Tasmania University Cricket Club

Latest News (19th. January 2006)

Twenty20 Cricket - a Club perspective.

About 500 spectators turned up to the University Oval on Tuesday 17th January, 2006 to watch the inaugural TCA Twenty20 final between the University Lions and the Glenorchy Magpies.

In discussions with some of the old stagers (apologies to Streety and Lovell) at the final it was thought that the University Oval had not had such a large crowd in attendance for a cricket match since the first grade team, which included one Eldine Baptiste, won the TCA premiership in 1986/87 early on day 2 of the final and returned triumphantly to the University Oval to watch the second grade team playing in the final. By all accounts, the crowd seemed to build to similar numbers on that particular afternoon.

The club has played in a number of Kookaburra Cup finals at the University Oval in the last decade and none of these finals attracted such a large crowd.

So Twenty20 cricket has appeal and the general public seem to embrace it. Is it still a novelty and will the appeal wear off as the years pass by?

England and South Africa embraced Twenty20 cricket from the very beginning and it has been hugely popular, at all levels, in these two countries. It will be interesting to watch, from a distance, and see if crowds continue to flock to Twenty20 cricket next season and beyond.

Why is it so popular? Is it because it is over in about the same time as a football match? Is it the nicknames? Is it the microphones hooked up to the players whilst they are playing? Is it the dancing girls? Is it the light shows and fireworks? Is it the beer vans and jumping castles? Is it the band playing on the hill? Is it the music accompanying each shot and marking the introduction of each player to the game? Is it the funky commentary?

Most importantly, is it about the cricket? After all, entertaining and exciting cricket is expected to be served up every ball. A batsman dare not leave an outswinger to pass through to the keeper. One gets the feeling that the crowd may jump the fence and set upon the batsman. I can see an angry mob parading a bloodied and decapitated head stuck on a pole around the ground chanting 'he let the ball go, he didn't play a shot'.

Is it about the cricket? I guess it is. It is fast paced. The batsman are going 'hell-for-leather' from the start. One could argue, particularly the purists amongst us, that sixes and boundaries being hit so regularly is bloody boring! And I tend to agree. After all, if you hit a six the only way you'll please the crowd is to hit another one even further. Bowlers turn up to these matches but only as window dressing - you might as well trundle a bowling machine out to the middle and be done with it.

Having said all of that when the TCA first talked about the possibility of having a Twenty20 competition at club level our club fully embraced the idea from the start.

Twenty20 cricket is about marketing - marketing your club and marketing the game of cricket to people who have never really followed the game. It is a great way to get former players and supporters to the ground. They builds networks and networks help your club. Everyone has a good time catching up with each other and the cricket often becomes a secondary issue and that's OK.

Tuesday afternoon seems to be the best time slot for TCA Twenty20 cricket. It gives the other players at your club a night off from training. We still make it compulsory for every player to turn up to support the club and good reasons must be given for non-attendance. The other players at the club mingle with each other in a different and more relaxed forum and club bonds are strengthened. Former players and supporters can drop in after work for a drink or two and usually run into former team mates and peers.

The amount of Twenty20 cricket played at club level seems to be about right as well. The knockout system ensures that every club plays, at least, 1 match and, at most, 3 matches. I believe it is very important that Twenty20 cricket is used in moderation. It should never be allowed to saturate the market. Small doses introduces new people to the game and provides a very important marketing tool for the game but that is it. It could become very evil if it gets into the wrong hands. Who knows, Twenty20 cricket may be the catalyst for reviving one day cricket as one day cricket changed the face and fortunes of test cricket. At a club level, some would argue that every club needs the opportunity to host a home game. Perhaps this can be done on a cyclical basis - those who didn't get the opportunity to host a match this season should host round 1 next season - but I would caution against increasing the number of matches played.

Twenty20 cricket is a good vehicle for raising club revenue. Bar and food takings are a small part of the take. The extra interest generated in your club should result in greater sponsorship opportunities and greater numbers joining the supporters club.

Players enjoy playing Twenty20 cricket. In many ways the pressure is off. The crowd want fun. Batsman are expected to 'throw the willow' and if dismissed attempting to entertain the crowd they will be allowed leave the ground unharmed. Bowlers are expected to 'go the distance' so any other result is a bonus. And as Josh Marquet remarked 'it is better than training' but we won't let Reeks hear that.

From our club's point of view there are a lot of people to thank for contributing to our successful campaign. I would like to thank our committee who have worked tirelessly to ensure the success of our two matches at University. John Paine should be singled out for his efforts in catering for the matches. Kibbster and Chops did a marvellous job on the BBQ. Steve Kerr covered the competition well on our website and turned up early both days to help out. Robbo, Rocket, Jon, Tony, Peter and Allie C all worked very hard to cover all bases.

As the announcer, Graeme Paine did a marvellous job in balancing humour and the facts. Penny Patterson quickly turned her hand to the intricacies and vagaries of Twenty20 cricket. She even looked reasonably sane at the conclusion of the match.

Johnny Gerrard did not miss a beat on the scoreboard and his expertise in setting up the PA system came in handy.

We must thank ABC Radio and in particular the Drive Show and Louise Saunders (Presenter), Lynne Hawkes (Producer) and John Lemm (Sound Technician) for presenting their show from the University Oval during the round 1 match against North Hobart. This helped to promote the match and build the momentum for the final. Thanks to Lucy from ABC who supplied the CD of the show.

Total Turf Care, Nic Hansen and, in particular Jason Britten, must be thanked for producing such good wickets for the Twenty20 matches.

Daniel Gray from the Cascade Brewery helped out tremendously for the final by supplying the Cascade booth and the refreshments. He also calmly sorted out a few problems along the way. He has obviously enjoyed his involvement with the club as he has joined as a playing member and played his first match last week and built a solid innings with the bat remaining not out and helping the thirds to a win over North Hobart.

Scott Godfrey and the TCA must be thanked for organising the competition. We thank them for their support in both matches by supplying people to be interviewed for the Drive Show and for advertising and promoting both matches so thoroughly.

We thank the Tasmania University Union and Asset Management Services at the University of Tasmania for their support of Twenty20 cricket.

Well the first year of Big Bash is over and now we can say we are the only club in the TCA to hold titles in all 3 forms of the game of cricket (TCA, Kookaburra Cup and Twenty20). How long will Big Bash last? The jury is out on that question but if handled properly I can see a real niche for it in the immediate future as the game of cricket continues to evolve to meet the demands of modern society.


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