COMPETITION FORMAT
There are now 12 different Slam competitions in the Summer across the Southeast, and whilst there are slight differences in how each one operates and reaches a conclusion, there are some fundamental principles that underpin all of them:
PLAYER INELIGIBILTIY & RESTRICTIONS
The primary principle of The Slam is to provide "more cricket for more people". In order to achieve this each competition is deliberately designed to be at a level that offers a balance between being competitive but also providing an environment is comfortable for players to return to cricket after a prolonged absence, stay in the game during advancing years, or give an appropriate introduction to senior cricket.
In order to achieve this The Slam deploys rules that make certain levels of cricketer ineligible to participate at all (its not like they don't have enough cricket to play already); and restricts certain levels of player to create a more even playing field across the spectrum of teams involved.
Where those levels of ineligibility and restriction are pitched varies between counties, but the principle is deployed in each and is probably the most pertinent reason for The Slam's success in returning and retaining so many players in our game. That growth in players, and therefore number of teams, has enabled The Slam to run three tiers of Men's competition in Sussex, two tiers of Men's in Surrey and now two tiers of Women's in both those counties and Hampshire, ensuring an even more comfortable playing experience for anyone who wants to get involved. It will always be The Slam's intention to offer multiple tiers of competitions so long as it doesn't spread teams too far apart geographically thereby undermining the ability to fit meaningful cricket into busy lifestyles due to extensive travelling.
The primary principle of The Slam is to provide "more cricket for more people". In order to achieve this each competition is deliberately designed to be at a level that offers a balance between being competitive but also providing an environment is comfortable for players to return to cricket after a prolonged absence, stay in the game during advancing years, or give an appropriate introduction to senior cricket.
In order to achieve this The Slam deploys rules that make certain levels of cricketer ineligible to participate at all (its not like they don't have enough cricket to play already); and restricts certain levels of player to create a more even playing field across the spectrum of teams involved.
Where those levels of ineligibility and restriction are pitched varies between counties, but the principle is deployed in each and is probably the most pertinent reason for The Slam's success in returning and retaining so many players in our game. That growth in players, and therefore number of teams, has enabled The Slam to run three tiers of Men's competition in Sussex, two tiers of Men's in Surrey and now two tiers of Women's in both those counties and Hampshire, ensuring an even more comfortable playing experience for anyone who wants to get involved. It will always be The Slam's intention to offer multiple tiers of competitions so long as it doesn't spread teams too far apart geographically thereby undermining the ability to fit meaningful cricket into busy lifestyles due to extensive travelling.
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MATCHES AGAINST YOUR MOST LOCAL OPPONENTS
There's no point having a format designed for matches to fit into a midweek evening if you have to undertake a significant journey to get there in the first place. Therefore each competition's structure is designed to see you play against your most local opponents for as long as possible. Obviously the spread of teams has to increase as each competition heads towards its latter stages, but that's why we deploy Finals' Days to conclude each competition, which are held on a weekend or Bank Holiday so that the extra travel isn't an issue from a light perspective. |
GUARANTEED NUMBER OF FIXTURES:
There have been countless midweek competitions over the years, but so many of them have fallen by the wayside because they are straight knockout and do not allow for momentum to build within a club or team. In The Slam you will always be in a round robin group format to begin with, and in some instances you will be guaranteed a position in the knockout stage (with your seeding based on your group record). However it works The Slam guarantees that every team will have at least 5 matches in the competition, with the exception of the shorter Hampshire Women's competitions. How many more you have will depend on how well you do. |
FLEXIBLE FIXTURE ARRANGEMENT
The Slam recognises that there are varying pressures on midweek evenings at grounds across the counties, so to allocate matches on particular days of the week just won't be conducive to growing a meaningful competition. That's why The Slam allocates each fixture to a fortnight-long window within which the two opponents agree not one, but TWO midweek dates for each match.
The reason for doubling up on dates is so that should weather intervene (it is the UK after all!) then you have a pre-arranged reserve date which everyone is prepared for thereby decreasing the likelihood of abandoned or forfeited fixtures.
The Men's matches are midweek, however teams may mutually agree to play at weekends. The Women's matches can be played either midweek or on Sundays within each allotted fortnight.
The Slam recognises that there are varying pressures on midweek evenings at grounds across the counties, so to allocate matches on particular days of the week just won't be conducive to growing a meaningful competition. That's why The Slam allocates each fixture to a fortnight-long window within which the two opponents agree not one, but TWO midweek dates for each match.
The reason for doubling up on dates is so that should weather intervene (it is the UK after all!) then you have a pre-arranged reserve date which everyone is prepared for thereby decreasing the likelihood of abandoned or forfeited fixtures.
The Men's matches are midweek, however teams may mutually agree to play at weekends. The Women's matches can be played either midweek or on Sundays within each allotted fortnight.
