County cricket will have a new 20-over competition programme next season in a bid to boost spectator numbers. At a meeting at Lord's, members of the First Class Forum (FCF), the section of the ECB responsible for the county game, voted in the new format as a replacement for Benson and Hedges Cup, which finishes at the end of this season.

The new competition will consist of three regional groups of six teams - each side plays five matches - with the three winning teams and the best runner-up progressing to finals' day at Lord's, when the two semi-finals and the final will take place.

Attendances at county championship matches have been declining for decades and even one-day games have struggled to attract spectators in recent years.

The 20-over format is seen by its advocates as a way of attracting a new audience, and ECB chief executive Tim Lamb said: "I'm delighted that the FCF have voted to back the introduction of a new 20-over competition.

"This is another very positive development for the future of cricket in this country."

But not everyone was convinced that midweek games starting at 5.30 pm (7.30 pm for floddlit matches) would bring in spectators. Yorkshire, the reigning county champions, were openly hostile to the concept.

"We do not believe this competition will improve the standard of the England team, which should be the ultimate goal," their chief executive Chris Hassell told BBC Radio.

"Also, the matches are due to start at 5.00 pm and we don't see people willing to fight their way through the rush hour for a 20-over match.

"We can't see how this is going to bring a new audience to the game and we should stick with the tried and trusted one, four and five day (Test) variations of the game."

The FCF also announced its continued support in principle for leading England players to be centrally contracted.

But it deferred detailed discussion on whether the number of contracts should be expanded from the present figure of 12 until a report on the subject from England's International Teams Management Group was presented at the next FCF meeting on May 13.

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