M.C.C. “Not Lot Of Scrooges”

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32385, 26 August 1970, Page 8

M.C.C. “Not Lot Of Scrooges”

(N.Z. Press Assn. —Copyright) LONDON.

England’s chief cricket authority, the M.C.C., is not made up of a “lot of Scrooges,” according to its secretary (Mr S. C. Griffith).

He made the denial in a strong reply to the “Daily Express” cricket correspondent, Crawford White, who, in a biting article, described the England test team to go to Australia and New Zealand later this year as “paupers" because they were being paid only $2035.

Mr Griffith admitted that he would like to pay the England team $3215. “But it just can’t afford it,” Mr Griffith said. “It is simple economics. If we could pay our England players twice this fee we would be delighted to do it In fact if you can tell me where we can get the money we will do it,” Mr Griffith told White in an interview

printed in the “Daily Express.” Big Overdrafts

Mr Griffith said: “We have counties carrying £20,000 ($42,800) overdrafts and we have to get some money to them from whatever we get from these tours. It has to be remembered that if they go to the wall the players go with them. “The suggestion that we might make £50,000 ($107,000) profit on this trip is wrong. If that were true we would be delighted to hand more of it to the players. “In fact, because for the first time we have a system of ’guarantees’ for the matches on this tour, we know pretty well what we can expect. It can only be around £20,000. “That will mean a shareout to the counties of a mere £lOOO 'each. We just can’t make it more although their needs are desperate. “So let’s get rid of this idea that we are a lot of Scrooges. In spite of all the

difficulties we have made some increase in tour pay. “Last tour, for instance, the basic fee was £9OO ($1930) plus £1 a day expenses. This time we have stepped it up to £950 and raised the expenses from £7 to £lO a week. “The new system of paying the senior players an extra £25 bonus for each previous tour they have made also applies this time.”

Asked if a player might be losing money to play for England, Griffith said: “I doubt it. And I certainly hope it isn’t true. But if it is, any player in that position is perfectly free to decide not to go. “So please, for heaven’s sake, get rid of the idea that we are trying to do our players down. “I and the whole Test and County Cricket Board honestly wanted to make that fee £l5OO and I would have liked it to be even more if humanly possible. The fact is, however, that we are in desperate financial straits and it isn’t possible.” White then wrote:

But the fact remains that this is poor payment for England’s top players on cricket’s major tour. Their £950 basic fee for this 20week tour of eight tests and 22 other matches is less than they would receive for playing eight straight tests at home.

The test fee in England is £l2O a time. That would mean £960 for eight of them. Yet on the Aussie tour the basic fee is £lO less for 80 days’ cricket in 30 matches over nearly five months. Others’ Views

On the player’s side of the controversy, England captain, / R. Illingworth, commented: “I just got my documents and haven’t yet had a chance to study them.” J. Bannister, secretary df the Players’ Association, said: “It seems odd that the tour fee doesn’t match that of eight tests at home. If any of the players feel that we should approach the Test and County Cricket Board, we will.” And a player who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “We are aware of cricket’s problems. But with homes and families to maintain over here this is poor payment. Maybe it is time these tours were sponsored to make things better all round."