Tweak could make Friday Twenty20 a hit

With some minor changes, the South Canterbury senior Twenty20 cricket competition's move to Friday night could still be a success in future seasons.

On the surface, this season's venture to play one game a week at Aorangi Oval for the past 10 weeks, instead of running the whole competition over one weekend, appears to have failed.

No crowds, poor scores, cold winds and no atmosphere have all played their part in keeping people away.

With the final between Celtic and Timaru contested last night at Aorangi Oval, plans can now be put in place by South Canterbury Cricket to try to improve the game's appeal to the casual fan.

Starting the competition on the first Friday in November failed on the weather front.

When the cold wind whipped around the bowl-shaped ground, it made sitting watching New Zealand's premier summer sport feel like you were watching a club rugby match in mid-July.

Shifting the start of the competition until after the new year break would see more of the games played in late evening sunshine and in more settled conditions.

It would also allow daylight saving to contribute to a safe completion of the games.

Making the date change may result in some juggling of games to accommodate South Canterbury Hawke Cup fixtures and domestic games involving the Canterbury Wizards, but the minor inconvenience would create a more attractive competition.

The weather may have also played a major part in why South Canterbury Cricket chose not to try their drinks and barbecue idea at any point in the round-robin.

The breeze made erecting the sponsors' signs and then keeping them up extremely difficult, so perhaps erecting a tent to house a sausage sizzle and a few chilly bins was quickly tossed in the too hard and too expensive basket.

It would have been a financial gamble to do something like a barbecue, and a financial hit may have had to be worn for the first few weeks while word of the weekly event spread, but if people knew there was decent Twenty20 cricket, in sunny conditions and the chance of a drink and something to eat, then it would be an attractive proposition.

Playing more games at Aorangi Oval has been the big plus in moving the Twenty20 to Fridays.

Players now have no excuse for failing with the bat. They get full value for shots and consistency in pitch conditions thanks to head groundsman Mike Davies.

However, a discussion during the last round-robin game between Celtic and Temuka came up with an interesting financial incentive to get the players licking their lips.

The idea that a major sponsor put up $1000 as a prize to the winning team was an intriguing one when it was mentioned.

How realistic it would be to implement is another matter entirely.

If a prize like that was on offer, you could rest assured that players would be keen to turn up and the chance of seeing some more big-hitters who play on a casual basis would also increase.

People may think players would not need the money as much as South Canterbury Cricket would, but having money on the line would raise the stakes and the pressure on player performance and hopefully draw a few more people to come to watch the games.

These are just a few ideas that could help make the shortest form of the game the most marketable and entertaining in South Canterbury.

- © Fairfax NZ News