i see you raised the selection issue jackpot, I think this will not change either, the fact is people aren't as committed to the game as much as they used to be, so you will still be looking for people every week. The clubs point of view is it will be easier to get people to play A grade when they know they will be doing something. This is farcical! Imagine being a okay bowler in the 2's and then having to front up to Nairne and getting dispatched onto the main road regularly, you think they are putting there hand up again? No! The simple fact is and its harsh, people who are capable of playing A grade who are playing in the 2's are simply not mentally tough!! The Comp will degenerate with this proposal and don't be shocked if some youngish cricketers don't play the game in the hills anymore!
All clubs are in different situations when it comes to what format suits them most and circumstances can change very quickly.
Our club went from a situation of virtually begging players to make up an A grade team for a few years to having a squad of about 15 - 16 wanting to play A Grade every week. That turned around in the space of 12 months. The general perceived lack of commitment to the game by the current day player is certainly nothing new, ive seen this issue going on for the last 30 years. Clubs that are looking for players every week (my clubs been in that position many times) generally have the right intentions of putting in a certain number of teams, ensuring no one will miss out on a game. Unfortunately sometimes that is 1 team too many and has the opposite effect in commitment as players then know they can always get a game when they want as they'll be generally short. One thing we did notice in the last season in having too many players was the commitment levels to training and availability pick up as they knew spots were at a premium. This created tough selection decisions but it made for a better culture among the playing group and took away the frustration of having to chase players.
The selection issues involving 2 day matches for clubs with an A Grade occur from a combination of scenarios. Obviously starting with the unavailability of one or more players for both weeks. From my observations it's about 50/50 when it comes to having a genuine excuse not to play and simply a lack of commitment. Everyone has an opinion on whats genuine or not but the fact is most clubs go through the same circumstances of having players unavailable from week to week for whatever reasons. Throw into the mix the 'Bye' the following game and things then really get complicated as replacement players then didnt have the ability to drop back to the lower grades the following match.
The fact is that it gets very messy and with all grades aligning with the one day format would make it a lot easier.
You mention what bowler would want to come up and get smacked around? Thats a good question?
We've had situations where a 2nd grade bowler has been called up as a replacement in a 2 day game and has been pasted around the park all afternoon in a 2 dayer. Result - Im not playing A grade again. Then we've had the situation a few years ago in A Grade when they experimented with the one day games being stopped as soon as a result is achieved. We had several matches in which we batted 1st and made low totals. The teams chasing took 16 and 8 overs to get the runs and the game ceased. Result - Fill in bowlers said - "Thats it, not playing A Grade again, didnt get a bowl".
The point is, whilst changing to all one dayers will help with selection in some instances, i agree it will not solve all.
Every club is unique in their circumstances in regards to player numbers, availability, talent, commitment, ambitions etc and theres no one perfect format and set of playing conditions that are gonna come close to suiting all, and there within lies the difficulty of formulating policy that all will agree with in keeping playing country cricket an attractive option for the following generations of players to enjoy.
I dont have the perfect solutions but i like to think i have an open mind to change and the ability to digest different opinions in an attempt to formulate a program that is somewhat amicable to all clubs desires.
All change brings gains and losses but generally with no change, theres no future.