2 minute read
Ah, the County Championship, bastion of egalitarian sporting competition, where every county plays every other county home and away… except for four of them.
An important thing to look at when previewing the County Championship is which matches won’t actually happen. Ten first division teams, each playing 14 matches – we can see the perfectionists among you wincing at the mathematics of it.
But is there not a certain artistry in leaving that last little something open to interpretation? Just as the Mona Lisa’s ambiguous expression has captivated onlookers for generations by somehow suggesting both melancholy and contentment, is there not something slightly magical about pondering whether or not Mark Stoneman might have laid the groundwork for a big first innings up at Headingley had he been given the chance to bat there? Is there not something quasi-transcendental about never knowing whether Mohammad Abbas might have bagged a hatful had he had the chance to open the bowling down at Hove?
The answer to all of these questions is no. It would definitely be better to play each team home and away.
But that’s not the way the domestic game is organised. The counties would rather have a greater number of them in with a chance of winning a prize that’s slightly less worth winning. And so, in March, a week away from the start of the season, we find ourselves trying to identify the gaps in the fixture list and work out whether or not they might prove meaningful.
For example, these are the matches the current champions won’t be playing this year. Will that help or hinder them? Who’s to say?
- At home to Sussex
- At home to Worcestershire
- Away to Nottinghamshire
- Away to Somerset
Maybe once the ECB’s splashed its Hundred millions on a new stadium with a roof, all of these ghost matches can be manifested in the autumn. Perhaps the County Championship could build to a big climax at Christmas.
That would at least be more in keeping with the governing body’s longstanding love of scheduling domestic finals at least a couple of months after the rest of the competition has taken place.
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The post Which County Championship games will title-holders Surrey not bother playing this year? first appeared on King Cricket.
