By Mark Harrison

HALF of county captains believe there are too many first class counties in the English game, according to an end-of-season survey in a cricket magazine.

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Opinions in The Wisden Cricketer are evenly split on the perennial issue, with Kent skipper Rob Key suggesting a maximum of 10 teams to ensure the best players playing against each other, week-in-week-out. Outgoing Yorkshire captain Darren Gough agrees, but believes that "nobody is ever going to do anything about it". Defending the status quo is Warwickshire’s Darren Maddy, who said: "I am a traditionalist and I respect the traditions of all the counties."

There is no such division of opinion when it comes to the amount of cricket and time to prepare. Fifteen captains say there is too much domestic cricket played, and 16 agree there is too little time for preparation throughout the season. Chris Adams, who has stood down as Sussex captain, said: "There is precious little time for recovery and time away from the game, which is fundamentally important."

Maddy agrees, saying: "It’s unfair not just on the players but on spectators who turn up to see players performing at 75-80 per cent effort."

Another area of almost universal agreement is the belief that two divisions have improved the Championship, with 17 of the 18 captains backing this view. Somerset’s Justin Langer said: "Young players who do well in the top division are ready to play international cricket. You couldn’t have said that before."

Despite the hype and glamour of Twenty20 cricket, 15 captains say the Championship remains the most important domestic competition to win. But looking ahead, one anonymous respondent said: "The English Premier League will become the most important competition."

Stuart Law, Lancashire’s former leader agrees, but from a different perspective. "It will be beneficial to counties for financial reasons, rather than cricket reasons," he said in the November issue of the magazine.

In other findings revealed by the survey Kolpak players are seen to have raised the standard of the domestic game by 10 captains, with one making the valid point that "they mentor our young players at a time when the top English players are rarely available due to central contracts".

Twelve captains opposed the idea of a football-style transfer fee system for players, with one saying the balance of wealth is already too extreme, potentially leading to a Premiership-style top four "and that can get boring".

One captain who did back the idea suggested that "a transfer system would be a fantastic way of giving money back invested in the best young players, who in time are bought by larger counties, to the clubs who developed them".

The November issue of The Wisden Cricketer , the world’s best-selling cricket monthly, is on sale at leading outlets from Oct 17.

CHARLIE SAYS: Reducing the number of counties might be fine in theory, but it would be almost impossible to achieve in practice. In any case 18 teams reflects a UK population that is three times that of Australia, where there are six first class states. There is a case for reducing the number of four-day games and increasing Twenty20 for greater public interest and more income.