Strathmore Cricket Union Handbook 1999

5 (ii) other sports' seasons are taking greater bites into cricket's already short season, usually to cricket's detriment. (iii) there are many more attractive leisure pursuits for a new generation who, strangely enough, do not find a six or seven hour game of cricket with sometimesminimal personal involvement very appealing. Playing cricket is not considered to be cool and when it's boring as well, cricket will get the heave. What do I suggest? There is nothing we can do about (i) but (iii), in particular, can be addressed and this would help with (ii). I think that the Premier and First Division matches should be played over 90 overs and the Second Division over 80 overs and that the Draw should be removed. On this point, in order to maintain interest to the end of a one-sidedWin/Lose match, I would award 10 points to the winning team and up to 9 points to the losing team, depending on the margin of defeat, e.g. 9 points for a defeat by 1 wicket or 1 to 10 runs, 8 points for a 2 wicket or 11 to 20 run defeat and so on. I can now hear all you traditionalists shrieking in horror. Now, I much prefer Test Cricket to the artificially induced excitement and hype of One-Day Cricket and yet I advocate this type of cricket for the Union? Youmust remember that today's kids are brought up on artificial excitement and hype . Unless we make the playing conditions more attractive for young players, they will do something else and you traditionalists will have no-one to play your seven hour draws against! A shorter, snappier, more exciting game of cricket is better than no game at all. If you don't agree with me then I would like to hear your thoughts and what you would do about it, if anything.