HAMPSHIRE chairman Rod Bransgrove was delighted with the positive feedback on plans for a new eight-team T20 league at last night’s supporters’ forum.

Bransgrove, chief executive David Mann and commercial director Stuart Robertson provided more information on the Big Bash-style league, which could be launched in July 2018.

“I thought it went very well, there were 60 or 70 there and there were some quite reasonable questions about the detail, but all were in support,” said Bransgrove.

“I felt some of the older members might want to protect four-day cricket but they get the fact that four-day cricket will be dependent on T20.

“I was a little bit concerned about giving away too much information but wanted to make clear that this move will not be taken lightly and is supported by a vast amount of market research - much greater than we showed.”

Unlike many other counties, Hampshire is not a members’ club so does not need its members to vote in favour of a new tournament.

But Bransgrove added: “There’s no doubt now that we have to go this way. We’ve got an easier job to do now that everyone recognises the importance of this competition.”

If the tournament is as successful as the market research suggests, counties are estimated to receive an extra £1.3m each from the ECB. The eight host counties would receive an additional £500,000.

Finance director Mann began by highlighting the importance of this extra revenue to the survival of many counties before questions were answered.

Bransgrove began: “We should be under no illusion about the threat to our game. If you haven’t noticed you probably haven’t been looking.

“Most of us are over 60, some more. Maybe we don’t care about the future because we have a limited one ourselves.

“But I want my children’s children to still see real cricket. I’m not going to say one is proper and the other isn’t.

“But there’s only one form of it that will keep it in tact and I’m passionately in favour of it.

"I’m not a T20 crusader.  When I came to the club there was no T20 and I love the County Championship more than any other form - but it’s incompatible with modern life.

“It is not self funding, so something else has to fund it. At least this way we can ring fence its future."

Bransgrove concluded: “In my 16-year experience [as Hampshire’s chairman] there’s no financial model that works for county cricket.

"I’ve been here on some days when there have been more groundstaff than spectators.

“If I’m still here in 30 years’ time I’ll be on life support but it’s much more important that the game is still here."

Full coverage of Wednesday night’s forum in this week’s Sports Pink.