3:40pm Monday 21st December 2009
By Matt Donlan
KIDS playing Cricket at their local clubs could be hit the hardest if proposals to put Ashes cricket on terrestrial television are forced through, according to the worried chief executive of Lancashire County Cricket Club.
Jim Cumbes believes the proposals would spell disaster for the grassroots game and is backing the England and Wales Cricket Board stance campaigning against the sport’s showpiece clash being included in David Davies’ recent list of events which should be on free-to-air TV - arguing it would cost the game millions from bidding rights, millions that are filtered down through local cricket boards into schools and junior cricket.
Sky currently hold the rights to show live coverage of all English domestic cricket and England’s home games after outbidding Channel 4 but Davies wants to see the BBC screening the biggest matches.
And Cumbes says that cash pool for the boards will be significantly reduced if the ECB is forced to sell the Ashes to one of the terrestrial channels.
“If BBC bid higher than Sky or Channel Four of Five than that’s not a problem, that's the market place getting a market value,” Cumbes told the Lancashire Telegraph.
“The BBC use to pay such a small amount for it because nobody was interested at the time. And you do wonder if the BBC are interested in the rights to cricket now.
“I think the Ashes should be there for everybody to bid for, but it should be at market rate and should go to the highest bidder,” said Cumbes “We shouldn’t be told it has to be on terrestrial. That is not good for the game.
“I do think that some people look through misty eyes when they talk about how the coverage used to be.
“If you forget the financial side, games were rarely or never shown unbroken. They used to nip off for the news or the 2.45 at Kempton and coverage has definitely changed for the better over the recent years.
“I also don’t buy into the idea that people are restricted by coverage being no Sky either. Don’t forget, children are at school and people are at work during the day when games are played and that’s why I think it is crucial to ensure we have a sensibly scheduled highlights programme in the early evening rather than late at night.”
Cumbes is also aware that organisations like the Lancashire Cricket Board would suffer the hardest blow should revenue fall.
“The money Sky pay now is a market rate and is very important to cricket as a whole.,” he said.
“If the Ashes were listed, all the counties would lose out financially to a degree, but it is a bit lower down the scale like the Lancashire Cricket Board (LCB) that would lose out and all the other boards around the country. Then you are talking about all the schools that are supported by the boards.
“The distribution to counties has gone up, but not enormously, since the introduction of Sky.
“But the money that has gone into the grassroots has gone up an awful lot in that time.
“Before Sky came in, the LCB had around three cricket development officers, now they are looking to have a coach in every borough and are well on the way to achieving that.
“And that’s the future of the sport and spreads the gospel of cricket.
“Work has gone on at grounds all across the county installing nets and improving training areas and coaching programmes.
“We all hear stories of how the game isn’t played in schools as much but through the LCB we can ensure that youngsters play the game.”
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