Thoughts on yet another brilliant festival.

[rcotswold]

Mainly non-cricket as I have no wish to criticize any of the Glos players performing in that heat and pressure from mainly partisan decent crowds. In fact exceptionally well done to all; two tons; wickets shared and two cracking Aussie efforts at the end!

Car parking; please get that right for next season; allow more cars in before jumping on them for money or show valid car parking from marquee visitors; GCCC stickers should be siphoned off earlier! Open the far gate too towards the end of the game!
The stands and ‘tents’ better organized this year; the members stand well positioned. The ‘ground controller’ could look at more shaded areas too??? [ Agree exceptional as very hot weather!]. If rain, is there adequate shelter for a large number of people?
Food: seemed to be a better range available, but little vegetarian offerings [unless I missed some?]. Ice creams as delicious as ever.

There is a committee tent too, presumably with Committee members residing [or hiding] in there. Why aren’t they occasionally walking around [with very visible name badges] to talk to visitors and listening to their thoughts and perhaps persuading them to join up?

There seems to be a raffle on the short game formats; but the prizes seem to be very male orientated. Not too much on offer to attract the ladies. Surely there must be a few establishments in Cheltenham that might donate a meal for two or some other delights to encourage more to pass up their hard earned cash; understand it’s all in a good cause [towards the GlosCCC Academy if I recall?].

Here’s looking forward to next year; just hope that those at ECB and Fixtures are as accommodating and realise the unique venue and importance of maintaining such a festival.

[paul]

Fair points above, its good to have fair comments for perhaps improvements. I thought it was very well run but do have a few points to add as well, not really major criticism but constructive. I went every day expect the Ladies game and that was because I went to Worcester Races otherwise I would have gone to that game.

The staff all around the ground were for the most part excellent especially in the heat. But not controlling the Members area on the Car park side, don't know about the other side only went in that way once. 

My main disappointment was the control of the members area, it was poor, in fact very poor. Loads of non members just walking in. I find that unacceptable, a couple of the stewards weren't even looking they were for most part lazy. I overheard one gentleman coming in with his partner and saying to the steward, oh we are not members but we sat over there last year. And she let them in While she was talking to them loads whizzed in, unchecked. Shambles I am afraid.  I spent nearly all my time in the Cow Corner public bar, nice staff, good food, beer better than the little mobile thing in the members area, where the beer was sometimes warm and flat. At least in the public bar you could sit in the sun and then get some shade in the tent every hour or so for five minutes or whatever. Nothing like that in the members area. Its just wrong. I didn't feel like there was any point at all being a member, There was no point. 

The Cricket was fantastic, the groundsman and staff as we said before did a brilliant job and produced a fair pitch that produced two perfect 4 day games, that takes a bit of doing  in any weather The little tent holding presentations was great, I didn't go to many usually recovering from the sun in the shade for 20 mins in the breaks. Food outlets were pretty good. Queues were always pretty quick and often there was no queue. Toilets (I know there was a problem with Ladies/Gents) but inside they were clean, and not bad at all for portables. 

The little mobile bar gave 50p discount for members on the Lager except on the final day! I wasn't that bothered but thought that was a bit tight. I didn't drink much from there anyway it was
pretty awful as I said before. But why no discount on the final day! Jeeps that is so tight. No good saying its nothing to do with Glos CC either, if its in the Festival then they have control. They did it because they knew they could do it sneaky and it would be too late for complaints. It was sneaky, and the beer was warm and flat. Yes just in case you missed it the first time. 

Overall all, sounds like I am moaning, but it was a great festival and really enjoyed it. these are little points but can be annoying, 

[procswrongfoot]

My initial reaction......let's focus on the many, many positives. However, not present for any of the second week (had to follow nervously from a distance), so perhaps I sound somewhat of a fraud commenting on the Festival as a whole.

Realistically, any out ground festival has to somehow cope withe difficulties (logistically and financially) of staging such an event at a temporary venue.

For me, Cheltenham is always the absolute jewel in our crown. The wonderful setting and ambience creates the best cricket festival in the country (sorry Yorkies). Add in some decent weather and some enthralling cricket and you have sheer bliss.

Can the moans or constructive feedback be ignored. NEVER! Ongoing niggles can easily frustrate and detract from the overall experience. So just a few thoughts from me:

Car Parking - rcotswold is bang on. Really baffling why some simple common sense is not applied.

Toilets - dismayed to hear that ladies were concerned at their facilities this year. A real false economy if down to cost cutting.

Stewards - really difficult to recruit temp staff with all the necessary ideal qualities and hard to monitor their actual performance. In a more idealistic world, we wouldn't need the added expense of this type of resource.

Final Day - "Well let's abolish the 50p discount off members drinks today". What a miserly, unjustified decision. Alternatively, perhaps "Let's increase the discount to £1 on this final day, as a token thanks to our members for repeatedly turning up in this heatwave". Would not cost a fortune in real terms, but perhaps help to show that the support from members is being valued.

Catering etc - options have significantly improved over the years. The days of always needing to take your own sandwiches or walk down to the chippy have long gone. The Cow Corner Inn is a great example of recent improvements.

Corporate Hospitality - I have long since reluctantly accepted this necessity. At one time, I rather feared that expansion of hospitality tents would push out the club tents. Do wonder what the bottom line net profit to the club is from hospitality at Cheltenham? Personally, I would swap the position of the hospitality tents with those of the club tents plus Cow Corner Inn. To my mind, those who are there to actually watch the cricket should get the better of the view (if you get my drift).

Finally, perhaps we should try and maximise our appreciation of the 2019 Festival. With The Hundred (the "Horrible Hundred") being forced upon us by the ECB from 2020 onwards, there will naturally be concerns about the ongoing viability of the Festival in the future.

[graham]

Disagree with the parking comments. I thought it was much better this year with pass holders being directed behind the 'pay tent'so we could avoid the queue,made it much easier to get in.

Still doesn't explain why they allow people to pay to get into the pass holders only car park.

Catering - overpriced as ever and poor choice available. On day one the burgers were supposed to be available all day. That soon stopped and by tea time they had shut up shop and so it remained for the fortnight.

Stewards were definitely a mixed bag, some were very efficient others not so, which led to a mixed bag of supporters in the members areas for the championship games. I came up against one of the efficient ones on the second game so had to pay the £3 to admit a guest. Not really a complaint bad that is how it should be, just a bit gauling that some are allowed to just walk in.

Cricket, two cracking championship games and no rain interruptions.

Hope we get one more Cheltenham festival before the ECB trash it with their crazy plans.