The English Summer of Cricket

[James P]

Would be much better with a fully closing roof - cant trust the English weather - that way guarantees games go ahead and the revenue keeps coming in

Cricket - A sport played exclusively outdoors which has to stop for rain. Sums it up for me.

[jon253]

Cricket - A sport played exclusively outdoors which has to stop for rain. Sums it up for me.

think you might have missed my point

[WestHamIFC]

Friday night T20 cricket & beer in the summer - would LOVE this..!


Essex want Twenty20 cricket at Olympic Stadium

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/22044029


Essex chief executive Derek Bowden has said the club are keen to play Twenty20 fixtures at the Olympic Stadium.

West Ham will be the main tenants of the venue from 2016.But the Chelmsford-based club are eager to discuss the possibility of hosting T20 games at the Stratford arena.

"We regularly sell out at Chelmsford. We'll sell 7,000 for a Twenty20 game on a Friday night. There's an opportunity to take cricket down to East London," Bowden told BBC Look East.

• Multi-purpose cricket stadiums
  
  Melbourne Cricket Ground: The Australian 100,000-capacity venue has hosted football as well as cricket
  Moses Mabhida Stadium: Located in Durban, South Africa, the 54,00-seater stadium was a World Cup venue that also hosts cricket
  Eden Park: Auckland's 50,000-capacity stadium hosts rugby union and rugby league and has a removable cricket pitch
  Westpac Stadium: Capable of holding 36,000, the Wellington venue hosts football, rugby union, rugby league and cricket
  Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: Football and cricket are played at the 70,000-capacity stadium in Kochi, India

"East London is actually part of the region Essex County Cricket Board is responsible for in terms of grassroots cricket.

"We'll hopefully speak to West Ham, in the next few weeks. I would think towards the end of April, early May we could meet with the West Ham management to see if there is any viability."



Bowden's predecessor David East suggested in 2010 that the Olympic Stadium could become a Twenty20 venue for the county.

While the Hammers have been named as the anchor tenant for the Olympic Stadium, the decision over whether to allow cricket to be played at the venue is likely to lie with the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the organisation overseeing the transformation of the arena.

There are also plans to host rugby matches at the London 2012 site, with the Rugby World Cup in 2015 an aim.

A spokesperson for the London Legacy Development Corporation said: "The Stadium will become a multi-use venue so we are open to additional uses including cricket provided they can fit alongside other concessionaires such as West Ham United and UK Athletics.

"We will be creating a process for interested parties to submit proposals for one-off events such as Twenty20 cricket matches."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the chairman of the LLDC, is keen to encourage a diversity of sports at the Olympic Stadium and has welcomed Essex's interest.

"I've said repeatedly that the stadium is something for everybody in London and everybody in the country," he told BBC London 94.9.

"It is a national asset. We are going to make sure it doesn't just have association football, although that is going to be a glorious part of it with West Ham.

"We are going to have other events as well. We are still trying to make it fit for the rugby, but we can't be confident that will work for 2015. If we can get some cricket in that would be fantastic as well."

• Chelmsford to Stratford
  Essex's Chelmsford home is less than 30 miles away from the Olympic Stadium

England captain and Essex batsman Alastair Cook has also backed the proposal.

"It would be fantastic for Essex to be able to play at the Olympic Stadium," Cook said.
"East London has a huge amount of participation in cricket and taking the game there would benefit Essex as well.

"As a player, it would be fantastic. It would have to be a Twenty20 game. County Championship matches should be played at Chelmsford or at the festival at Colchester.

"You want to play in front of good crowds befitting of the stadium. With Twenty20 you have got a chance of getting 10,000 or 15,000 there which would make it a good atmosphere."

West Ham intend to reduce the stadium's capacity from 80,000 to 60,000, but Bowden believes crowds of at least 20,000 could be accommodated for cricket.

"We would need to look at the financials as well as the logistics, but 20,000 people watching Twenty20 cricket on a Friday night would make for fantastic entertainment," he said.

"It can work for cricket. There is obviously a cost attached and that is something we would need to look into very clearly.

"Technologically it can be done."



- Can see this leading to International T20s here too. Pakistan v India, or England v either of them would easily Sell Out.

[bonzosbeard]

With the seats back into athletics mode I would love to see a game in the Ashes series in front of 70,000 fans, different than Lords and Oval, I think could be great.

[AMC1964]

With the seats back into athletics mode I would love to see a game in the Ashes series in front of 70,000 fans, different than Lords and Oval, I think could be great.

Much as I totally agree with you, I very much doubt that will ever happen. Unless of course the ECB run it them selves...

Slurrey and Middlesex would never allow those Essex oiks to have a test match ground.

[WestHamIFC]

Much as I totally agree with you, I very much doubt that will ever happen. Unless of course the ECB run it them selves...

Slurrey and Middlesex would never allow those Essex oiks to have a test match ground.

I suspect money will talk. Oval only holds 23,500 and Lord's only 28,000. Pretty much all England games are a total Sell-Out for matches held at those venues.

So financially it's a no brainer to utilise the OS for England games, Essex T20s, and any games India or Pakistan are playing on these shores.

Ashes and T20's under the lights would be fantastic!

[bendavids]

If there were a deal to buy a cricket 'bolt on' to your football season ticket, I'd definitely be all over that.

In fact, given the supposed multi-use nature of the stadium, I'd be keen for football season ticket benefits to inlcude priority booking for other sports/ concerts, etc in general (not just cricket). Hope the board have thought about this? Swansea do a football/ Ospreys bulk deal on season tickets I'm told, for example.

