By Andy Wilson
Sometimes it can be hard to step back for a little perspective. Perhaps today's announcement of the 2015 fixture list provides a chance.
As English cricket prepares to reflect on the 10th anniversary of that golden summer of 2005, it is a jolt to be reminded that a decade ago only 10 of the 72 group matches in the Twenty20 Cup were played under floodlights – not surprisingly, as permanent lights had been installed at only four of the county grounds (Sussex, Essex, Derbyshire and Glamorgan).
Next year, by the time Birmingham Bears launch their defence of the NatWest T20 Blast title at Trent Bridge on May 15 – and there are a couple of concepts in that sentence to provide further illustration of how much has changed in the last decade – Yorkshire will have joined the ranks of the enlightened, with Headingley becoming the 13th county HQ (including Lord’s for Middlesex) with permanent lights.
So these are still relatively early days for floodlit T20 cricket, and especially for Friday nights, around which the competition was built for the first time last year, in response to a wide-ranging Populus poll.
In 2015, more than 70 per cent of the 126 group matches (87 games) will be played on the 11 consecutive Fridays between May 15 and July 24. Yorkshire are one of several counties determined to play a major part in boosting attendances, helped by those permanent lights.
The growth of gates in 2014 was steady rather than spectacular, although the aggregate still passed 700,000 for the first time.
In 2015, Yorkshire believe that later starts at 6.30pm will provide a major lift to their crowds, providing an extra hour for the good folk of Leeds and the rest of the West Yorkshire conurbation to get up the Otley Road to start their summer weekend at Headingley.
The Bears are confident of picking up where they left off in their finals day triumph against Lancashire Lightning at a packed Edgbaston.
They made a slow start to their first season as Birmingham in 2014, not helped by a washout of their televised home game against Yorkshire Vikings. But next year, after that tough and tantalising opener across the Midlands in Nottingham, they begin their home campaign the following Friday with a derby against Worcestershire Rapids which should make for a big night in Brum.
There are numerous other Friday night highlights in the fixture list.
In the third round of games Kent Spitfires face Surrey in the first of two T20 fixtures at their new Beckenham base on the south-east outskirts of London. The following Friday, Yorkshire host a Roses battle that will have added rarity value next season, following Lancashire’s relegation from the top tier of the championship.
The return match follows at Emirates Old Trafford in early July in a round of games that also includes the intense London rivalry between Surrey and Middlesex at the Kia Oval.
It was the northern heavyweight battle, in which Aaron Finch stole the limelight with the bat and Adam Lyth also made an unforgettable fielding contribution, that delivered Sky’s best viewing figures of the 2014 Blast – 'appointment to view works' for television, as well as at the grounds.
“I would confidently predict that summer 2015 will see more people visit their county ground and watch live county cricket than any other year in modern history,” says Richard Gould, the Surrey chief executive who is well-qualified to comment after the trailblazing role played by his Brownhatters in establishing T20 cricket on Friday nights.
“We have seen year on year increases both in membership and ticket sales for the last few years, driven by high-quality county cricket and a T20 schedule which is designed around the needs of our supporters.
“With six Friday evening T20 Blast matches in 2015, I have no doubt we will see record crowds once again, as more supporters will be making it a regular part of their summer of entertainment.”