Yorkshire County Cricket Club president Robin Smith has attacked large parts of the Cricket Reform Group's manifesto which seeks to get rid of the present Championship structure and replace it with an elite six-team premiership and two six-team regional divisions.

Under the plan, England contracted players would be increased to 24 but each county would be allowed only 14 full-time professionals.

And the First Class Forum, which represents all 18 first-class counties, would be abolished.

The Group, which includes former England captains Michael Atherton and Bob Willis, will get its plan aired at a meeting of the ECB's Domestic Review Group next Wednesday but it is unlikely to attract much support and has already been condemned by several counties.

"The plan seems to be a very broad brush document and the devil is in the detail with insufficient care given to it," said Smith.

"Even if the Group were right and there needed to be an elite level from which the best players could be noted and go on to play for England it cannot work so long as the international game is given every priority because the players will simply not be available to play for their counties.

"With seven Test matches and ten one-day internationals planned each summer, the players will have no time for county cricket, particularly as the England management also want to rest players in between their England appearances.

"There has got to be less international cricket, not more, because there is a danger that interest in the international game will become diluted by frequency. It will be less of a big occasion and a rethink is needed."

Updated: 11:09 Thursday, December 04, 2003