Changes to cricket games that you think would encourage more participation
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HallamKeeper

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Our current format: 46 overs, 1.30pm start (1pm in April and Sept). 12 overs max per bowler. Usual finish is around 7.30pm. 10 team leagues and a cup that takes up 2 Saturdays for 1st and 2nd round, Sunday for a semi and an additional Saturday in Sept for a final. The cup is 40 overs and I think 8 overs per bowler.

The perfect format for me would be: 40 overs. 11am start. A delayed start means you each lose an over for every 8 minutes. Innings must be finished in 3 hours but the aim would be 2 hours 45 mins, in game punishments (i.e. for every 4 minutes past 3 hours you lose an over batting second). Slow over rates in the second innings can be punished with run penalties (i.e. twice the required rate at the start of the innings rounded up). 15 minute break in-between innings and teas left as a buffet for grazing and post match.

So you should be finished by 5.15, have a drink after and still be home by 6-6.30 so you can go out for dinner or watch some rubbish on TV with the family and those with young kids can get home before bedtime.

I would also like to see leagues making sure 5 bowlers minimum are used. So often you see people field and then bat below 7. Why would they do this for very long?

Finally, bonus points seem to me, to promote poor cricket. We are basically playing a very poor version of an ODI. Score as many as you can and then stop the other team getting them. Why do you get points for scoring 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90% of the opposition's total? Why do you get points for taking wickets when a team easily chases down your total but lose a few along the way? You weren't as good so you lost. You get nothing. How many games do you see the final few wickets being protected like the crown jewels to gain a point or deny the opposition points? A thoroughly dull end to a game.

If bonus points were scrapped I'd assume more teams would just have some fun if the game was gone and we could all get into the bar quicker. I understand if a game gets rained off, people want to award more points to the better team. But, we had games cancelled before a ball was bowled and shared the points against teams that would almost certainly have thrashed us.

Not that I have strong feelings about it.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2018, 11:44:41 AM by HallamKeeper »
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For me you just simply Pyramid everything.

As Standard decreases, so should the overs and therefore the playing time and travelling time.

For example -

ECB Premier League - should play 100+ overs w/l/d cricket - start early - all day cricket as that is the highest level of club cricket - if you are going to progress in cricket you are playing this level and need to learn how to play all day etc... travel times are longer as you need to travel to face the better clubs, but the highest level should be prepared to do this.

As the levels go down - you reduce the overs - 50, 40, 30, etc.... always playing win/lose, to finally play 20/20 at a junior club level to get and keep the colts involved.

As the levels go down you also get more regionalised, so the travel times are less - in theory as the level goes down you are playing more recreational cricket, so players don't want to travel so much, which means you have more flexibility with start times.

20/20 adult cricket is played mid-week locally.

just my two penneth.
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SLA

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For me you just simply Pyramid everything.

As Standard decreases, so should the overs and therefore the playing time and travelling time.

For example -

ECB Premier League - should play 100+ overs w/l/d cricket - start early - all day cricket as that is the highest level of club cricket - if you are going to progress in cricket you are playing this level and need to learn how to play all day etc... travel times are longer as you need to travel to face the better clubs, but the highest level should be prepared to do this.

As the levels go down - you reduce the overs - 50, 40, 30, etc.... always playing win/lose, to finally play 20/20 at a junior club level to get and keep the colts involved.

As the levels go down you also get more regionalised, so the travel times are less - in theory as the level goes down you are playing more recreational cricket, so players don't want to travel so much, which means you have more flexibility with start times.

20/20 adult cricket is played mid-week locally.

just my two penneth.

Problem is, there are a lot of people who want to play league cricket but aren't good enough to play at anything higher than the lowest level, but who wouldn't have any kind of role to play in a T20 game.

The good thing about 40 over cricket is that even at the bottom rung, there is a role for an old bloke who can only nudge singles or bowl slow dobbers. If you convert low level league cricket to 20 overs, you're basically forcing those guys out of the game altogether.

