Somerset Chief Hits Out At T20 Plans

Somerset CCC chief executive Richard Gould has criticised suggestions that his county should combine with others as part of a new Twenty20 league.

In March, three county chief executives met Lalit Modi, then chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), for talks.

However, the counties which stage Test cricket would retain their individual status in this proposed version of the IPL, which is competed for by city-based franchises.

Gould stated that Yorkshire chief executive Stewart Regan – one of the three county representatives to meet Modi, who has since been suspended from his post amid allegations of corruption – had put to him a plan which would see the triumvirate of counties play all their games in Cardiff.

He stated: ‘I put it to Regan that maybe Yorkshire should link up with Lancashire. His reaction was that there were far too many people to warrant anything less than two teams.

‘I indicated to him that Somerset stretches from Bath down to Land’s End, which is one of the biggest county catchments on the circuit.

‘We are just getting fed up with the Test match grounds chasing cash to pay off their own debts. We feel the Test match-hosting grounds are trying to sell us down the Swanee.’

There have been constant debates in recent years over whether county cricket should be restructured – while many first-class counties are heavily dependent on the money they receive each year from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and have been looking for additional revenue streams.

Taunton, home to Somerset since 1879, staged a one-day international in 1983 and two in 1999 when England staged the World Cup.

However, it has been the permanent home of the England women’s team since 2006 and has staged several Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 internationals, as well as the group stages of the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 in 2009.