Tickets to the ICC World Cup final for MCC members are expected to cost £350.GETTY IMAGES
Marylebone Cricket Club members were warned "they may have to pay for their tickets" for matches staged at Lord's during the ICC World Cup next year, according to Elizabeth Ammon of the LONDON TIMES. In a letter to members, MCC CEO Guy Lavender warned members that because the club has to pay the organizers for every member that attends during the World Cup, "either members will have to pay for their tickets or the MCC’s finances will take a multimillion-pound hit." Tickets for the final in the members’ areas of the ground will be classed as “category A” seating and are expected to be priced at £350 ($417). Members having to pay for tickets is "unprecedented" (LONDON TIMES, 2/21). In London, Nick Hoult reported a wide-ranging document outlines plans to review the Champion County match, which "could be scrapped if it is felt too costly and no longer relevant in the modern era." The MCC confirmed plans to "examine the use of drop in pitches" at Lord's and opening up the pavilion to non-members and children during the new Twenty20 competition. It is the World Cup that will "come as the biggest shock to members." At previous global tournaments, the club’s members have "not had to pay for a ticket." But in the 20 years since the last World Cup in England, security and ticketing arrangements have become "much more complex." Grounds "want to know who is sitting in which seat and the exact numbers expected to turn up." The club is putting three proposals to members. The first option would be for the club to "continue to pay for their tickets." Another option is for the members to "pay a contribution to the ticket cost," which will be set when the England & Wales Cricket Board confirms prices. The third is for members to "pay the full ticket price" (TELEGRAPH, 2/20).