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JTtaylor145

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Having read through all the comments so far I haven't noticed anyone mention cost. Anyone who has to sit on a committee will know just how expensive it is to run a cricket club. There are all the pavilion overheads and then the cost of ground/pitch equipment. The number of teams is dramatically reduced and clubs have folded due to rising costs. Could the ECB help out more with regards to covers, gang mowers etc.?

For anyone new to cricket it is also expensive (granted most things are) but why couldn't the ECB provide a couple of kit bags to clubs. Cricket clubs could then have a 'welcome to cricket' day. Every club focuses a lot of attention towards encouraging kids to play but why not adults? Cricket isn't going to be encouraged in schools.

I don't know about other clubs but sometimes our club can be a bit laddish and that doesn't encourage families and especially wives/girlfriends to come down to the ground. Make cricket as family friendly as possible and you might encourage the kids (and wives and girlfriends to play).

Please don't shorten matches too much. We have to drive an hour+ every other week and I'm not driving to Clacton for a 20 over match  :(
Make cricket fun. Reduce the idiot behavior on the pitch. Fine to laugh at my batting/fielding but you don't have to call me a **** every ball you loud mouthed, ill-educated cretin.

No to 20/20 on a Saturday. No to removing tea's. There are some traditions that should always remain (clap a batsman if he scores a 50/100 and plays well, shake the hand of the opposition, walk if you hit it and teas).

SLA

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Our current format: 46 overs, 1.30pm start (1pm in April and Sept). 12 overs max per bowler. Usual finish is around 7.30pm. 10 team leagues and a cup that takes up 2 Saturdays for 1st and 2nd round, Sunday for a semi and an additional Saturday in Sept for a final. The cup is 40 overs and I think 8 overs per bowler.

The perfect format for me would be: 40 overs. 11am start. A delayed start means you each lose an over for every 8 minutes. Innings must be finished in 3 hours but the aim would be 2 hours 45 mins, in game punishments (i.e. for every 4 minutes past 3 hours you lose an over batting second). Slow over rates in the second innings can be punished with run penalties (i.e. twice the required rate at the start of the innings rounded up). 15 minute break in-between innings and teas left as a buffet for grazing and post match.

So you should be finished by 5.15, have a drink after and still be home by 6-6.30 so you can go out for dinner or watch some rubbish on TV with the family and those with young kids can get home before bedtime.

I would also like to see leagues making sure 5 bowlers minimum are used. So often you see people field and then bat below 7. Why would they do this for very long?

Finally, bonus points seem to me, to promote poor cricket. We are basically playing a very poor version of an ODI. Score as many as you can and then stop the other team getting them. Why do you get points for scoring 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90% of the opposition's total? Why do you get points for taking wickets when a team easily chases down your total but lose a few along the way? You weren't as good so you lost. You get nothing. How many games do you see the final few wickets being protected like the crown jewels to gain a point or deny the opposition points? A thoroughly dull end to a game.

If bonus points were scrapped I'd assume more teams would just have some fun if the game was gone and we could all get into the bar quicker. I understand if a game gets rained off, people want to award more points to the better team. But, we had games cancelled before a ball was bowled and shared the points against teams that would almost certainly have thrashed us.

Not that I have strong feelings about it.

We've played in a league with no bonus points. Its awful. If one team racks up an unobtainable score, the team batting second have absolutely nothing to play for whatsoever. You see a lot of teams getting 20 all out as players basically kick over their stumps as they'd rather the whole miserable affair was over with as soon as possible.

This is obviously a complete embarrassment for the game, and deprives spectators and opponents of a game. At least if you give them the chance of getting some points for hitting 100 or batting through the innings, they feel like their is a purpose to their afternoon.

Obviously, the same kind of thing also happens when one team are rolled over for a lowish total that they know they can't defend and can barely be bothered to field, and deliberately bowl their non-bowlers to try and get the game over quickly.

