Topic: Village Cricket (Read 62207 times)

Aldred Cricket Bats · « **Reply #15 on:** January 25, 2014, 04:17:08 PM »

One of the big issues I see at clubs when out coaching and seeing clubs nearly fold through paying ridiculous money for average players is only part of it. The leagues have lost sight of what club cricket is about. There is a huge emphasis on league and different cup competitions which now run into Sunday fixtures on a regular basis. This has made clubs run upwards of 3 teams to play league cricket of which most lower divisions are playing on shoddy parks pitches against people who for want of a better description are not cricket players but people playing cricket and do not understand what cricket is about. Playing on parks pitches is no good for anyone especially young up and coming players trying to play properly, I fact it can put them off for life.I think in the premier league in Derbyshire you get �1000 if you win the league. Well clubs are dumb because a lot of them are laying out at least �10,000 on players, and forsaking the young lads in the process.
When I was growing up you tended to have a surplus of players for two Saturday league teams. Then on a Sunday you played good quality friendly matches against good teams on good wickets allowing a mixture of seasoned players to play alongside their young sons and juniors learning the art of the game. Still wanting to win but with no pressures and a nice atmosphere to do it in. The easiest way to learn is by enjoying something. Now it's all too cut throat and generally the poor players have over inflated views of themselves and a misconception of how the game is played at top level. I have played several games where I have had to walk across to a fielder and interrupt his abusive behaviour to young players.
It's not all about win win win. It's nice to win but we are there to enjoy playing and hopefully succeeding a little bit along the way and if we can help some youngster fulfill his potential and make a career from it all the better. The leagues are producing less quality players nowadays than they used to and they have provided everything. The Derbyshire leagues are more interested in gold plated clothes pegs in your changing room and axminster carpet on the floor than the actual playing surface. If the ground looks pretty they are happy. They have thousands locked in their bank account and don't even look at helping the poorer clubs develop by giving interest free or low interest loans for the site screens and covers that the league tries to emphasise is needed. The more stipulations they put on clubs the harder it is for poor clubs to survive. The cricket is the important thing. Get it back to what it was a great game that you always wanted to win but with great moral ethics behind it. And get people running the league that know what cricket is about and are not just sitting on it for their own self importance that goes for the ECB too.

uknsaunders · « **Reply #16 on:** January 25, 2014, 05:07:49 PM »

Couldn't agree more.

Clubs should improve the proposition and encourage people to want to play. Paying players is a backwards step as you create mercenaries and divert funds from the ground, youth setup, facilitates etc. The ecb don't help. They spend a fair chunk on the top ecb premier clubs who obtain clubmark and nothing on grass roots cricket. Many small clubs are going to the wall because they can't meet ecb standards for grants. It's also frustrating that so much money is spent propping up counties. Most of it covering insolvent balance sheets rather than take the surgery required and streamline the county structure. This in turn would free up funds for more youth development schemes, creation of new pitches and community grounds. Leagues are no better. One league I know of nearly sent a couple of clubs into oblivion thanks to fines for late match returns.

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Manormanic · « **Reply #17 on:** January 25, 2014, 05:25:15 PM »

no issue with aying players if it reflects their off field value to club - ground work, coaching etc. Not keen on Harefield style mercenaries for hire though.

IronChef · « **Reply #18 on:** February 07, 2014, 05:47:53 PM »

Village cricket and any standard of cricket is about enjoyment. The league that I play in, I can honestly say, I question why I bother to turn up most weeks! Don't get me wrong I can never imagine myself not playing cricket of a Saturday afternoon, but some of the sides we visit hardly can make a side, because of lack of committed players, due to circumstances mentioned above marriage, retirement, work etc.
Another big issue for me is the behaviour and some of the language used on the field, I don't turn up on a Saturday to be verbally abused!
I think the most worrying trend in the area that I play cricket, is the fact that participation in the junior level of cricket is always very high, but increasingly doesn't transfer into filling men's sides! Which in turn has led to second teams and even whole clubs folding!
Reading the article and situation that the particular club finds itself in, given the funding that club mark & junior sections receive, it will only be a matter of time before the bigger clubs have 4th, 5th and 6th teams that will fill the spaces that village clubs leave!

robausten · « **Reply #19 on:** March 19, 2014, 11:43:48 AM »

Village cricket still very much alive and kicking in our part of Gloucestershire thankfully and the pitches are as variable as ever. Kingswood Village continues to pick up new players and develop youngsters whilst only playing friendlies on Sundays and 20/20s mid week. Roll on the 1st game

ProCricketer1982 · « **Reply #20 on:** March 19, 2014, 12:38:55 PM »

Quote from: robausten on March 19, 2014, 11:43:48 AM

Village cricket still very much alive and kicking in our part of Gloucestershire thankfully and the pitches are as variable as ever. Kingswood Village continues to pick up new players and develop youngsters whilst only playing friendlies on Sundays and 20/20s mid week. Roll on the 1st game

What team do you play for?

