[Cricket] The Hundred

[Publius Ovidius]

Actually the upside of this is because there is no Sussex team and no matches in Sussex we can support whoever we like. In the IPL I (loosely) support the Chennai Super Kings simply because I worked with a guy from that area who was huge fan and his enthusiasm rubbed off. If I'm going to need a similar 'hook' to pick a 100 team.

I also had work colleagues in Pune and Mumbai and they went on at me to watch IPL as the best cricket in the world.

I watched 3 games and all it was for me, was someone smashing a six, crowd shots of overexcited people, someone hitting a single, crowd shots of over excited people waving and grinning at the camera, taking a wicket, crowd shots of over excited people and most bizarre of all, someone being out from their team and crowd shots of their fans over excitedly cheering and waving.

It was as if they didn’t give a toss about the cricket, just wanted to get their face on TV

Bit like most sport on TV really

But I gave up watching IPL a shortly after that and haven’t watched a game since.

 

[Eeyore]

You might have misread the room here Sid!

I am extremely proud to be a south saxon. I even refuse to acknowledge the 1888 Local Government Act that split our county in two! If I'm writing my address I will only ever put the county as "Sussex".

I am proud and honoured to have been born and raised in the kingdom of the south saxons (and I was born after 1950!)

It goes back WAY before then. It's not been administered as one county since medieval times.

I am PROUD to be an refugee to the kingdom. Rescued as a abandoned babe from the evil clutches of Surrey. I was granted the adopted right to remain 18 months later. Ironically on the 16th June. And any true South Saxon KNOWS what that day is.

 

[Beanstalk]

1.6 million watched the BBC coverage of the women's game last night. To put that into context that's the above average viewing figure for Man United games in this country (last season).

For all of it's flaws, The Hundred is free-to-air. The barrier of a Sky subscription has cut a huge potential audience off from getting into the game (ECB's fault again).

I personally am on the fence with The Hundred. Cricket was my game growing up, I played at a high youth level and I absolutely loved it. However, the long days and snobbishness in the game really made me fall out of love with it for a long time. I still go to 3/4 games a season, especially now I live within walking distance of Lords but I don't love it in the way that I once did. I am not invested like I used to be. I guess The Hundred offers an alternative that is only trying to be fun. I think pairing the women's and men's games is sensational - I have tickets for a game at Lords and am looking forward to both games equally.

Whilst the format is weird and gimmicky, there were similar criticisms when T20 came about - "What's next T10? Super Over?". I am not overly convinced, and think it is a huge gamble that is potentially at the expense of other forms of the game, I hope it revitalises both the men and women's games in this country and gets people like me back into watching and perhaps into playing again.

 

[vegster]

how very dare you

He is a Lancastrian!

He had no problem taking the red Rose cash so he's pretty much adopted! ... Had a penny drop moment tonight listening to 5Live.. To coin a phrase some very gentle full tosses were bowled between the presenters and the " Expert Summarisers " tonight which were duly despatched with a veritable blizzard of superlatives and hyperbole... Apparently last night's match could not be beaten for fireworks lights and boogie music is it actually worth playing another one in case it's a bit meh ?......

The penny dropped when the presenter announced that you can watch all these matches on the BBC! If Sky or BT Sport had got the gig you can bet it would not have been even mentioned!

 

[Hampster Gull]

1.6 million watched the BBC coverage of the women's game last night. To put that into context that's the above average viewing figure for Man United games in this country (last season).

For all of it's flaws, The Hundred is free-to-air. The barrier of a Sky subscription has cut a huge potential audience off from getting into the game (ECB's fault again).

I personally am on the fence with The Hundred. Cricket was my game growing up, I played at a high youth level and I absolutely loved it. However, the long days and snobbishness in the game really made me fall out of love with it for a long time. I still go to 3/4 games a season, especially now I live within walking distance of Lords but I don't love it in the way that I once did. I am not invested like I used to be. I guess The Hundred offers an alternative that is only trying to be fun. I think pairing the women's and men's games is sensational - I have tickets for a game at Lords and am looking forward to both games equally.

Whilst the format is weird and gimmicky, there were similar criticisms when T20 came about - "What's next T10? Super Over?". I am not overly convinced, and think it is a huge gamble that is potentially at the expense of other forms of the game, I hope it revitalises both the men and women's games in this country and gets people like me back into watching and perhaps into playing again.

Wow. We really are bored as a country

 

[METALMICKY]

Please god do those graphics stay on the screen permanently? Off putting or what!