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SLA

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Having read through all the comments so far I haven't noticed anyone mention cost. Anyone who has to sit on a committee will know just how expensive it is to run a cricket club. There are all the pavilion overheads and then the cost of ground/pitch equipment. The number of teams is dramatically reduced and clubs have folded due to rising costs. Could the ECB help out more with regards to covers, gang mowers etc.?

For anyone new to cricket it is also expensive (granted most things are) but why couldn't the ECB provide a couple of kit bags to clubs. Cricket clubs could then have a 'welcome to cricket' day. Every club focuses a lot of attention towards encouraging kids to play but why not adults? Cricket isn't going to be encouraged in schools.

I don't know about other clubs but sometimes our club can be a bit laddish and that doesn't encourage families and especially wives/girlfriends to come down to the ground. Make cricket as family friendly as possible and you might encourage the kids (and wives and girlfriends to play).

Please don't shorten matches too much. We have to drive an hour+ every other week and I'm not driving to Clacton for a 20 over match  :(
Make cricket fun. Reduce the idiot behavior on the pitch. Fine to laugh at my batting/fielding but you don't have to call me a **** every ball you loud mouthed, ill-educated cretin.

No to 20/20 on a Saturday. No to removing tea's. There are some traditions that should always remain (clap a batsman if he scores a 50/100 and plays well, shake the hand of the opposition, walk if you hit it and teas).


I agree expensive to run but expensive as a player? No way, cricket is one of the cheapest sports I know. All you need are spikes, a white t-shirt and a jockstrap and you're all set. £5 for an afternoon's entertainment? Absolute bargain.
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HallamKeeper

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We've played in a league with no bonus points. Its awful. If one team racks up an unobtainable score, the team batting second have absolutely nothing to play for whatsoever. You see a lot of teams getting 20 all out as players basically kick over their stumps as they'd rather the whole miserable affair was over with as soon as possible.

This is obviously a complete embarrassment for the game, and deprives spectators and opponents of a game. At least if you give them the chance of getting some points for hitting 100 or batting through the innings, they feel like their is a purpose to their afternoon.

Obviously, the same kind of thing also happens when one team are rolled over for a lowish total that they know they can't defend and can barely be bothered to field, and deliberately bowl their non-bowlers to try and get the game over quickly.

I suppose it depends on the level you play at. You rarely see a score over 230 in our league. 230 is daunting and we would always have a go and then when we get to 7 or 8 down people start working out how many for an extra point and the game dies. The bowling team know they have won but need all wickets for full points and the batsmen shut up shop and try to eek out another 10 or 20 runs for another point. It is boring to watch and boring to do.

The other thing is that a team could score 300 and the opposition knowing they won't get it start batting like they are saving a test to earn a few points and deny full points to a team who are clearly better. In two games one team could score 350 runs and their opponents could finish on 130/8. In another match a team could get 120 runs and bowl their opposition out for 119. The winners of the second match get 20% more points that the winners of the first. Which game has the most comprehensive victory?

Maybe it is just me but I would prefer to end a game quickly if you are getting a hiding. Not many people playing a game of football 8-0 down want to play the last 10 minutes.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2018, 12:30:39 PM by HallamKeeper »
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SLA

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I suppose it depends on the level you play at. You rarely see a score over 230 in our league. 230 is daunting and we would always have a go and then when we get to 7 or 8 down people start working out how many for an extra point and the game dies. The bowling team know they have won but need all wickets for full points and the batsmen shut up shop and try to eek out another 10 or 20 runs for another point. It is boring to watch and boring to do.

The other thing is that a team could score 300 and the opposition knowing they won't get it start batting like they are saving a test to earn a few points and deny full points to a team who are clearly better. In two games one team could score 350 runs and their opponents could finish on 130/8. In another match a team could get 120 runs and bowl their opposition out for 119. The winners of the second match get 20% more points that the winners of the first. Which game has the most comprehensive victory?

Maybe it is just me but I would prefer to end a game quickly if you are getting a hiding. Not many people playing a game of football 8-0 down want to play the last 10 minutes.


