Yorkshire CCC: Members’ input to be sought ahead of any vote on ECB review changes

The club is expecting to receive final recommendations on September 12 pertaining to the white-ball structure ahead of next year.

Any reduction in the number of County Championship games has been staved off for now after the 18 counties agreed that the current system of 14 matches each will remain in place in 2023.

However, the review led by the former England captain Sir Andrew Strauss does call for a reduction in the size of the Championship First Division from the current 10 counties to as few as six, with the option of two conferences below along similar lines to the format seen at the height of the pandemic. Changes to the bonus points system have also been aired in an effort to incentivise better pitches. Further red-ball consultation is likely going forward.

There remain serious fears for the Championship and its place in a schedule in which The Hundred seems to take greater priority for Strauss and his colleagues.

Strauss said recently that “The Hundred is showing that it can do what it said it was going to do, which is to introduce new people to the game”, with the tournament embedded into the television deal until 2028.

Yorkshire have said that they will “continue to stress the importance of a thriving domestic game, especially the County Championship”.

In a statement, the club said: “It is important to stress that members will be consulted on any votes that may occur in September, and the club will be sending a survey to members that we hold an email address for.

“Members’ views will influence the decision of the (Yorkshire) board to mandate the chair to vote appropriately.”

That chair, Lord Kamlesh Patel, along with interim managing director of cricket Darren Gough will update members on recommendations and answer any questions after the extraordinary general meeting at Headingley on September 13.

The EGM, which will be held in the East Stand Long Room from 9.30am on day two of the Championship match against Essex, has been called to approve the appointment of two member representatives to the board and to adopt a new members’ code of conduct.

Yorkshire, along with their county brethren, were invited to the first stage of the Strauss review consultation process in Manchester last week where the ECB held the first of four regional meetings.

It is expected that decisions on the schedule will be taken on September 20, with one possibility being that the 50-over Cup could be played from the start of the season with a greater emphasis on knockout games.

Whether there is an appetite to reduce the number of group fixtures remains to be seen; the present number of 14 per county feels at least four too many, but the tournament remains a key financial driver. Three divisions of six, say, with counties playing 10 games (five home, five away) would ease pressure on the schedule.

Any changes to the schedule require the support of a two-thirds majority of counties, with the review having stopped short of seeking to reduce the number of counties per se.

Discussion will also focus on whether first-class cricket could be played during The Hundred, be that Championship cricket or a new regional competition.

As ever, it smacks of trying to make the best of a bad job, one exacerbated by the imposition of The Hundred during the prime weeks of summer (no first-class county cricket was played during August, an absurd state of affairs) and the financial bottom line.