Nine years ago one county chair revealed their club’s finances were so stretched that they were quite literally counting the loo rolls. Even the arrival of the Hundred in its first iteration – bringing an extra £1.3m per county per year – barely made a dent in some cases, the additional income swallowed up by rising costs, inflation, and the servicing of longstanding, significant debts.
But over the past 10 days the outlook in the shires has changed considerably (perhaps even to the point of said club eyeing the quilted variety). At the time of writing, the England and Wales Cricket Board has raised around £400m by selling 49% stakes in six of the Hundred’s eight teams. Investors for the remaining two, Trent Rockets and Southern Brave, are expected to follow next week.
