APPLICATION » decisions were taken.We made it very clear to the ECB

Richard Gould, Surreys chief executive, has led calls for the ECB to remember the interests of the sports traditional fans, as the battle for the future of county cricket intensified in the wake of Wednesdays historic meeting at Lords.Surrey were one of three clubs - Kent and Sussex being the other two - who went against the majority in what has been described as an informal vote to consider plans for a new eight-team city-based league to be established from 2018 onwards.However, despite an apparently emphatic 16-3 verdict in favour of the proposals tabled by the ECB hierarchy, several clubs have since made a point of insisting that nothing has yet been agreed, emphasising that their members will be consulted before any further decisions are taken.Gould, however, believes that the yes voters have backed themselves into a corner by accepting a situation in which there are no alternatives left on the table.There is still a huge amount of detail to be unveiled, he told ESPNcricinfo. However, in deciding on the future direction of the game, we wanted more than one option to be considered at the next stage. Other counties, however, disagreed and needed to see only one option.Its not what we wanted, but it is what we got, and it is now all about making a success of the new position.Gould added that many Surrey members had already made it clear to him that they would be uncomfortable if another team, under another name were to play their home matches at The Kia Oval under the new proposals. Yorkshires fans, he suggested, would feel similarly aggrieved if Headingley were to host a non-county side.However, Gould denied comments made by Essexs chairman, John Faragher, during an impromptu members forum in Chelmsford, that Surrey would be reluctant to lease out The Oval for the planned new competition.We have to be bound by what the ECB want, Gould said. Surrey has a very large supporter base, weve been fortunate to see huge crowds for our NatWest T20 Blast home fixtures, but we started that competition from a low base. We want our club to go from strength to strength, but we are not yet sure how that will be achieved through the new proposals.Faragher, who had been taking questions from the floor during the final day of Essexs home match against Glamorgan at the ECG, insisted that the city cricket plan was not a done deal.I havent given this game away, he told the room. We have to make change that is right and suits everybody. There is a lot more to be done.Some of the strongest views in the aftermath of the vote came from the chairman of one of the most traditionally vulnerable clubs. Writing in a series of posts on Twitter, Derbyshires chairman, Christopher Grant, echoed the sentiments expressed in the ECBs pitch during the Lords meeting, that the sport was failing to attract enough new fans.Cricket simply isnt reaching enough children, Grant said. Yesterdays landmark decision at Lords will go a long way to changing that. Out of 9.4 million cricket followers in this Country, only 990,000 come to games at present. Yesterday was about unlocking the 8.5 million!There was consensus around having two thriving T20 competitions, with new brands in the new T20 to unlock a new audience, he continued. Most counties struggle financially to avoid going under every single season. The proposals for a new T20 competition will change that.How does counties going bust, which they will do given their perilous financial state, benefit cricket and kids in their locality?Middlesex, whose future would be particularly precarious under the new proposals given that they lease their home ground, Lords, from MCC, were another club who let it be known that their members would be canvassed before any further decisions were taken.We made it very clear to the ECB that we could not consider voting for such a dramatic change to the domestic cricket landscape without first consulting our members, the club said in a press release.Sussex said that their strong preference was that all domestic tournaments should feature all 18 first-class counties, but added that they were open to considering change in the schedule.We recognise the current financial risks to counties, said the club, including over-dependence on international income, and the opportunities to develop interest in the game, including the changing media landscape.Somerset and Gloucestershire, two West Country rivals who might be expected to hold particularly strong views about the city-based aspects of the ECBs proposals, are set to host members forums on September 20 and 22 respectively. The need to secure a concession to allow a proportion of matches to be played at county crickets smaller grounds is likely to be high on the agenda. Cheap New York Giants Jerseys China . John Tavares, Thomas Vanek and Kyle Okposo were also being counted on to slow down sizzling Rangers forward Rick Nash. That plan didnt go so well early. Cheap Miami Dolphins Jerseys China .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. http://www.cheapfootballchina.com/ . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Cheap Cleveland Browns Jerseys China . After a replay, the winner will meet Sunderland in the quarterfinals. Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys China .J. -- Marty Brodeur beat the Pittsburgh Penguins yet again. Ohio State and Louisville moved up behind No. 1 Alabama in The Associated Press college football poll after the most surprising Saturday of the season gave the rankings a major makeover.Three of the top four (Michigan, Clemson and Washington), five of the top 10 and seven teams overall in last weeks rankings lost to unranked opponents.On Sunday, Alabama was a unanimous No. 1 for the first time this season, receiving all 61 votes. Ohio State is No. 2, a season best for the Buckeyes, and Louisville is No. 3, matching its best ranking ever.No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Clemson each dropped two spots and No. 7 Washington fell three after losing for the first time. Wisconsin moved up a spot to No. 6.---POLL POINTSThe only teams that held onto the spots in the Top 25 that they had last week were the only unbeatens left in the FBS: the top-ranked Crimson Tide and No. 14 Western Michigan. The Crimson Tide have been No. 1 since the preseason.The Crimson Tide is the first unanimous No. 1 since Ohio State on Sept. 8, 2015.UPNo. 12 Colorado and No. 13 Oklahoma State each moved up four spots.- Colorado has its highest ranking since it was No. 12 on Dec. 1, 2002.No. 9 Penn State, No. 16 LSU, No. 17 Florida State and No. 20 Washington State all moved up three spots.- Washington State has its best ranking since the Cougars finished the 2003 season at No. 9.DOWNA couple of Southeastern Conference teams took the biggest falls.- No. 23 Texas A&M fell 13 spots after the Aggies lost for the second straight week. A&M started 6-0 but has now lost three of four and three consecuutive SEC games.dddddddddddd- No. 18 Auburn dropped 10 spots after losing 13-7 at Georgia. The Tigers loss eliminated them from the SEC West race and helped Alabama clinch.IN- No. 15 Southern California is back in the rankings for the first time since the preseason after handing Washington its first loss. The Trojans started the season 1/3 but have won six straight behind redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold.- No. 24 San Diego State is in the rankings for the second time this season.- No. 25 Troy is ranked for the first time in school history. The Trojans (8-1) won a matchup of unbeaten Sun Belt Conference teams on Saturday against Appalachian State and their only loss was by six points at Clemson.OUT- Virginia Tech and North Carolina dropped out after losing to unranked Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.- Baylor is out of the rankings for the first time this season.CONFERENCE CALLSEC -- 55Big Ten -- 5Pac-12 -- 5ACC -- 3Big 12 -- 3Mountain West -- 22MAC -- 1Sun Belt -- 1RANKED VS. RANKEDNo. 8 Oklahoma at No. 10 West Virginia. Big 12 championship implications.No. 20 Washington State at No. 12 Colorado. First-place in the Pac-12 North vs. first-place in the Pac-12 South. Who would have guessed that?No. 21 Florida at No. 15 LSU. The Gators can clinch the SEC East with a victory.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP ' ' '