CRICKET has yet to embrace the concept of play-offs to settle matters of promotion and relegation, but the match between Lancashire and Gloucestershire at Old Trafford, which begins today, is effectively a relegation decider. With the fates of Northamptonshire and Worcestershire sealed, these are the only teams who can also be relegated from the first division of the Frizzell County Championship. They do not begin on a level playing field because Gloucestershire have a 17-point advantage, but Lancashire could avoid the drop with a victory in which they score three more bonus points than their opponents.
Gloucestershire will ensure their safety if they score six points, which could be accrued from bonus points in the first innings. For example, if they bowl first and dismiss Lancashire within 130 overs, they would need to make 300 to avoid relegation. If Gloucestershire bat first and make 350 in the first 130 overs, they would then require six wickets to demote Lancashire.
Lancashire’s hopes of achieving the comprehensive victory that they need are all the slimmer because they have not won a championship match since May. Then, top of the table with two victories in their first four matches, they looked as if they would fulfil the prophecies of most pundits, that their 70-year wait for an outright championship victory would be ended this season. How did it come to this?
“We’re not dodging the issue, we’ve not played well enough and therefore not got enough points,” Mike Watkinson, the cricket manager, said. “But certain things have made life difficult, notably injuries to key players.” Only two players, Mark Chilton and Gary Keedy, have played in every championship match this season.
“When key players have been out, others have suffered a dip in form,” Watkinson said. “Carl Hooper is a prime example, a quality player who for a while was scratching around not knowing where his next run was coming from. All this has led to a lack of confidence, which has made it difficult for players to express themselves.”
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Because of the crucial nature of the contest, the ECB has appointed a match referee, Philip Sharpe, to oversee a championship match for only the fifth time. A situation may arise in which a tactical declaration from Gloucestershire, thereby denying Lancashire bowling points, would settle the relegation issue. However, after such a declaration last season by Worcestershire against Northamptonshire that clinched the second division title against their nearest rivals, regulations have been introduced to guard against “extraordinary declarations” that bring the game into disrepute.
Gloucestershire were given a timely boost yesterday when Jon Lewis, their leading wicket-taker, signed a new three-year contract.