Cricket UK
Moving away from our guide to cricket gloves, let's take a look at the general state of cricket in the UK.
As one of the country's favourite summer sports, cricket is in pretty rude health right now in the UK. The comparative success of the England cricket team at Test Match level in recent years has spurred on many youngsters to take up the game, as has the innovative use of Quick Cricket at junior levels.
Despite the national team's poor showing at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, one day internationals still attract large crowds and the game is being taken to more venues, with international matches having been played in Southampton, Durham and Cardiff in the past five years.
In domestic cricket, the County Championship still attracts top overseas players, although crowds are relatively small. Concern among cricket administrators that the domestic game was losing the interest of spectators led to the creation of the 20-20 format, which has been a big success.
In this shortened version of the game much of the excitement of a longer match is packed into less time. With matches being played in the evenings, the competition has attracted families and those that would not normally be able to watch live cricket due to work commitments.
The 20-20 competition may not appeal to the purists but it is here to stay, with the first World Cup in this form of the game taking place late in 2007.
