The County Championship began at The Oval on Wednesday - but did anybody notice? Two of our writers beg to differ over the merits of the traditional game.

YES says Marc Higginson

IT might not be thrill-a-minute glitz and glamour, but county cricket is the oxygen of the English game Cut it off, and you might as well say goodbye to the England team.

Just like our future doctors, dentists and politicians are being groomed in universities around the land, our next Bothams, Flintoffs and Pietersens are being moulded into world stars at the county cricket nursery.

County cricket is a finishing school for every England international past and present.

The average county player will experience almost every kind of playing condition they are ever likely to encounter in their career during an English summer.

Batsmen and bowlers alike can hone their techniques away from the glare of international cricket on flat tracks, on seaming tracks, and on dusty tracks.

It might sometimes attract one man and his dog, but the County Championship is still the trophy every player, coach and supporter wants their team to win.

And, it is still watched by far more spectators than equivalent domestic competitions anywhere else in the world. Cricinfo, the leading cricket website, says that its county cricket site recorded a remarkable 26-million page views during the 2007 season.

Like anything in life, county cricket has its problems and does have things that it can do better. But, let's not forget, that our domestic game is where Twenty20 cricket was given its head.

We are fortunate that county cricket can also attract some of the best international players in the world.

From day dot, every Test player worth his salt has spent some time in our domestic league.

We should be celebrating the fact that we have a thriving domestic set-up that is, with a bit of tweaking, capable of being a production line for England cricketers for many years to come.

It is the nature of the sport that dictates county cricket has to be played on week-days when people are at work.

But county cricket quietly goes about its business with the minimum of fuss.

Then, when the whole country celebrates a Test-match victory, those within the county game raise a wry smile knowing they have helped to set up the win.

NO says Marc Iles

THE County Cricket season began with Lancashire taking on Surrey at The Oval - not that many people noticed.

In fact, had it not been for Andrew Flintoff's unscheduled participation on his route back from injury, the game would barely have made a ripple in terms of national news coverage.

That is because in cricketing terms, there really is only one show in town to an Average Joe such as myself.

The busier England's all-singing all-dancing Test team becomes, the quicker the county game fades into the background as a run-down sideshow.

Forget that the majority would rather watch one dayers, especially the Twenty20s. The real damage to county cricket is being done by the national team who cherry pick the superstars - Flintoff included - for their increasingly hectic schedule without also allowing them time to play their trade in the bread and butter game.

Gone are the days where you could stroll down to Old Trafford and expect to see Test-class players on any given day. Most are off on central contracts or touring another part of the globe, waiting for the latest stage in an overblown schedule.

Back at home, the four-day game is lost in a similarly crowded fixture list. Wedged in between the shorter forms of the game, midweek matches offer little value to the paying supporter and have completely lost their identity alongside the stronger brands.

The fact that just 90 non-members watched Lancashire's home game against Worcestershire last season - start to finish - tells its own sorry tale.

Outside the realms of the Roses match against Yorkshire, county pride has diminished while Sky's all-conquering coverage makes sure that every ball of England's seven Tests will be played out in front of packed audiences.

It means Lancashire's diehards will be restricted once again to fleeting glimpses of Flintoff, Jimmy Anderson and perhaps even Saj Mahmood while the Red Rose men strive for that all-elusive title.