Like Yorkshire they can't seem to touch a top international team. They have to bid to try and get one of the lesser tests normally in May when it's called and likely to rain. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka West Indies. This bidding rights and so many test match venues across the Uk's a disgrace. Lets hope that it stops now. It's a massive risk whilst Surrey seems to be guarenteed the last test of the summer and Lords gets two tests a year every year at top rates.
Test machine venues : Lords Headingley Edgbaston Oval Trent bridge Old Trafford One day venues: Durham Southampton Cardiff(although they hate us) There's such an home advantage at the moment in world cricket it's killing the game . Durham have had a fair deal . If the smaller counties can survive then so should Durham . The ECB have designated plenty of international matches to Durham so in my opinion they've simply overspent. The FA should be just as strong when it comes to football .
So to clarify you are against uneven funding of sports teams from the sports authority and believe that the money should be distributed evenly to create a level playing field?
Don't start comparing the ECB, FA/ Football league/ Premier league It's very different. They have the Counties better players for most of the season. They've had to bid to get international games. This as risk at the centre espcially at YCCC when they get very little part from the tickets money in from the normal fans.
So what you are saying is that some sports the funding should be fair and ewual and in others it should not?
Any business, sporting or otherwise, should know that it can't spend money that it doesn't have. Why is that principle so difficult to understand?
Durham are in charge of their own finances so they are totally to blame. Only bad thing in all this is Hampshire who failed getting another chance in the top flight when Kent should have got the chance for a successful season. I'm glad Kent are taking legal advice.
Partially agreed. Except that most top sports clubs are run by so-called "top" business people with decades of experience. That's not normally the case with families, so I think they deserve a bit of slack sometimes.
Absolutely to blame. Making counties bid against one another for the right to host Test matches. Why does the country need 10 grounds capable of hosting an international? If they wanted to do that the ECB should have bought the grounds and renovated them themselves.
Except that the ECB insisted that Durham build an international standard ground to play in, then only give them scraps to pay for it with. If the government insisted you had to build a 2 storey extension on your house, but then made you pay extra taxes for having it you'd not be happy either!
To some extent. Durham overbid for their Test v Sri Lanka this summer, but could have made plenty of money however the ECB gave the previous test to Headingley, that's a fair amount of the same audience who will have chosen to go to Leeds rather than Durham. That's bad planning by the ECB and it does not help Durham's situation. However, should Durham be up for Test status? I would say yes on balance, the ECB must share cricket around the UK and the far North does not get enough. Especially as Lords and the Oval are always guaranteed 3 or 4 test a season plus ODI and 20/20s.
They should take some of the blame, yes. They pushed Durham to upgrade their ground at their own expense, then pushed them to bid ridiculous sums to get the opportunity to host international cricket, then they mainly awarded them tests vs minnows in May when it's cold and rainy. Unsurprisingly, they spent **** loads and didn't get anywhere near as much revenue as they'd have expected. Should Durham have managed their finances better? Yes, therefore a bail out has to come with a punishment. However, the punishment they've got is ridiculous and has basically crippled the club for the next couple of years. It's a farcical decision and the ECB should be ashamed of the role they've played in it.
Quote from Clive Leach (former Chairman of Durham CCC) in today's Times: "There are lots of clubs with big debts, and Durhams are certainly not the worst . . . . . dwarfed by those of Yorkshire, whose survival owes much to the historical generosity of Colin Graves, the current Chairman of the ECB, the irony of which will not be lost on those in the northeast" Other points of note - the ECB has a surplus of £70m this year after trickling just £2m funding to each of the clubs in the county championship. Hmmmm Turning into FIFA