Whether you love it or loathe it, the Racing League is ready to roll the dice

Racing, eh? A new series offering £1.8 million prize-money and primetime television coverage for six weeks starts on Thursday – yet it has met with opposition bordering on hostility in some quarters.

At a time of financial hardship and when the fight for media attention is harder than ever, the prospect of the William Hill Racing League has inflamed some social media posters who claim it is an exclusive event and pour scorn on the artificiality of a team contest.

Its arrival has been likened to that of The Hundred, a similarly controversial, made-for-TV marketing idea that is shaking up cricket at present.