I still don't see how money can be made from this.

Bransgrove said: "Royals (Rajasthan I presume, not Worcs !) sell the primary position on their shirts for something in excess of $4 million. At Hampshire we aspire to £200,000 ... a massive difference."

Is the thought process along the lines of : we'll share the name of Rajasthan, form a group of teams and they'll automatically give us a share of their $4m. And in return, I assume they'll want a share of Hants revenue - which they don't really need. I can see why most teams want/need to get Indian money, but they sure as hell don't need Hants. Maybe they haven't looked at the IPL squads which are crammed with mostly home-grown talent unknown outside India, because that's what the Indian public want.

Another thing the Hant's marketing team have got wrong is ditching the name 'Hawks' which is the most appropriate name for this club.

Beginning to think Bransgrove feels he can ride roughshod over everybody and everything we in cricket hold dear.I find my enthusiasm for the great game fading with every utterance from ` those in power`. So fortunate to have known the time in more tranquil and happy times.How I long for the days of Graveney,Arlot........

Glimmer of hope ?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/fe … -franchise
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/fe … 0-festival
What's truly depressing about this - in fact a number of events over the winter is that madcap schemes are only discussed because of the failure of our own Boards to make the County game financially viable.
Championship cricket doesn't pay. 50 overs doesn't do enough so it gets ditched. 40 overs gets chopped and changed to try and make it more commercial. The great cashcow, T20 hasn't done enough to save several counties from losses. Even test match grounds with big ticket matches are mostly borderline/breakeven.
And all of this at a time when there's more revenue being pumped into our game than ever before. But we still have this incredible knack of blowing more cash than we earn. What else can we expect when our very own ECB set the standard by chasing Stanford's millions. Reap what you sow.

What I really want to know is have we stuck to our guns and asked for compensation before The Royals can be transferred to Hamps - and is the name looking to leave in order to improve its' chances of an England place?

It appears not

Some joker on the Sussex board suggested hereinafter we should be referred to as the 'Plums'



There is quite a provoking article by Andy Bull of the Guardian reproduced here

As much as I do not like Hampshire and I know it is all Bransgrove money driven but at least they are looking at ways of improving their situation - did anyone on our Board come up with an idea similar to it or in fact any idea that is new?

I am afraid we appear to be too blinkered by the belief that a hotel will be our saviour and do not look at ideas that are too far forward and will not pay dividends quickly..

I`ve always hated `festival cricket`.It was always bloody freezing at Scarborough where my Dad carted me to as a kid and like many others want nothing more than a decent championship side and some Sunday 40 overs games at New Road. If the powers that be focussed on getting that right and resolved to keep wages within their means by not pinching other teams` players and chasing overseas mercenaries, the game would be in good order.Chalking up a £130K loss (by no means the highest deficit on the circle!) shows that `the other way` ain`t working.Back to basics,methinks.

Worcestershire concede on Royals name. No conflict.

http://www.testmatchextra.com/Blogs.aspx?BlogView=Post&PostID=0da5fd52-8283-4081-8389-f3159ca0d1f7&BloggerID=c84ade10-92a1-47bd-81ad-7a789e37350b

markash wrote:

As much as I do not like Hampshire and I know it is all Bransgrove money driven but at least they are looking at ways of improving their situation - did anyone on our Board come up with an idea similar to it or in fact any idea that is new? I am afraid we appear to be too blinkered by the belief that a hotel will be our saviour and do not look at ideas that are too far forward and will not pay dividends quickly..

But markash, isn't it a major concern that counties can't make money out of the current range of cricket on offer ? Surely, this needs to be sorted out first, especially as there's far more revenue coming into the game but teams just give it away in salaries. I don't see Bransgrove as being innovative here at all. Instead, he's up to his neck in poor administration where he overpays players and overstretches his club's position, leading to the need for these madcap ideas. As rupert says, back to basics.

I agree with you, I was not supporting Bransgrove, just the innovative ideas that other counties seem to have.

I can't answer for other counties on why they cannot make cricket pay with all of the money that is currently coming in to the game, what I see regarding our position is a number of things, each of which is not substantial on their own but when added together have in my opinion contributed to our postion and I will mention them briefly (I know I will be shot down for some of these but as a member who only missed two days of cricket hiome and away last year - they are what I see):
The club has lost touch with its' most important asset - the members and this has had a real impact on income (I do not subscribe to the myth that all of the loss of income from this is due to the recession)
The lack of new blood on the Board means that we continue to think in the same mould as we have for the last few years
No one has responsbility for performances - where does the buck stop?
Why do I see parties of school children at away games who have come along fre of charge and enjoyed a bit of lunchtime coaching - how many of them grag their parents to games during school holidays and how many join as members when they grow up?

There are others and as I say not one is major but all add up

So,once again, Newton rolls over to have his tummy tickled by Bransgrove.I guess when you`ve only lost £130K all that stock and publicity material that will be binned is as nothing.I was no lover of the name but hate a situation where we just give in to these `Big Ground` thugs.

I think the reality is that county cricket can never be self supportive - key problem being that its the only form of entertainment that is on at exactly the time when 99% of the population cant go and watch it!. I dont see how you ever get over that. At the same time, counties have the burden and cost of being the England team's academy system, responsible for effectively managing teams, coaches, scouting, facilites etc.. for their area for players of all ages. Its why I hate the ECB money being called a "subsidy". Think it was around £1.5 million this year. I bet the ECB couldnt set up and run a system that produces test players from a county the size of, say, Warwicks, and maintain a county ground for that much.

The other factor at play a little here is the threat to county money of the ashes being taken away from Sky. Its going to hurt a lot, if it happens, so counties are bound to start looking elsewhere for income.

"The club has lost touch with its' most important asset - the members and this has had a real impact on income" - Markash.

So has Warwickshire. Our lot dont seem to careabout this but I agree with you about the potential major impact.

Id agree.

The question is whether its a "small county" who just cant cope any more or an overextended test ground who goes first.

Not going to read any more posts today, it's far too depressing being a cricket lover and Worcester supporter. I have enough of a hard time being loyal to the Warriors, Forest and the Dolphins.