The Times - UK (2022-06-11)

Spectators who are ejected from cricket
grounds for antisocial or drunken
behaviour face season-long bans under
proposals being discussed by county
chief executives.
Crowd disorder is becoming an
increasing problem, with several
alcohol-related incidents at matches in
the T20 Blast and the Hundred, in
particular, over the past two seasons.
Steve Elworthy, the chief executive of
Surrey, says he wants to come down
hard on such behaviour, to make sure
the Kia Oval is a welcoming environ-
ment for families, children and non-
drinkers. “I don’t think it has necessari-
ly got any worse lately but we are
clearer about how behaviour impacts
everyone else in the stadium,” he said.
“With inclusivity now being front
and centre of everything we do, there is
a spotlight being shone on it.
“We have to be aware that there are
people for whom an alcohol-based
environment is uncomfortable. But I
am absolutely keen we come down hard
on any unacceptable behaviours.
“I want those who break the ground
rules to be banned for a season and
their friends, if we can identify who
they are, because often it is their friends
who are egging them on.”
The troublemakers would not just be
banned from the one ground, if
Elworthy has his way. “From a chief
executive’s perspective, we have

the times | Saturday June 11 2022 1GS 5

THEDEBATE

After the first Test at Lord’s, Steve James explained what

England’s other batsmen could learn from Joe Root

Joe Root’s innings shows that high-class

basics, delivered with a positive mindset

and a clear plan, give a better chance of

success. The way he developed his plan

during his innings, rotating strike when

Ben Stokes was the aggressor,

maintaining that momentum when the

ball was old and the bowlers tiring, is one

thing that sets him apart.

James Williams

It would be good to know Steve’s

thoughts on the new era’s mantra of

having a “license to go for it”. Perhaps it’s

all in the interpretation and execution...

Stokes looked like a walking wicket and

Jonny Bairstow’s stumps seemed

destined to be smashed sooner rather

than later!

Simon Pearson

Defence is not one thing. Defending in the

sub-continental slow and low-bounce

conditions, on Australian high-bounce

pitches and in sticky English conditions

are very different. That’s why some rather

good English batsmen can’t defend and

survive in India, for instance. Root’s

brilliance is in having many kinds of

defensive games.

Bob

I think that was all to do with the run-

chase. I always worry about group

messages for batting. Everyone plays

differently and no two innings are ever

the same. It is all about adapting to

various scenarios — at the end of the day,

each batsman has to find his way of

scoring runs.

Steve James

Root has scored ¼ of

England’s Test runs

since the start of last

year (2,192 of 8,873)

25%

It was almost

like Joe was

18 again. It’s

great that

he doesn’t

have that

mountain of

added

pressure of

being captain

on his

shoulders —

and one thing

Joe always

does is score

runs.

Ben Stokes

Savour every

minute of his

batting while

we still have

the chance.

The stats

show that

players of his

brilliance

don’t come

around too

often.

Jack Russell, former

England wicketkeeper

What next?

Root may come to

the crease at Trent

Bridge today. Follow

the action live at

thetimes.co.uk/

#section-sport and

read expert analysis

from Mike Atherton,

Steve James and

others after each day

Yes, you’re right. It’s all about adapting to

circumstances and situations. It’s why it

annoys me when people talk about

batting at a certain tempo — that can

change continually depending upon the

situation.

Steve James

That is, of course, about adapting to

conditions, which is an essential part of

batting.

Steve James

Counties threaten to ban fans

after spike in drunken disorder

“A lot of it comes down to under-

standing your data and who is coming

into the ground for what matches,” he

said. “Of course, we want people to be

able to enjoy social drinks with their

friends at the cricket — no one wants to

stop that. We now have more

sophisticated data and that can help

shape how you manage things.”

Elworthy’s comments echo those of

Gordon Hollins, Somerset’s chief exec-

utive, who said this week that crowd be-

haviour issues caused by excess alcohol

had led to a record number of ejections

from the County Ground in Taunton.

There have been at least 15 ejections

by stewards in the early stages of this

year’s Blast, which is the “highest

number we’ve had at this stage in the

season so far,” Hollins said. He echoed

Elworthy’s stance, by saying that

Somerset would be taking a “very firm

line on behaviour that becomes

antisocial or discriminatory.”

Hollins, who was previously head of

county cricket at the ECB before

moving to Somerset two years ago,

stressed that poor crowd behaviour had

been seen across a number of sports —

not just cricket. “We saw it in football,

we’ve seen it in horse racing, we’ve seen

it at Lord’s, we’ve seen it everywhere

and we are not immune from it here,”

he said. “That concerns me.”

The ECB has introduced a pilot

scheme at the Oval and Edgbaston, us-

ing advanced CCTV to identify trouble

more quickly and allowing spectators

to report incidents via text message.

discussed how we can increase our data

sharing so that those who have been

banned from one stadium are also

banned from other grounds,” he added.

Elworthy’s comments come after a

handful of incidents in the Blast this

season, in which excessive alcohol

consumption by spectators has led to

fighting, the use of antisocial

language and intimidating behaviour.

This follows similar incidents in the

Blast and the Hundred last season.

During one London Spirit match in the

ECB’s newest competition, Lord’s de-

cided to close bars because of bad be-

haviour in some sections of the ground.

“We can manage it quite well at the

Oval but what’s important, I think, has

changed after Covid,” Elworthy said.

“We can see that change and we have

to reflect that. We have a non-alcohol

stand and a family stand but we are

clear that we want our crowds to be

diverse, so we will probably be extend-

ing those areas around the ground.

“Key to this all is effective stewarding.

We want stewards to pounce on poor

behaviour and put it to bed straight

away. It isn’t just about physical fighting

or pitch invasions but also being aware

of the use of offensive language and the

impact it has on others in the ground.”

Elworthy has vast experience in

managing large sporting operations,

having run a number of ICC global

events including the 2019 World Cup.

He says that understanding who is in

the ground and the sharing of data will

be key to managing the issue.

Elizabeth Ammon

MIKE EGERTON/PA; SKY SPORTS

3

5 6