Championship in its new format

posted by John Winn

 After a year's hiatus the county championship resumes on Thursday but in its new format of three groups of six and with all eighteen counties in action, a rare enough event in itself. The temporary abolition of the two divisions is the first major change since 2003.

Some years ago (2014) I posted an article in which I lamented the lopsided start to that season with only ten of the 18 counties in action on 'Opening Day' contrasting it with the USA where the first day of the baseball season is close to a national holiday. My suggestions for giving first class cricket a higher profile included the then PM, David Cameron ( remember him),  bowling the opening delivery of the season. I even had Dickie Bird and Harry Gration (remember him) cycling to the middle at Headingley on a tandem. What they would do when they got there I failed to mention but you get the idea. These fantasies assumed of course that there would be spectators in the grounds, which of course will not be the case on Thursday. 

The involvement of all 18 counties continues for the first five rounds of matches and it is not until May 6th that the number of games is reduced from  nine to eight. After a month's interruption when white ball cricket intervenes the last two rounds of the preliminary stages will be played in July.

I mentioned in a previous posting that April's Cricketer magazine includes its usual excellent wall chart of this season's county fixtures and because 2021 marks the centenary of the magazine someone has had the nice idea to print the fixtures for 1921 on the reverse. The Australians were the visiting tourists and they began the first class season on April 30th with a visit to Leicester where they outclassed the East Midlanders. The championship got under way a week later with just four matches and it was another two weeks before newcomers Glamorgan began their campaign when Sussex travelled to Cardiff to provide the Welshmen with the first of only two victories that season. The championship ended in a rather odd manner with one match played when all the rest had been completed. This was at Old Trafford on August 31st but it was spoilt by heavy rain on all three days. In what little play there was Glamorgan were bowled out for 127  and Lancashire's reply was halted at 46 for two. Glamorgan had 8 amateurs in their side, Lancashire had 3 and 3 Tyldesleys, all of whom were professionals. For the record Middlesex were champions, repeating their success of 1920, winning fifteen out of twenty matches. Positions were decided on percentages with considerable variation in the number of games each county played. Lancashire and Hampshire were busiest with 28 each while Glamorgan took the field only 18 times, perhaps just as well given their poor record. 

Had regulations allowed I would have been looking forward to Thursday and a trip to Headingley when Glamorgan, for the first time in championship cricket since 2012  come to LS6. And with Durham under new captain Steve Borthwick just down the road at Trent Bridge I might have managed a day in Nottingham. Alas no matches  will be open to spectators and I will content myself with the BBC's excellent radio coverage. Apart from the group  format there are two other important changes to look out for when play is called on Thursday. Firstly sanity has prevailed and the toss of a coin to decide innings has been restored so with a bit of luck at 11:15 on April 22nd it will be Derbyshire not Durham who are 11 for 3 at The Riverside,  and the number of points available for a draw has been increased from 5 to 8. The latter of these it is hoped will make more games last into the fourth day and encourage spin bowling. Wasn't that the justification for the non contested toss? Whatever the thinking enjoy the season and let's keep our fingers crossed that the unruly mob that make up the audience for county championship cricket is allowed to watch matches before too long.