Gloucestershire chief executive Tom Richardson has voiced concern over proposals to introduce P20, English cricket's answer to the Indian Premier League.

Scheduled to take place over three weeks from June 2010 onwards, the competition was initially welcomed by the 18 first-class counties, who saw it as a potentially money-spinning exercise.

But enthusiasm is now waning amid concerns over funding and fears that the structure of domestic cricket will have to be drastically overhauled to accommodate the short format.

Matters are expected to come to a head when county chairmen and chief executives meet at Lord's tomorrow.

With the BBCI-run Champions League scheduled to be played from the second week of September, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suggested finishing the 2010 season early in order to allow two counties to take part, and the introduction of a second Twenty20 competition.

Several options are on the table, but Richardson has declared the club's opposition to any proposal to cut County Championship games.

ECB officials have floated the possibility of playing next year's Championship over three divisions of three conferences. But Richardson believes the current two-division structure, played over 16 games with promotion and relegation should be kept intact.

He argued: "Our stance is simple. We are opposed to any reduction in the number of four-day games.

"We feel Championship cricket is crucial in terms of development and creating a successful England team.

"The current structure, with two-up and two-down, generates an intensity that the Championship did not have before."

He added: "If you reduce it to 12 matches, not only do you lose the symmetry we have, but you run the risk of playing very few games in a wet summer."

It transpires that, not only is there no firm deal from a broadcaster for the P20, but the sums mooted are much smaller than were originally suggested. For example, a county in the second division of the P20 could expect no more than £150,000 for their involvement, from which they would have to fund the inclusion of three overseas players. First division clubs would receive £250,000.