Do not get caught out by cricket tickets

With the Aussies over for the 2009 Ashes series, and the Twenty20 World Cup about to kick off, John Fitzsimons finds a shortage of cricketing bargains - but plenty out to make a fast buck...

I could start this piece by rolling out the usual clichés about cricket - games on the village green, the gentle sound of leather on willow, stopping for some ham sandwiches and sausage rolls. All very quaint and British.

But let's cut to the chase. The Australians are here, it's the Ashes - the biggest series in world cricket - and I want to go.

Anyone who loves cricket would love to be there. If you were quick off the draw (or are a member of the Barmy Army) you may have snapped up your tickets already. For the rest of us, there are still some tickets left, but value for money is hard to find.

Going direct

If you want to get tickets from the venues themselves, then I am afraid you have probably missed the boat. The only tickets available now from the grounds are for the fifth day of each Test.

While these tend to be quite reasonable - tickets for adults are around £25, with kids tickets costing £15 - with cricket it's always a gamble that the game will actually last that long, and even if it does, how much play will you get to see?

The usual suspects

A number of event websites wasted little time in snapping up tickets for the Test matches this summer, but if you think you can get hold of those tickets for anything near face value, think again.

Quite honestly, some of the prices being charged are ludicrous, with the biggest villain being Topseats.co.uk in my opinion.

Standard tickets for any of the first four days of the Test series will set you back anything between £230 and £550. Even sneakier, the prices advertised do not include VAT. Unless you fancy remortgaging for the sake of a ticket, my advice would be to avoid these sorts of firms at all costs.

Fan-to-fan exchange - the future?

Your best bet may be to use one of the many ticket exchange sites. Obviously eBay will be worth a look, but there are a number of specialist ticket websites where you can find a (relatively) decent deal.

The best value I could find was on Seatwave.com, as I've outlined below, but Soldouteventtickets.co.uk and Viagogo.co.uk also deserve a mention. Bear in mind that while these prices are far less than from certain event sites, they still represent a massive mark up from the face value of the tickets.

Seatwave.com

Travelling tip

If you are a little sceptical about using a fan exchange, and live miles away from the Test venues, then I have also found a decent package on Gulliverstravel.co.uk, the official tour operator of the first and third Test matches.

The firm is offering deals from £139 for a day's ticket, though as that price includes a return journey on a National Express coach to the relevant city, from anywhere in the UK, there are savings to be had!

High-end cricket fans

Of course there are some out there for whom a simple day watching the cricket is not enough, people who want a higher standard of experience. Well, you are in luck!

For both the first Test at Cardiff, and the third Test at Edgbaston, packages are available from Ticketmaster.co.uk which will see you enjoy breakfast with a host of Test legends at a plush hotel near to the ground, have a prime ticket for the day's play, a luxury hamper at lunch, and complimentary drinks throughout the day.

However, you may want to take a deep breath before handing over the £400 it will set you back for such a package for just one person.

One-day internationals

While the prices for Test matches are pretty prohibitive, the situation with the one-day internationals is not much better.

There are a number of tickets available for the third game at the Rose Bowl in Southampton (tickets from £50 for adults, £20 for kids), and a few restricted viewing seats for the game at Durham (from £65), but otherwise you are back to trawling the event websites for bargains.

The Twenty20 World Cup

Creeping up on us, almost unannounced, is the Twenty20 World Cup, a version of cricket for those with a short attention span who are only interested in big hits, wickets, and blaring pop music at random intervals.

There are plenty of tickets available for a number of games in the initial group stage (though England's matches are sold out), with tickets also still up for grabs for games in the Super 8s stage and semi-finals.

Prices for the matches at Trent Bridge range £8-£12 for kids and £20-£75 for adults, while those at the Oval or Lords range from £10-£15 for kids and £30-£90 for adults.

The women's version of the Twenty20 World Cup is also taking place at the same time, with tickets still available for matches featuring England, the reigning world champions.

On the whole, then, pretty good value. Take a look at the ICC website for more details.

The County alternative

Of course if you have cricket fever, but can't cope with those prices, then you should consider your local county side. To give you an example, you can watch my own county, Essex, in county championship matches for £15 (£7.50 for kids), one-day games for £18 (£9 for kids) and Twenty20 matches for £18 (£10 for kids).

You will always get a seat, a decent standard of cricket, and best of all, there will be nobody in an egg and bacon tie glaring at you if you cheer, sing, or even go in fancy dress.

By contrast, to see England play this year you either have to stump up some serious money, or get lucky with Test matches going to a fifth day.

Personally, I'll stick to watching on the box (with the commentary from Test Match Special) and heading down to Chelmsford for the occasional game, though I have started putting a few pennies away in savings each month.

After all, next winter, England are off Down Under for the next Ashes series. And I don't want to miss the boat again.

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