Franchise cricket has edged out members

LAST Autumn, The Cricket Paper kindly published my letter in which I vowed I would walk away from cricket if the new eight-team competition was approved.

Well now, of course, we are in that situation and this is my last season as a county member.

My club, Nottinghamshire, is effectively no longer a members’ club; as so-called members have, in practice, no influence let alone power over decisions made.

In effect, we are now season ticket holders, and nothing more. In fact we are less than that, as we have been derided, denied information and ridiculed.

Ironically we have been labelled as old (a crime these days?) and out of touch by people who are pretty much our age themselves.

Nationally, one ex-England captain was, and is, particularly rude about our generation, but I will not stoop to his level, and I ignore his comments.

I will pay to see some games here and there from 2018, maybe not at Trent Bridge, as I feel very let down, but if I go anywhere near a “franchise” match you have my full permission to shoot me!

The biggest danger to cricket in England and Wales, in my opinion, is debt. If the competition fails financially – and that is very probable, especially with the insane year 2020 schedule as currently proposed – the ECB balance sheet will not be able to take the hit, even less so those of many of the counties.

‘Future Proofing’ is a Tom Harrison mantra. RICHARD DAY Nottingham