Letters: The dark side of chess players

Spinning a line

Sir: Roger Alton is too enthusiastic about the Hundred tournament (Sport, 24 August) – I can’t recall another sport that has so successfully alienated its entire support base. Before the season ends, I encourage Roger to watch his local cricket team and ask for their thoughts about the Hundred. He will find that most are terribly unhappy. While it has attracted a few big names in the men’s, we have no Indian powerhouses and few Australian heavyweights; other franchises round the world are, simply put, outcompeting us. Overseas investment will inevitably increase the number of teams and widen the window of play into most of July, similar to the length of the Indian Premier League. The T20 Blast, the County Championship and the often eschewed One Day Cup will all continue to suffer. Hard though it already is, the months between April and September cannot feasibly tolerate four different domestic formats if the length of the Hundred expands.