In 2003 the England and Wales Cricket Board, faced with dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship of the game, were looking at ways to boost the popularity of cricket with the younger generation. The intention was to develop fast-paced, exciting cricket to fans who had been put off by longer versions of the game. (This was certainly true for my brothers who aged 8 and 10 had gone to a cricket game with my dad and had to be picked up 3 hours later because they were bored!
The solution was Twenty20 or T20 as it usually shortened to. It is a much shorter version of the game with a maximum of only 20 overs for each team, contrasting with 50 overs for a standard one-day match. A game can therefore be completed in about three hours rather than over a whole day (or days in the case of Test cricket) and many of the games are played in the early evening. This has obvious appeal for families and young people.
And it has been incrediably successful, revitalising the game of cricket not just in the UK, but worldwide. There is a T20 cup held in England every year, the T20 Natwest Blast, and the T20 World cup is held every two years. This increased interest in cricket at the Twenty20 level has also been credited for increasing the popularity of One day and Test cricket.
But is it really family friendly? Would our 3.5 year old really enjoy it? The only way to find out was to go along to Essex County Cricket Ground to find out! We went to see the Essex Eagles versus Hampshire and with Essex wanting to maintain their top spot in the South League and Hampshire hoping to reach the second spot and a chance in the quarter finals, it was sure to be a great match.
The atmosphere on arrival was fantastic. Music filled the cricket ground and our seats were easy to find thanks to the really friendly staff. We had taken along a picnic, but food was available at the ground. Friends of ours highly recommended the hotdogs! The bar was also open, much to D's delight.
Now I've never actually been to any form of live cricket game before this match so I didn't have anything to compare it to but, having seen Test match cricket on the TV, I was surprised at just how fast paced the game was. With only 20 over in which to achieve the highest score, players attack the ball rather than playing more defensively as they do in longer matches. The boundaries are also shorter in a T20 game and this obviously leads to an increased likehood of the exciting 4 and 6 run scores. Umpires can also penalise teams if they feel that they are wasting time.
This fast paced game meant that T didn't get bored as there was always movement on the pitch. There were also a lot of other families at the game so weren't made to feel uncomfortable if your child did get up and wander around to have a look at something else that was going on. Cheering, singing and general noise was also encouraged so again it didn't matter if you had a particularly noisy child with you! The Essex mascots, Eddie the Eagle and Ellie the Eagle also made an appearance.
Unfortunately Essex lost but we still had a fantastic time. I would highly recommend T20 at Essex County Cricket Ground. Families and children were made to feel really welcome and the game itself appeals to all ages from 3 upwards. T really enjoyed himself and I am looking forward to next year's season already!
T20 games at Essex County Cricket Ground are frequently sold out at least a week before so it is highly recommended that tickets are brought in advance.
(Disclaimer - most technical knowledge of the T20 game must be attributed to D!)
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