelist of there being only two days between matches, although of course it would depend on the RLC fixturelist.

As for why our final three Championship matches all begin on a Monday or Tuesday, I have no idea why. For as long as I can remember, the final few rounds of each season’s Championship matches have tended not to include weekend play. Actually, after thinking about it, a factor for 2019 is that the quarter-finals and finals day of the Twenty20 competition will take place at weekends in September, although that doesn’t explain why the climax of many previous seasons’ Championships have seldom included weekend play.

When Middlesex reached T20 finals day in 2008, it was a warm mid-summer’s day. However, that will surely not be something said of finals day in 2019 when it takes place on 21st September.

JW- T20 finals day is Saturday 21st September, so that explains no weekend championship matches in September.

It won't be a problem for us, as we won't make finals day, but Mon-Thurs 16-19th Sept, we are away to Lancashire, followed by final round starting Monday 23rd home to Derbyshire.

Sunday 22nd might be needed as a reserve day for T20, so those that make the final will only get Friday as preparation time, and will have to go on and play the last championship match immediately afterwards.

Agree tbl - 4 less weekend days Cch cricket this season - just 10 days out of 56. very disappointing for us Mon - Fri workers, 22 days leave (less the family holiday) only goes so far!!