The Hundred: The Good, The Bad and the Very, Very Loud

If you'd told me as I was watching the third day of the Ashes test at Headingley in August 2019 (yes, the day before Ben Stokes beat Australia single-handedly) that it would be the last live cricket I'd watch for two years, I'd wouldn't have believed you. Living in Oxfordshire for the last five years has made first class cricket a bit more difficult to come by, but the COVID-19 pandemic made the logistics of getting to cricket grounds slip down the list of priorities.

However, this summer I've been increasingly aware that my window for watching cricket this season was gradually closing. With that in mind, I managed to persuade my partner, who had never really watched cricket before, to come with me to a Hundred game in Cardiff. I started off the process of cricket conversion gradually, inviting her to watch a replay of a particularly big six or an especially skilful catch, before over enthusiastically describing the LBW rule (I almost got Hawkeye out). After a while, I thought the time was right for stage two, an actual match.

For a long time, stage two, much like the delayed Hundred competition, looked like it might not arrive. I'm a wheelchair user, so instead of being able to book tickets online like everyone else, I was treated to the special privilege of being on hold for an hour on two separate occasions, before being told there were no wheelchair spaces available. Suffice to say, the hold music continues to haunt my dreams. Every night.

Keen not to be put off, we went to Cardiff anyway in the hope of getting tickets on the day, cheerfully accompanied by a collection of threatening grey clouds. These clouds were undoubtedly the Welsh cousins of their northern cloud friends at Headingley, enticingly promising evil downpours at any moment. But appearances can be deceptive.

The sun came out eventually...

Not only did it not rain at all, we were also given free tickets and the Cardiff staff were the friendliest I've come across at any ground. Having experienced everything from wheelchair spaces which more closely resemble outdoor prisons to disabled toilets where you are plunged into darkness due to a lack of functioning lights, my first visit to Sophia Gardens was overwhelmingly positive. Staff were welcoming without being patronising and always talked directly to me.

The cricket itself was excellent, although the Welsh Fire's batting collapse in the women's game meant I learnt the Welsh term for 'new batsman' rather more quickly than I'd anticipated.

What about The Hundred as a concept? I know there will always be people who oppose it, reluctant even to write down the name in full. I'm a huge fan of four-day County Championship cricket and was a Yorkshire member between the ages of 5 and 25, so I definitely empathise with concerns about the long-term effect on county cricket. The Hundred takes up the best weeks of the summer, makes the Royal London Cup into almost a second team competition, disrupts the existing T20 competition and pushes the County Championship even further into the depths of April and September.

However, the games themselves are hugely enjoyable and the crowd generate a great atmosphere. Having 8 teams rather than 18 counties makes the competition less cumbersome to follow and, perhaps most importantly, the double headers have helped to bring women's cricket to a much wider audience. It has also given opportunities to younger county players in the 50 over Royal London Cup, which runs alongside The Hundred.

There were lots of families at the game, even more so than at T20, and stewards made a concerted effort to enforce the 'no alcohol' rule in certain areas. Even on the train home, kids were excitedly reliving every ball. The Hundred isn't perfect by any means: the PA announcements are far too frequent, as if the organisers are scared that any moment of quiet will cause people's attention to wander. The cricket is entertaining enough to speak for itself a bit more often. There are too many pauses between 'sets' - a radical replacement for 'overs' - which means most games last as long as T20 games. The ticketing process needs rethinking too, although it sounds like this will be done through individual counties next year, which is a definite improvement.

In short, The Hundred isn't for everyone, but it certainly reaches people that other forms of cricket haven't managed to. The huge impact of showing live cricket on the BBC, rather than just highlights, shouldn't be forgotten either. Tone down the constant noise, sort out the ticketing mess and speed the whole thing up and they might just be on to something. As long as I never hear that hold music again...