Good one George. What you have done is highlight the fact that if we just continue to do what we have always done, because we have always done it, then time changes circumstances, but we remain in a time warp. For instance, there was no "one day cricket", when bowling was in its infancy in the 1960’s. I am one of only a few people still bowling, who was bowling at a reasonable level, EVEN BEFORE THE A.T.B.C. was formed, let alone the T.B.A.
We’re still doing most things in the same general way that they were done as soon as the ATBC was formed, almost exactly forty years ago, and a lot of that could have been lifted straight out of an "AMF Management Manual", produced in the 1950’s (that’s true believe it or not).
Look around and tell me how many sports are still doing the same things, by generally the same methods as they were back in 1962? You won’t find any at all, with any sort of high profile. If you do find any, then they and us and the dinosaurs can all be displayed in the same Museum.
When I was at the TBA Summit in 1999 or 2000 or whenever it was, I was talking to a group, some of whom were involved in organising the N.S.W. State Championships, and when I expressed the view that eligibility to be selected for this or that, depending on such things as competing in your Centre, City and Area Championships and State Championships, had very little to do with selecting the best teams or bowlers and should be dropped, somebody said something like "but how would we get the entries then?"
It appeared that people were, and probably still are, more concerned with an easy way to attract entries, than finding a way to come up with the best bowlers, without subjecting those bowlers with ridiculous costs before they got to bowl even one ball in anger, eventually.