Measures to improve pitches approved by First Class Forum

Cricket's First Class Forum today (Thursday 16 December) agreed to the principle of establishing a National Cricket Academy, to be in operation by the end of next year.

A proposal, presented by Hugh Morris, Technical Director for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), was accepted in principle, and the ECB will now conduct a feasibility study to determine the appropriate location and the best way of funding the project.

The National Academy will ensure that young cricketers have daily access to the best technical, tactical, physical and mental training for a four-month winter period, and they will also be appropriately supported in their everyday life through the Life Skills component of the programme. High performance training and development systems will be established to focus on the provision of cricket-specific programmes throughout the Academy structure.

The issue of County Academies was also discussed. It was agreed to undertake further investigation into the current best practices of existing County Academies and the First Class Forum will re-address the matter at a later date.

Pitches

The First Class Forum also approved the introduction of Pitch Liaison Officers for the 2000 season to address the need to improve the quality of pitches.

Pitch Liaison Officers will be empowered to attend any First Class fixture and discuss pitch preparation with the Host Groundsman, Chief Executive and Umpires. They will have the authority to penalise Counties for the preparation of sub standard surfaces by means of a sliding scale of point penalties together with instant sanctions for unsatisfactory pitches.

For a 'poor' pitch there will be an immediate penalty of eight points. The penalty for another 'poor' pitch within 12 months will be a further 12 points and the penalty for any pitch deemed 'unfit' will be 20 points.

Finally, there will be a change to the bonus points system for the PPP healthcare County Championship next season, with five batting and three bowling points replacing the current ratio of four and four. It is hoped that this will also encourage the preparation of less bowler-friendly pitches.

Tim Lamb, Chief Executive of the ECB, said, "It was a very productive meeting. The quality of pitches is a high priority and we believe that the recommendations agreed today will help to raise the standard of pitch preparation around the country. It is also encouraging that we agreed the principle of introducing a National Academy to help us bring on the best talent in the land."

In the final First Class Forum (FCF) meeting of the year, the 2000 budget was also approved. The FCF is comprised of representatives from the 18 First Class Counties and the MCC. The Chairman of the FCF is David Morgan.