But I don't see how that would be any better if there were no bonus points. If you score 300 you've already won the match, now you've got 40 overs (or whatever) to bowl the oppo out and claim full bonus points, so stick everyone round the bat, and see what you can make happen. Get the spinners on, have a bloke bowling bouncers with 3 short legs. Try stuff. Be creative.

 I don't know about you, but I think that that challenge is far more exciting than just spending the next 2 1/2 hours going through the motions for 40 overs with a ring field, dibbly dobblers bowling dots, with nothing to achieve.


If you think being in a game where the batsmen are playing for a draw is boring, try being in a game where neither side is playing for any purpose whatsoever.  Now THAT is boring.
 
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SLA

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Best bonus points system I've found, after many years of playing in different leagues:

40 overs:

15 points for a win (most runs)
1 bonus point for every 2 wickets
1 bonus point per runs/over achieved (up to max of 5).


20 over cricket:
3 points for win
1 point for bowling oppo out
1 point for a run rate over 6/over


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InternalTraining

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Wow! I read some of the rules and find them unnecessarily arduous.

Here is what we do and it works:

- 40 overs per inning one-day game, 8 overs max per bowler.
- All games are win/lose. No draws
- Start time is noon. Some people are interested in an even earlier start time to open up the rest of the day. Games end between 6 and 7.
- League local to the state. There is some travel but less than an hour one way.
- Every club hosts roughly same number of games.
- Umpires provided by the league.

Change that people are clamoring about: move the start time earlier to 10-ish.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2018, 01:17:44 PM by InternalTraining »
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JTtaylor145

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I agree expensive to run but expensive as a player? No way, cricket is one of the cheapest sports I know. All you need are spikes, a white t-shirt and a jockstrap and you're all set. £5 for an afternoon's entertainment? Absolute bargain.
Clearly you haven't been on CBF long enough  :) When you have about 20 bats, 10 pairs of pads, 12 pairs of gloves and 6 helmets you'll find the cost does add up. Plus subs are £100 and £9 where I play and then travel costs...you see it does add up.

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Wow! I read some of the rules and find them unnecessarily arduous.

Here is what we do and it works:

- 40 overs per inning one-day game, 8 overs max per bowler.
- All games are win/lose. No draws
- Start time is noon. Some people are interested in an even earlier start time to open up the rest of the day. Games end between 6 and 7.
- League local to the state. There is some travel but less than an hour one way.
- Every club hosts roughly same number of games.
- Umpires provided by the league.

Change that people are clamoring about: move the start time earlier to 10-ish.

That would be great, but the Hampshire league has had 5 panel umpires resign since the start of the season! Finding people to actually do it would be the biggest challenge.

As far as earlier starts go our games have been bought forward from 14.00 to 13.00 this year. That caused uproar among those who have to work Saturday mornings, and has resulted in the loss of a few players. Strangely the games are starting an hour earlier but finishing the same time as last year
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WalkingWicket37

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I agree expensive to run but expensive as a player? No way, cricket is one of the cheapest sports I know. All you need are spikes, a white t-shirt and a jockstrap and you're all set. £5 for an afternoon's entertainment? Absolute bargain.

A white t-shirt? That would be village!  ;)

I'm more curious where you can pay £5 a game match fees on a Saturday, all the clubs down my way are 2 or 3 times that!

While not as expensive as say joining a golf club, cricket isn't what I'd describe as cheap.

We have to pay:
Membership - £75 a year
Club shirt - £40
Match fee - £10 a week 

I don't want to add up how much I spend on cricket a year
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tim2000s

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  • If I only could bat....

This is obviously a complete embarrassment for the game, and deprives spectators and opponents of a game. At least if you give them the chance of getting some points for hitting 100 or batting through the innings, they feel like their is a purpose to their afternoon.

With the best will in the world, I can count on one hand the number of times I've played Saturday league matches and had spectators who were there for the cricket and not because the beer at the clubhouse is the cheapest locally, and they're a member...
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