 

[carlzeiss]

Please god do those graphics stay on the screen permanently? Off putting or what!

Looks rather like teletext has made a comeback

 

[jabba]

About half the group matches are on the BBC/iPlayer as well as both men's & women's final

 

[VAL1850]

No not for me, love the tests, one day 50 overs. Grown into T20, watched 10 mins of this can't get into it, hope it doesn't eat into the T20's...

 

[DJ NOBO]

I love county cricket and felt dirty watching the hundred tonight.
I accept it was entertaining, but that was nothing to do with the format. It was because cricket is a great game (and has been for a long time).
One other thing - time outs, what a stupid idea (i know it’s used in t20). It basically allows the fielding team to take the sting out of the match when it gets exciting.

 

[crodonilson]

Another excellent nights entertainment, sadly no Becky Hill tonight though.

The atmosphere was a bit too raucous and boisterous for my liking, don't think the organisers will have liked that. The Invincibles are certainly living up to their name.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Another excellent nights entertainment, sadly no Becky Hill tonight though.

The atmosphere was a bit too raucous and boisterous for my liking, don't think the organisers will have liked that. The Invincibles are certainly living up to their name.

1/10

You can tell you've been rumbled.

 

[vegster]

Was wondering, do the " Originals " play in a Brown / Blue coloured kit?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

1/10

You can tell you've been rumbled.

And there ain’t no Mrs Crodo either; the whole thing’s a frickin’ construct.

 

[Rugrat]

I was there. Bit of a piss up with my mates tbh. Good to see that Piglets have got the pies contract, and they were selling well. Chicken Tikka for me

 

[Berty23]

I was there. Bit of a piss up with my mates tbh. Good to see that Piglets have got the pies contract, and they were selling well. Chicken Tikka for me

This was always going to be the base re piss up. They try to sell it for families and after the women’s match they said “look how family friendly it is” - the men’s matches will be just like the blast won’t they? Lots of families and lots of people getting smashed. If anything I expect the hundred to get even more people who love a session because they are targeting people who don’t like cricket and the tickets are very cheap. Would that count as a success? Not if their metric is families but if it gets more people wanting to go to tests which are already worth about 20 million a piece here then it is a win for ecb.

 

[Is it PotG?]

This was always going to be the base re piss up. They try to sell it for families and after the women’s match they said “look how family friendly it is” - the men’s matches will be just like the blast won’t they? Lots of families and lots of people getting smashed. If anything I expect the hundred to get even more people who love a session because they are targeting people who don’t like cricket and the tickets are very cheap. Would that count as a success? Not if their metric is families but if it gets more people wanting to go to tests which are already worth about 20 million a piece here then it is a win for ecb.

I was at T20 finals day at Edgbaston a couple of years back where Sussex came oh sooooo close. There was a bunch of Worcs fans on it all day and by the end of the final they were luzzing drinks into the hospitality calling people out for a tear up etc. This was on the opposite side to the renowned tranquility of the Hollies Stand.

I fear, after a period, this may end up a similar way as you say.

 

[Berty23]

Just to be clear. I love a piss up at the t20 and have been to virtually all finals days and I usually sit in the hollies for test matches (I did for NZ a few weeks ago). I love taking my kids to the blast as they have good family areas where the beer snakes are nowhere to be seen. The kids love it. My lad was so happy with his picture of him with Ian bell. Although not as happy as the one we have with babar azam when he played at edgbaston for Somerset in the championship a couple of years ago. Yes. A 10 year old at championship and he loved it.

It is obvious that when pundits talk about brilliant atmosphere that they are talking about pissed up chanting. The atmosphere at family events is different.

 

[Lethargic]

As someone with a passing interest in cricket (their target audience I would guess) I thought I would give it a go. Although the actual cricket was fine and didn't come across as that much different to T20 the overall event just felt rather staged, this might be because it was a new thing so a bit of over exuberance but it all felt a bit WWE to me with the tacky in your face graphics on screen, cut always to some z list celebrity and the constant references to the big crowds and superb atmosphere.

I will watch it occasionally, much Iike any other format of cricket (until it move off free to air) but nothing more.

 

[Southern Scouse]

My conundrum is that I’m not a sky lover. So the chance to see some decent cricket free to air, at a reasonable time of day really ticked the boxes for me.
It is a shame Sussex are not involved but I suppose it gives you the opportunity to change allegiance without feeling guilty!
I’ll be hoping to see the Brave do well, but cricket it all its forms brings a little joy into this old heart.