County cricket adopts loan system

LOAN SCHEME TERMS Both clubs and the player must agree all terms, which are all flexible First period of four weeks and two-week periods after that Any early recall must be back into the first team Player's employment rights stay with first club, but he can receive new club's performance bonuses

County cricketers could represent two sides in a season for the first time after a new loan system was approved.

The Professional Cricketers Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board agreed the scheme on Thursday.

Initial loan periods will be four weeks but a county can recall a player if a first team place is guaranteed.

"We believe (this) is one of the steps towards getting the right balance of England qualified players," PCA head Richard Bevan told the Daily Telegraph.

Nottinghamshire is one county that could make use of the scheme early in the season.

They need bowling cover as paceman Charlie Shreck has been ruled out until late July with a stress fracture in his back.

Concern has been expressed in the past that counties are turning to foreign players and using loopholes in European employment law, to fill gaps in their line-ups.

Just one county - Glamorgan - has not followed that route, either signing a foreign player with a European passport or following the Kolpak ruling.

THE KOLPAK RULING Any citizen of a country with an associate agreement with the EU - including South Africa, Zimbabwe and Jamaica - has the same rights as a European worker

The new county season begins on Friday, with 2004 champions Warwickshire playing MCC.

Six other county sides play three-day games against university opposition over the weekend and the County Championship gets underway next Wednesday

Over 200 players attended Thursday's PCA meeting.

Of those, 90% said they would prefer to see a relegation system of two up and two down in both competitions, rather than the current three.

Despite criticism from some county bosses of England's central contracts, 88% of players say they have had a postive affect on the game.