Date-stamped : 08 Dec93 - 10:33 SOURCE: The Guardian DATE: 29 April 1993 SPO PAGE: 18 Cricket: Silent army starts on the long march MATTHEW ENGEL Matthew Engel predicts that supporters may rebel in the new county championship season HARDLY anyone took much notice when the first Communist Interna- tional met in 1864. Even fewer people noticed a couple of Satur- days ago when representatives of eight county supporters' clubs got together in Northampton to discuss forming a national associ- ation. This meeting might not quite have the same impact, there being no tsar left to overthrow. It might, however, just be the begin- ning of something far more significant than even its organisers intend. The 1993 County Championship season, the first with the new for- mat of 17 four-day matches, begins today amid a mood of widespread alienation among the game's most loyal enthusiasts. The 18 first-class counties have more than 102,000 members, rang- ing from Lancashire's 13,500 to Derbyshire's 1,976; another 18,000 belong to MCC and a few thousand more to the minor coun- ties. Subscriptions are the basis of cricket's economy. This is the game's electorate. Cricket, in contrast to football, is democratic. The Test and County Cricket Board, which controls the game, is merely the national body of these members' clubs. And if enough people in enough counties wish to turf out A C Smith, Ted Dexter, Graham Gooch, four-day cricket, one-day crick- et, covered wickets, coloured clothes, designer stubble, baseball caps and everything else they dislike about the modern profes- sional game, they have the power to do so. In theory. Of course, democracy hardly ever works that way. But the MCC re- bellion over the Gower affair, led by Dennis Oliver, a Kent busi- nessman, gave an inkling that the grumbling conservatism that has affected followers since the bat was a curved stick might be cha- nging to something more insurrectionary. Among the people who will begin the summer-long vigil today with their anoraks, sandwiches and Wisdens at the county grounds of England, there is a widespread feeling - as yet hardly even arti- culated - that the game's rulers are far more interested in the opinions of sponsors and television executives than in the fol- lowers'. The Northampton meeting was only partly connected with this. Supporters' clubs do not represent all county members; four of the counties do not even have such an organisation. And often their main function is to organise coach travel to away games, which is not a mass activity. Indeed, the major grievance ex- pressed at the meeting concerned the switch from 40-over to 50- over games on Sundays, which means an earlier start for the char- abancs. One of the objectives of the new, uncatchy-titled National Asso- ciation of County Cricket Supporters' Clubs is simple fellowship. When they arrive at an away ground, cricket followers want to be among friends. And, though another aim is to try for a little in- fluence on the game's administration, Bill Darker, the chairman of the new body, is very cautious. ''We had eight counties represented and five more sent apologies and said they support us. Our attitude is that we would like to form an association so that we can become recognised and the TCCB can come and consult us. Whether they will or not is another matter; they sent out questionnaires about the changes for this season but I've never found anybody yet who had one. ''We haven't even told the TCCB we exist yet. Our attitude is 'Let's get started'. We don't want to be jumping in with both feet. There are a lot of people who don't want to criticise.'' Darker, a retired insurance agent, runs the Northamptonshire supporters' club, whose main achievements have been to raise mo- ney for minor ground improvements and to persuade the committee to put up a boundary fence. Quite likely the new organisation will operate on the same gen- tle scale. But such a body could be used to express far more dangerous opinions. They would easily have enough clout to pass motions at counties' annual meetings. Except in Yorkshire, county members usually take things quietly. But the season begins amid widespread concern that cricket's rulers are out of touch with people who watch the game. And if the members do not open their mouths soon to express their views, someone might slap an advertising hoarding there instead. If there is somewhere in the country some village Hampden, a pa- vilion Luther, even a Lenin of the Thermos flasks, the time has never been riper. Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)