FIRST-CLASS counties who did not stage any of the highly lucrative Test matches last summer are lobbying the ECB for additional income to keep them solvent over the coming financial year. In spite of each receiving more than £1 million already, several of the smaller clubs are reporting alarming losses and feel there is too great an imbalance in revenue in comparison with the likes of Lancashire, Surrey and Warwickshire, who regularly host international cricket.

The ECB is to discuss their concerns, probably at its next meeting, on March 8. Officials including Carl Openshaw, the chairman of Kent, who reported a record loss last week, Rod Bransgrove, the chairman and benefactor of Hampshire, whose large personal expenditure and fears for the economic viability of the Rose Bowl were disclosed in The Times, and Tom Sears, the chief executive of Derbyshire, who will also be reporting a loss, have requested more funding or international fixtures to alleviate difficulties.

Some chairmen have asked for an additional dividend after the highly lucrative summer of Ashes cricket. “The ECB will look at this issue because it is aware of the concerns of non-Test match clubs,” Openshaw said. “It has to address creating a level playing field and one way would be to give a bigger proportion of income to clubs like ourselves who cannot survive on county cricket alone.

“Membership has fallen since the 1970s and 1980s and so has the appetite for the county game as there is more international cricket to watch now and fewer Test players on show at Canterbury and elsewhere. Only those counties which benefit from the substantial revenue derived from staging Test matches can look forward to making profits on a consistent basis. There is increasing concern amongst non-Test match counties about the widening gap in available resources.”

Kent have dismissed their caterers after profits fell from £100,115 in 2004 to £9,744 last year. They spent £234,624 on salaries for coaches compared with £158,669 in 2004 and will not be replacing the departed youth coach, Chris Stone. They will be selling the painting of the ground that commemorated the club’s first Championship-winning side in 1906 by Albert Chevallier Tayler, which formerly hung in the pavilion at Canterbury and which could fetch £500,000. MCC is interested in obtaining it, although not at that price. Kent are also considering selling off some land, hitherto used for car parking and nets, for development.

“There is no doubt Test match grounds can generate greater funding and it would have been nice to have received a small dividend after the success of last summer,” Mark Newton, the chief executive of Worcestershire, said. “That is my one criticism. It was a bumper year for cricket and I am not sure every part of the game has been able to share in this equally. A lot of people are reacting to perceived inequalities after one good year of Test cricket.”

Salary capping on expenditure on the pool of first-team players, as opposed to on individuals, has also been recommended by a number of clubs, not least Somerset and Surrey.

“We are very much in favour of that because it would heal some of the divisions between the smaller and bigger counties and I think there is a real head of steam for this,” Paul Sheldon, the Surrey chief executive, said. “But I cannot see how the ECB could say it will hand out more money in the event of a good series. It is not awash with cash and at the Oval we need every cent to keep our ground up to standard. Test match grounds have an enormous financial commitment and I am not expecting there to be any redistribution. I don’t think people should go on the record talking about part of the facts and skewing the financial realities.”

Lancashire, who reported a record profit last week but who still have a debt of £1.27 million, take the view that it is unfair for smaller clubs to make comparisons with clubs with Test grounds as these have been told by the ECB to upgrade facilities to maintain standards. They, like Warwickshire, are having to spend large sums on their stands and pavilion to ensure they retain their category A status. Colin Graves, the Yorkshire chief executive, is seeking yet more funding from the ECB to spend on the newly acquired Headingley.

MISMATCH IN MONEY MATTERS

Profit/loss declared

Smaller counties

Derbyshire: will declare a loss at annual meeting next month

Hampshire (Rose Bowl plc): Will declare a loss at annual meeting in May of more than £750,000

Kent: record loss of £309,998

Somerset: profit of £24,620

Worcestershire: profit of £49,995

Test-match counties

Lancashire: record profit of £580,164

Surrey: likely to declare profit of £400,000-£500,000

Warwickshire: profit of £750,800

Yorkshire: will declare a loss at annual meeting next month as a result of not staging Test cricket at Headingley in 2005. Brian Bouttell, the finance director, said that cost the club £1 million