Johnson hits ‘brakes’ on fans return
Pilots for crowds at cricket, snooker and racing cancelled Prime Minister’s call due to fears of a second Covid wave
Plans for crowds returning to stadiums by the autumn were plunged into uncertainty last night as spectator pilots at the snooker, cricket and horse racing were all cancelled by Boris Johnson due to fears of a second wave of Covid-19.
Goodwood, the Kia Oval, Edgbaston and the Crucible were forced to abandon plans at 24 hours’ notice following the Government’s warnings that lockdown easing has been put back by at least a fortnight.
Whitehall sources insisted last night that the timetable remained broadly in place for the proposed return of 20 to 40 per cent crowds, including at Premier League grounds, from Oct 1. However ministers have repeatedly said those proposals are dependent on the pilots going ahead successfully.
Yesterday’s cancellation affects a total of around 17,000 ticket-holders who were due to attend either Glorious Goodwood, the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield or the Bob Willis Trophy cricket matches hosted by Surrey and Warwickshire.
The pilots were halted after the Prime Minister announced “our assessment is that we should squeeze that brake pedal” following recent surges in Europe, the United States and, to a lesser extent, England.
Goodwood was due to be the first test racecourse to have a major crowd since the week after the Cheltenham Festival. Adam Waterworth, the managing director of sport at Goodwood, revealed efforts to get the venue Covid-secure for spectators had “cost us six figures”. The last-minute cancellation was “a big kick”, he added.
At the Crucible, around 200 indoor spectators had already arrived yesterday when World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn was told he would have to cancel his indoor crowd pilot from today. “We realise this will be a huge disappointment for fans who were excited to witness the magic of the
Crucible over the next fortnight,” Hearn said.
The England and Wales Cricket Board, meanwhile, said it accepted the advice spectators should now be stopped from attending the two Bob Willis Trophy matches – the second weekend of crowd trials in cricket. “We understand the reasons the Government has made this decision, and remain ready to work with them to ensure supporters can safely return to stadiums when Government advice allows,” the ECB said.
The Office for National Statistics said there has been an increase in the number of people testing positive for coronavirus in England. According to the ONS, between July 20 and 26 there were around 0.78 new Covid-19 infections for every 10,000 people in the community population in England – equal to around 4,200 new cases per day, up from an estimated 2,800 new cases a day in the previous week.
“With those numbers creeping up, our assessment is that we should squeeze that brake pedal,” Johnson said, adding “indoor performances will not resume, pilots of larger gatherings in sports venues will not take place, and wedding receptions of up to 30 people will not be permitted”.
Around 5,000 annual members and their guests have now been forced to abandon their plans to attend Goodwood. “We weren’t just horse racing – this was a pilot for all sport,” Waterworth added.
Nigel Huddleston, the sports minister, was due to be among a party of observers at Goodwood today. Speaking earlier this week, he had told The Daily Telegraph that Oct 1 for a return of fans was “certainly the target that we’re looking at”.
The ECB is not expecting disruption of Wednesday’s behind-closeddoors Test match against Pakistan at Old Trafford.