The MCC has barred the fans from carrying alcohol inside the Lord’s Cricket Ground for The Hundred games owing to a chaos caused by fans last week.
The England and Wales Cricket Board introduced The Hundred as a means to attract new audiences to the sport. The league has taken off well and has done better than expected. The new 100-ball tournament has successfully garnered the attention of the cricket world, but with positives, there are negatives too. In recent events, the fans have been prohibited from carrying alcohol into the Lord’s for The Hundred fixtures.
During a fixture between London Spirit and Trent Rockets last week, a rogue section of the crowd caused chaos in the stadium, and the bars had to be shut down an hour early before the game ended. A few groups of drunk men chanted and sang during the match on Thursday, causing unruly scenes.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Marylebone Cricket Club made a decision to not allow booze inside the stadium for the remaining fixtures of The Hundred. Previously, the spectators were allowed to buy up to four drinks per transaction at the bars.
The Hundred is a tournament of which the target audience are families and young kids. Having adults consume alcohol at the venue pollutes the healthy atmosphere of the tournament. The MCC released a statement informing about the restrictions going forward and said that they expect everyone to be treated with respect and kindness.
“Marylebone Cricket Club aims to make Lord’s a ground for all and we work hard to ensure that everyone has a great day out when they visit the home of cricket. We have reviewed all of our measures for our remaining Hundred matches, to ensure Lord’s is inclusive and is a place where families and children of all ages feel welcome and safe.”
the statement read.
“These include not allowing the importation of alcohol into the ground, limiting beverage sales, and closing bars earlier. Cricket should be a game for all and we want the next generation of cricket fans to love and be inspired by the sport.”
The new regulations were imposed from Sunday’s fixture between London Spirit and Southern Brave. The restrictions will carry into the next match when London Spirit will host Northern Superchargers at Lord’s. The MCC members are exempted from these regulations.
The Oval in London is also considering building alcohol-free zones for The Hundred from next season after unruly scenes in the opening fixture of this season.
