Cricket: Twenty20 success presents problem

Central Districts’ Ross Taylor in action during the HRV Cup final against Auckland. Photo / Getty Images

Future ring-fencing of January purely for the domestic Twenty20 competition might not be possible, so expect some inventive scheduling to dovetail with New Zealand's annual home international commitments.

The outcome of the inaugural HRV Cup has rammed home to New Zealand Cricket that it is the month best suited to the shortest form of the game.

One of the key planks in the success of the competition was the presence throughout of the country's best players.

However international obligations are likely to mean the national side playing in January, cutting across the cup, but ways and means of working around that seem likely to be part of NZC's strategic planning for next summer after the roaring success of the past month.

Once the final numbers are tallied, NZC believe the total number of people attending the 31 cup games will be about 100,000, a substantial hike on the target of 2000 paying spectators at each game - even allowing for the various "freebies" given away - which was the figure the national body and the six major associations had been planning around.

Gate receipts get banked by the associations, and they should bring a smile to their accountants' faces.

NZC commercial manager Peter Dwan was delighted by the numbers.

"The key metrics we would use in terms of commercial analysis is the number of people who actually went [to the games] and the number of eyeballs watching it," he said yesterday.

"Compared to the standard domestic attendance, probably over the last decade or more, that's a tremendous result.

"It's a real sign of enthusiasm and support from round the country for the product and the way it was delivered in terms of timing, participants and other things up for grabs, including a springboard into the Champions League."

Dwan said although final figures weren't in yet, Sky television viewership was shaping up at about 40 per cent up on the same competition last year.

Fine weather in the early rounds, combined with some thrilling finishes, whetted the public appetite. The spinoff was that when the weather turned ropey in the later rounds the crowds were still good.

The likelihood of New Zealand's best players being absent in coming seasons will present a challenge but as Dwan pointed out "the numbers were really strong so there's a good degree of confidence that this works".

"Our read is that January appears the window to play the game."