[HammerMan2004]

I've thought the same. When there was talk of a London based NFL franchise at the Olympic Stadium I'd be all over a double West Ham / NFL season ticket. Providing the NFL team played in claret and blue

[eastsider]

I can only see forms of the one day game being allowed to take place there IMO.

[AMC1964]

The NFL boys would want exclusive rights to ticketing, and they would cut the pitch up monstrously. I love American football, but we don't want it in our stadium whilst it's a winter sport....

[Rays Rock]

You could quite easily bang that place out playing a triangular 20/20 tournament featuring any of the following sides, England (obviously), India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. The tickets would sell in minutes if India played Pakistan there I can assure you.

[Heysel76]

If there were a deal to buy a cricket 'bolt on' to your football season ticket, I'd definitely be all over that.

.

I'm sure something similar to "Club Wembley" will be rolled out, but as we are only anchor tenants, the club wont be in charge. However, theres no reason they couldn't arrange deals with cricket etc.

[AMC1964]

I think Trap1 asked earlier how much Essex charge for kids membership...U-16's £12 mate...

Tremendous value. They've sold loads of tickets as well...

[WestHamIFC]

I really don’t like the idea of other counties possibly playing ‘home’ games on our patch. Not sure why they would want to either..(!)


Olympic Stadium could host cricket festival - Essex chief

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23083232


Essex chief Derek Bowden says plans to play Twenty20 cricket at the Olympic Stadium could include other teams.

The Chelmsford club have discussed the prospect with London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), the organisation responsible for the stadium's future.

"I had a conversation with the LLDC a few weeks ago and they're very keen for there to be a cricket festival," the Essex chief executive told BBC Essex.

"Not before 2016 because there is work to be done. But we're keen to do it."

West Ham will be the main tenants of the venue from 2016, but the LLDC has previously said it would be open to cricket being played at the East London arena, which will also host athletics and possibly rugby.

Essex, who are also trying to finalise plans for an £80m redevelopment of their Chelmsford ground, regularly sell out their 7,000-capacity venue and hope to attract larger crowds in Stratford.

"The conversations I've had have been about a two-week window where we, and maybe a few other counties, play cricket there to maximise the use of the stadium and mitigate the investment needed to convert it for cricket," said Bowden, a former chief executive of Ipswich Town.

"Job number one is our own ground redevelopment, but we're looking forward to playing cricket in London."

• Multi-purpose cricket stadiums
  
  Melbourne Cricket Ground: The Australian 100,000-capacity venue has hosted football as well as cricket
  Moses Mabhida Stadium: Located in Durban, South Africa, the 54,00-seater stadium was a World Cup venue that also hosts cricket
  Eden Park: Auckland's 50,000-capacity stadium hosts rugby union and rugby league and has a removable cricket pitch
  Westpac Stadium: Capable of holding 36,000, the Wellington venue hosts football, rugby union, rugby league and cricket
  Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: Football and cricket are played at the 70,000-capacity stadium in Kochi, India

[Billy_Boy]

It's perfectly feasible with a drop-in pitch; I've no doubt we'll be seeing a lot more in years to come. Surely, though if Essex (or any other team) wants to play there, then they will have to pay for it. The ECB might fund it as it is, potentially, the largest cricket venue in the land but if it takes fixtures away from The Oval and, in particular, Lord's, then the MCC and Surrey's members/committee will be up in arms.

Regarding artificial pitches - They are adequate for junior level games and practice but are barely suitable for even league cricket. They are commonplace at club-level Aussie Rules ovals and are typically laid directly on a concrete base to replicate the hard pitches found there.

[Hampshire Hammer]

I could see it being used for T20 finals day, frequently there is a huge demand for finals day meaning that there are a lot of lost ticket sales. Whether it would be cost effective is another question of course.

Other than that an international T20 tournament might sell a lot of tickets or an ashes test, but most cricket games wouldn't sell enough I would have thought.

[LincolnshireHammer]

Can't see the OS hosting an Ashes test match. Only at the expense of either the Oval or Lord's. Not fair on the rest of the country if there are three test matches in one city.

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

[Hampshire Hammer]

Can't see the OS hosting an Ashes test match. Only at the expense of either the Oval or Lord's. Not fair on the rest of the country if there are three test matches in one city.

If it's not broke, don't fix it.

True, and other counties have been trying for years to host a test match and only given crumbs. But the Ashes are the only English tests that sell capacity and don't underestimate the establishments wish to get more money in. Failing that an India V Pakistan series in England would sell well.

[Westbourne Bill]

Essex couldn't even fill Chelmsford for Monday's T20 vs Kent with brilliant weather.I really cant see any benefit in them playing any games at the OS.

[WestHamIFC]

Essex couldn't even fill Chelmsford for Monday's T20 vs Kent with brilliant weather.I really cant see any benefit in them playing any games at the OS.

Er, I think you've just highlighted precisely why they would benefit from a move to the OS, surely??

Stratford is just one stop from Liverpool St, so it's on the way home for huge swathes of Essex commuters working in the City or central London. Even for those who commute via Fenchurch St it's way more accessible than Chelmsford!!

For away fans it's one stop from King's Cross coming from up North, and in London Zone 3 for Middlesex, Kent, Surrey fans who commute to, or live in, London.

Then factor in the far greater population density in the former Essex Greater London Boroughs like Havering, Redbridge, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, etc, etc - I personally know plenty who would start going.
Furthermore these areas have a considerable Asian, & without wising to stereotype, often cricket mad ethnic community.

The above groups are hardly likely to trapse all the way up to current County Ground on a Monday night...! However if it's on their doorstep...

If I were Essex chairman, I'd be absolutely desperate to tap into this potential huge new audience.