Sussex Men's Survey

SUSSEX MEN'S SURVEY

The 2023 Slam season has come to and end and in addition to gaining your feedback, we would like to share with you a proposal for 2024 and for you to provide an indication of what your team would likely do if it came to fruition.

2024 proposal

Whilst it is extremely pleasing to see the expansion of The Slam since its launch in 2020, which enabled the split to two tiers after just one year, I am very conscious of ensuring that we are continuing to cater for as many demographics as possible.

The Slam was always designed to be a vehicle that would provide an environment for players to come back to the game after a period away; to stay in the game when the alternatives don't fit with other priorities; and hopefully to enjoy a route into the game for those that haven't previously got involved to the degree they had hoped to.

The inception of The Plate competition has certainly helped with the above aspiration, but I wonder now if the spread of player that it covers is too broad and its appeal has diminished at the lower playing level, which is contrary to the ultimate objective of The Slam - more cricket for more people. With that in mind the proposal for 2024 is to run The Slam in THREE tiers:

THE CUP

Anyone materially ABOVE Sussex Cricket League Division 3 (or equivalent) would be ineligible to participate.

Restrictions on players at Div 3 and Div 4 level, as it is now. Under 18s would automatically be unrestricted.

Anyone beneath this level remains free to participate in this tier unrestricted AND would be able to also play in The Plate or The Shield subject to meeting their respective eligibility requirements.

THE PLATE

Anyone ABOVE Sussex Cricket League Division 5 (or equivalent) would be ineligible to particIpate.

Restrictions on players at Div 5 and Div 6 level. Under 18s would automatically be unrestricted.

Anyone beneath this level remains free to participate in this tier unrestricted AND would be able to also play in The Shield subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.

THE SHIELD

Anyone ABOVE Sussex Cricket League Division 9 (or equivalent) would be ineligible to participate.

Restrictions on players at Div 9 and Div 10 level. Under 18s would automatically be unrestricted.

In the survey below could you please provide which of the three sections you would probably seek to participate in next year IF these formats were introduced. NOTE that this does not constitute a commitment on your part, this is just for us to see if all three parts would be sustainable in their own right and not cause geographical problems, which is a key consideration for The Slam, as journey times being too great are highly likely to undermine any other initiative.

nomadic teams in 2024

As part of the objective to increase participation in our game The Slam as always sought to be accommodating to nomadic teams, but the logistics of the competition mean that there is a finite number of such teams that can be comfortably accommodated. As such, from next year the following parameters will come into force:

Any team affiliated to a club who has access to a home ground(s) to facilitate weekend cricket will NOT be permitted to enter as a nomadic side for any tier of The Slam.

The entry of any team entering as specifically nomadic is not guaranteed until the groups and fixtures are published approximately 2 weeks after the entry closing date. The Slam will seek to accommodate as many nomadic teams as possible but only to the point where it is logistically possible for the competition to run without excessive complication all the way up to Finals' Day. All entry fees will still be required prior to the entry deadline, but should a place not be secured then a full refund will be issued.

the survey

If as a club you entered teams into more than one competition, please can you provide an entry for EACH team separately appreciating that your response to the 2024 proposal will (presumably) be duplicated!

Club / Team Details

* Indicates required field

Team Name *

Which competition did you play in this year? *

2024 structure proposal

Based on the proposal above, please tick all the tiers you would be likely to participate in in 2024 *

The Cup The Plate The Shield None

If you were to enter two tiers then all would be done to ensure both teams weren't at home in the same window unless the club declared it not to be a problem.

Do you have any comments on this particular proposal? *

Players Used

Approximately how many different players did you use this year? *

How many of the total were new to your team? *

How many of the total ONLY played Slam cricket this year? *

How many of the total were under 18? *

Match balls and playing kit

Taking into account the price point of £7.50, were you content with the quality of the match balls? *

If you ordered kit from our partner Sharks this year, were you content with the quality & level of service? *

What is your current kit position for Slam matches? *

Match schedule and parameters

What schedule would you like in place in 2024? *

Note that for every 2 weeks, teams will agree 2 dates; for a game every week, teams will agree 1 date only.

What other schedule would you like to see? *

How did you find the general playing level your competition was pitched at? *

How should tied group matches be settled? *

WHAT'S THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF OVERS A BOWLER SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BOWL? *

WHAT SHOULD THE (NOT OUT) RETIREMENT OF A BATTER BE BASED UPON? *

If based on runs, when should batters retire? *

IF BASED ON BALLS FACED, WHEN SHOULD BATTERS RETIRE? *

Do you want powerplays utilised (only 2 fielders allowed near the boundary in first 6 overs)? *

Women's ONLY: Ideally how many players per side would you like to play? *

Open suggestions on any element of The Slam

Please separate your suggestions into separate text boxes.

Suggestion 1 *

Suggestion 2 *

Suggestion 3 *

Suggestion 4 *

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey, please now click below to submit:

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