ON FRIDAY, on national TV, funded by all licence payers (ie: anyone who owns a set), the main channel – BBC1 – was devoted from 9am to 10pm to covering the Commonwealth Games from Glasgow.

Just in case you missed any hoops being tossed or ribbons being twirled there were then repeats of all the action on BBC2.

Meanwhile cricket, our national summer game, receives about as much publicity as illegal sports such as cockfighting and bear baiting.

It is little wonder the game is dying at grass roots level and the ECB, MCC and BBC should hang their heads in shame.

First class cricket is going in the same direction as football after the Premier League was formed – it is cosseting those at the highest level while neglecting its grass roots.

It is also pricing regular fans out of the game.

As we observed in Brazil, although the football Premier League is a tremendous income generator, it’s absolutely useless at nurturing home grown international players.

The signs are all there in cricket with the relentless recruitment of foreign mercenaries to the national side. I’ve been a cricket lover all my life but I fear for its future.

VJ Connor, Bishop Auckland.