By Andy Frombolton

The whole structure would be stronger, more inclusive and more likely to unearth additional talent. Here’s why…

Under current Project Darwin proposals, most, possibly all, of the current women’s squads at the 8 counties selected for Tier 1 status will find themselves homeless at the end of the year; displaced by a cohort of professionals. In the case of the 3 Tier 1 counties which aren’t migrating from being regional hosts, many of these players will be ‘guns for hire’ representing counties with which they have no affiliation.

For those in power focussed on the ‘headline’ goal – the creation of 8, soon to be 10, premier counties, the fate of these players might seem of little interest. Surely these players can move to an adjacent county if they’re that keen to carry on playing county cricket comes the simplistic response; disregarding any issues of practicality or feasibility, the implications for the cricketers in the receiving county who they would displace, or the sheer inequity of the situation where an amateur player’s opportunity to play for her county (the ultimate goal for 99% of all players) will no longer be based solely on her skill and determination but also on where she lives. And what of the gifted amateur playing in the North East from 2027 when neither Yorkshire or Durham have an amateur county team?

But if the notions of fairness, inclusion and equity aren’t enough to trigger an ECB rethink, let me instead show this will undermine and weaken the top tier of the game.

Consider first the 15-strong squads at the Tier 1 counties. Simple maths means at least 4 players aren’t being selected every match. Nor are many academy players. For this reason, regions used to host inter-squad matches or blended ‘region vs host county’ matches – but the increase in the number of RHF and CEC matches now makes that unviable. The current preference seems to be that there will be 2^nd XI matches between the Tier 1 counties – but the standard is going to be variable –any such team would have at most 3 contracted players (fewer if contracted players are injured) with the balance of the squad comprising academy players (since there’ll no longer be any older amateur county players to supplement the ranks). And it would involve a lot of travel.

Consider next any competition featuring the Tier 2 counties – the precise number of which isn’t yet determined. ECB has indicated they expect Tier 2 to comprise 10 to 14 counties i.e., the remaining 10 (and then in 2027, 8) [men’s] counties plus some of the stronger smaller counties. Both logic and experience suggest that the larger counties will have a huge advantage – since they typically act as a magnet for the best amateur players in a region, have stronger county age groups and have better resources and facilities. The result will be mismatched fixtures. Ask any player at a smaller county how much fun it is to turn up for a match knowing they’re going to be thrashed by a much stronger team, and the answer is ‘none’. And the best players in the stronger counties aren’t going to be stretched or tested, meaning that late developers are less likely to be developed and new, diverse or unusual talent is less likely to be unearthed. Coaches and scouts at the Tier 1 counties are likely to dismiss any outstanding performances on the grounds that they were ‘only’ achieved in a Tier 2 match.

In reality the potential for any Tier 2 player to progress to Tier 1 will thus be very limited. The dream of a seamless path from All Stars to Country disappears as the professional game becomes unrelatable and unattainable for anyone who hasn’t secured a professional contract by the age of twenty.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

If the Tier 1 counties also ran an ‘amateur’ team, this team could play against (a much smaller number of) Tier 2 counties in a 18-20 team second tier competitions split into 4 regions (to minimise travel) but culminating in national semi-finals and finals.

The Tier 1 teams obviously wouldn’t be amateur since they’d include (a capped number of) contracted players but the ECB has also stated that Tier 2 will become semi-professional, so it should be that Tier 2 teams might also include a couple of professional players (probably combining the role of playing professionally with a county development/coaching role – incidentally such a role which would also create opportunities for players leaving full-time professional cricket ; a looming issue which will grow as more players enter, and then leave, professional cricket).

The standard of these games should be just as good as any inter-Tier 1 2^nd XI match, particularly as the ECB has promised to increase funding for the county game. They would provide quality match practice for any contracted Tier 1 player not playing RHF or CEC. And the best Tier 2 players who hadn’t been picked up by a Tier 1 county in their teens would have a stage on which to showcase their talents and thus the opportunity to progress to a professional career.

The structure exists today. It would easy to implement. And it would maximise the chances of finding talent across the nation. The complete reverse of the current proposals.