In the annual fixture between the amateur Hampshire Hogs and the mighty MCC, one might expect the world’s most famous cricket club to cover the cost of the tea.
Not so. A request for Marylebone Cricket Club to help foot the bill for refreshments has been batted away, and the smaller club has complained that it is just not cricket, writes Ivo Tennant.
The fixture between the two historic clubs was established in the early 1970s at the Hogs’ picturesque cricket ground at Warnford in the Meon Valley.
The MCC XI has traditionally been provided with a full sit-down lunch and tea, as well as a groundsman to prepare the pitch, a home umpire and a scorer.
For years the Hogs were prepared to foot the bill but the mounting cost of staging fixtures meant that this winter a request was made to MCC to cover the costs of its own players. The charge would be £275, which every other visiting side willingly pays each summer.
To the surprise of the Hogs, founded in 1887, the more senior cricketing institution, which dates back to 1787, refused to pay up.
The MCC already provides two cricket balls for each fixture it plays away from Lord’s and believes that this is quite sufficient. “It was agreed in 2008 that none of MCC’s opponents would be offered funding. Any opponent requesting additional funding to the match balls would be removed from the fixture list,” John Stephenson, MCC’s cricket secretary, said.
“The only exception was when a state school had to use a club ground in order to play a fixture against MCC. The view of the sub-committee has not changed since then.”
In years gone by, some MCC captains or match managers have contributed to the costs of the match, sometimes out of their own pocket, but the Hogs were often left short-changed. Hence their request to MCC to cover the mounting expenses on a more formal basis.
The Hogs took a dim view of the MCC attitude at their annual meeting. All but one member voted not to invite MCC or any other club who were not prepared to pay match fees. Representations were made to Matthew Fleming, the MCC president who is a great-nephew of the 007 author Ian Fleming, but he sided with the club’s fixtures subcommittee.
An MCC spokesman added: “Our fixtures are prestigious. We do not expect the red carpet to be rolled out but we prioritise our state school fixtures.”
The MCC does not wish to subsidise match fees out of annual subscriptions, even though it has 18,000 members. Funds are required for the redevelopment of Lord’s at a time when the staging of a second Test match each summer in future is in doubt.
Not everyone involved with Hampshire Hogs was disappointed that this summer’s fixture will not go ahead. Jonathan Grant, chairman of the Hogs cricket subcommittee, said: “There was another theme at the annual meeting — that the game between our clubs had not been enjoyable for many years. I have rarely played in it but for those that had there was clearly an atmosphere between the MCC players and ours which would seem to stem from a different approach to the concept of the ‘spirit of cricket’ [which is promoted by MCC] and the manner in which the game is played.”
The Hogs found that few members of the MCC side knew each other and some players seemed to using the fixture merely as a method of qualification for MCC membership.
The Hogs will have to make do this summer with fixtures against opponents including Wine Trade, Flashmen, I Zingari and Jack Frost XI. The Times.
Not so. A request for Marylebone Cricket Club to help foot the bill for refreshments has been batted away, and the smaller club has complained that it is just not cricket, writes Ivo Tennant.
The fixture between the two historic clubs was established in the early 1970s at the Hogs’ picturesque cricket ground at Warnford in the Meon Valley.
The MCC XI has traditionally been provided with a full sit-down lunch and tea, as well as a groundsman to prepare the pitch, a home umpire and a scorer.
For years the Hogs were prepared to foot the bill but the mounting cost of staging fixtures meant that this winter a request was made to MCC to cover the costs of its own players. The charge would be £275, which every other visiting side willingly pays each summer.
To the surprise of the Hogs, founded in 1887, the more senior cricketing institution, which dates back to 1787, refused to pay up.
The MCC already provides two cricket balls for each fixture it plays away from Lord’s and believes that this is quite sufficient. “It was agreed in 2008 that none of MCC’s opponents would be offered funding. Any opponent requesting additional funding to the match balls would be removed from the fixture list,” John Stephenson, MCC’s cricket secretary, said.
“The only exception was when a state school had to use a club ground in order to play a fixture against MCC. The view of the sub-committee has not changed since then.”
In years gone by, some MCC captains or match managers have contributed to the costs of the match, sometimes out of their own pocket, but the Hogs were often left short-changed. Hence their request to MCC to cover the mounting expenses on a more formal basis.
The Hogs took a dim view of the MCC attitude at their annual meeting. All but one member voted not to invite MCC or any other club who were not prepared to pay match fees. Representations were made to Matthew Fleming, the MCC president who is a great-nephew of the 007 author Ian Fleming, but he sided with the club’s fixtures subcommittee.
An MCC spokesman added: “Our fixtures are prestigious. We do not expect the red carpet to be rolled out but we prioritise our state school fixtures.”
The MCC does not wish to subsidise match fees out of annual subscriptions, even though it has 18,000 members. Funds are required for the redevelopment of Lord’s at a time when the staging of a second Test match each summer in future is in doubt.
Not everyone involved with Hampshire Hogs was disappointed that this summer’s fixture will not go ahead. Jonathan Grant, chairman of the Hogs cricket subcommittee, said: “There was another theme at the annual meeting — that the game between our clubs had not been enjoyable for many years. I have rarely played in it but for those that had there was clearly an atmosphere between the MCC players and ours which would seem to stem from a different approach to the concept of the ‘spirit of cricket’ [which is promoted by MCC] and the manner in which the game is played.”
The Hogs found that few members of the MCC side knew each other and some players seemed to using the fixture merely as a method of qualification for MCC membership.
The Hogs will have to make do this summer with fixtures against opponents including Wine Trade, Flashmen, I Zingari and Jack Frost XI. The Times.
