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[The 22nd Yard]

Dipping a toe into village cricket and the fate of one team..

http://wp.me/p380Xy-aW

Has anyone else noticed a trend of village players moving to town teams? Or a village club near you folding? Please post any stories!

[19reading87]

Nick Saunders seems to get around clubs....

[Manormanic]

just clubs?

[ProCricketer1982]

I think the fact ECB only care about focus and club mark clubs speaks volumes. I certainly accept that any player shunted up,and down the batting order each week or even drooped to 7+ I'd they are a proper batsmen would put me off playing.. Would be a complete waste of a day!

[Manormanic]

sadly it happens, especially at clubs that pay players.

[The 22nd Yard]

From the people I spoke to it seems like another factor is everyone becoming pretty snobbish over the wickets they play on, no one is happy to play on a cow field anymore. Massive shame, especially it's in terms of fairly non-competitive sunday games...

[Manormanic]

in league cricket you can sort of understand it though.

[MD2812]

A good article, I've played against Pickwell for Barrowby CC in the Grantham Sunday league.

It's a sad state of affairs, one which might threaten Barrowby. As a team we age between 23-early 30s and with the core players getting married at the moment I worry that this same fate will happen to us.

Empingham is a beautiful ground, a lovely team. Played there last season, scored 79 My uncle was a huge member of the club until he passed away
They did receive a very large sum last year in funding which they have put into the pitch and it has made a difference.
Unfortunately Barrowby without such funds, and unable to have sight screens or covers as they get vandalised, a similar level wicket is not possible

[anthonyant]

I play for a village club as we've recently been selected as the National ECB Natwest Cricket Focus club for 2014, and we're nowhere near London!

[TangoWhiskey]

I play friendly village cricket and to be honest occasionally we play teams where their standard is so woeful I would rather have sat and watched from the bar than been out in the field. Our wicket is uncovered and often resembles a cow patch, however thanks to hard work from volunteers we almost always get a game out of it even if it is raining sometimes. Our batting order moves around depending on who has turned up in what state and we rely on a couple of bowlers to bowl practically all day whilst the part timers get in their obligatory overs to justify paying their subs.

Teas can vary depending on whose turn it is to provide them and our changing room is so small, the whole team can't get changed without "accidentally" getting intimate with each other. The outdoor nets are so run down and covered in moss that short pitch deliveries will scoot along the floor whilst full deliveries will grip an abrasive part of the mat and spit up into fingers and ribs causing you to question everything you know about physics, let alone batting. God forbid you should leave a ball in case it finds its way through one of the many holes in the net, that is unless you fancy making the bowler get knee deep in the knotted brambles snagged up behind.

The whole thing sounds like a nightmare yet every summer I turn up twice every weekend, stretch out my aching knees and head out with a smile to spend the next 6 hours mucking about with the sorry excuses for human beings I call my mates before spending the same in the bar afterwards. I wouldn't have it any other way.

[uknsaunders]

I'll ignore Redders and Ian's comments for the time being 

Running a cricket club is about drive and ambition. If your sole ambition is to get 11 men and play a bit of cricket then fine but you won't have a team for long. You have to work to get 11 and assume you need 18-20 players. You probably lose 2/3 a year and they need to be replaced. Players don't come to your club unless you:-

 - play on a decent deck
 - have decent facilities
 - can practise regularly
 - Nice surroundings
 - Tell them you are there!

Get the proposition right first.You get those sorted and show a bit of willing to recruit players, start new initiatives etc and the rest comes. It needs hard work, not excuses. The number of times I have heard club officials moaning they don't have players when they have done next to nothing to promote the club or recruit players. In my last two clubs I have stuck adverts on the internet recruiting players and it works. At Headingley in particular we had most of the guys recruiting all winter, it's a young club with drive and it shows. However, their location and name is a godsend. I do feel for some villages, go to the middle of the York plains and visit the likes of Green Hammerton who are probably 20 miles from anything approaching civilisation and they can only really recruit from the village. However, it one takes one guy to start a colts section with a dozen colts and the club can survive. Ultimately if members aren't willing to work for the club then the club will fold.

[cricketbadger]

We had the same problem at my new club last year, they struggled to field 11 men on numerous occasions in the 2nd team, and played with a weakened 1st team a few times due to lack of players, and commitment issues with the players involved.

This year we have made big strides to signing some new players, as early as August last year I got together with the committee and we outlined players we would like to try sign, sent them all letters in the post outlining the clubs plans both on and off the field.

We have also committed to running 2 junior sides. Not much I know compared to some clubs, but as a club we didn't have any junior sides 2 years ago, and now some of these juniors are coming through and are older, now pushing for 2nd team selection. From the outside I can only see people taking a positive view of us as a club, as we have identified problems both on and off the field, and have set out to address these and become more attractive as a village cricket club.

[Northern monkey]

A sad story

Im playing for Exford this year, as they are entering the nth Devon lge, for the first time
This is after playing friendlies for the last few years
Hopefully it will be the start of a successful and enjoyable time for the club
Only time will tell.

It just seems, crickets going through a bit of a lean period, in certain areas of the country
Different formats,(20/20,,lms,,) may change that, but it is a shame,for those of us who love all forms of cricket

[jwebber86]

A sad story

Im playing for Exford this year, as they are entering the nth Devon lge, for the first time
This is after playing friendlies for the last few years
Hopefully it will be the start of a successful and enjoyable time for the club
Only time will tell.

It just seems, crickets going through a bit of a lean period, in certain areas of the country
Different formats,(20/20,,lms,,) may change that, but it is a shame,for those of us who love all forms of cricket

for some reason i thought you were entering the west somerset league, north devon makes more sense though.

good luck. are you still playing the same friendlies and in the exmoor cup?

[Northern monkey]

I only play a few games for them, it's a 300 mile round trip for me!
My son plays tho

I'm sure they will still play friendlies