Stuey · « **Reply #21 on:** March 20, 2014, 01:54:57 PM »

Clubs in my league are paying stupid money for players, both overseas and home grown. It's proving very difficult to keep our best players (who are being offered money to play elsewhere) and recruit new players. Running a league club is now like running a small business, committee meetings now focus on income (bar, sponsorship etc) more than cricket and to be honest mostly that's to keep up the pitch rentals, which our local council uses as money tap, rather than providing facilities for local sport. The pitches they provide for the money they charge are terrible, whilst complaints seem to fall on death ears and letters get little response. Sorry I could go on ....rant over

ProCricketer1982 · « **Reply #22 on:** March 20, 2014, 04:30:47 PM »

Quote from: Stuey on March 20, 2014, 01:54:57 PM

Clubs in my league are paying stupid money for players, both overseas and home grown. It's proving very difficult to keep our best players (who are being offered money to play elsewhere) and recruit new players. Running a league club is now like running a small business, committee meetings now focus on income (bar, sponsorship etc) more than cricket and to be honest mostly that's to keep up the pitch rentals, which our local council uses as money tap, rather than providing facilities for local sport. The pitches they provide for the money they charge are terrible, whilst complaints seem to fall on death ears and letters get little response. Sorry I could go on ....rant over

100% correct. I don't think any big clubs are actually focused on cricket. Their sole objective is money. Money brings in players , who win things.. So meaning they can get more youth through the door which is viewed mainly as a cash cow.

Small clubs are similar , just smaller scale.

Sad but true. It's worse in football and has been going on for years now. I see cricket heading the same way, except without the large fan base.

Northern monkey · « **Reply #23 on:** March 20, 2014, 04:48:16 PM »

What's the answer then?
I've moved down to Oxfordshire from oop north, and the club I've played at for two years is struggling for players down here
They have several youth teams,and schools all using the clubs facilities, county games are played here, and the ground is a stunning place to play cricket
So why did we struggle to turn out two or three senior teams on a Saturday?

I have my own reasons for being slightly pi##ed off with it all, which I'm sure others also share

This year,I'm going back to playing for a few clubs,in different formats, hopefully a bit of midweek, and Saturday league here, and Sunday's playing in Devon and Somerset
If it wasn't for joining the forum,and re discovering my love of all things cricket, I would have called it a day after last season.

ProCricketer1982 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 20, 2014, 04:58:18 PM »

I think there are many reasons.. You could get lost in all the rabbit holes answering it

Lifestyles are different.. People move more, kids lose interest come 16.. Junior stuff seems to die off and there is little cross over to adults... Aleut cricket seems to be all about winning rather than just playing cricket.. ECB seem to want to create a few super clubs (sorry ' focus/club mark clubs), and get rid or allow to die the smaller ones. Large/ambitious clubs just take it youths for the cash, with little effort really out in to ensuring they all lesrn, play and most of all enjoy..

Etc etc

The list tbh is endless.

You could add attitudes on the field are worse now than ever before, youngsters (say 20 or less), now expect more while wanting to do and pay less (ie just turn up, play, be the star and go home)..

I could literally write for hours

smilley792 · « **Reply #25 on:** March 20, 2014, 05:02:33 PM »

I couldn't tell you what my clubs secret is, but while a few teams around us(both geographically and league based) are struggling for players, we are struggling to get all our players a game!

We have a junior set up, and when they graduate we tend to keep the majority. Last under 17s we had 9 for the season after. U17 before, we kept all 11!

So currently we have 3 Saturday teams, 2 Wednesday night teams, 1 Sunday side. And this year junior wiser u17, u15, u13 and 2x u11s.

We do not pay any players at our club, infact only a few of the 76 players we have registered for Saturday cricket was not a junior at our club.

We are not a league winning club, althought we won sat cup and league in 2009, and the midweek side took 3 promotions in a row, we aren't ever favourites for a league, and work hard for our wins.
So we don't attract trophy hunters.

The only thing I can say keeps people at our club is the banter. And great family feel, everyone gets on, everyone has a laugh at games. Most stay for drinks, most turn up to BBQ and other charity events.
U15 and u17s have atleast 30 adult players in attendance for there games, and when the u17s got to a cup final two years back. We had nearly a 100 players, supporters and family at the game.

So my advice is make your club a great place to play and people will stay.

ProCricketer1982 · « **Reply #26 on:** March 20, 2014, 06:30:12 PM »

Quote from: smilley792 on March 20, 2014, 05:02:33 PM

I couldn't tell you what my clubs secret is, but while a few teams around us(both geographically and league based) are struggling for players, we are struggling to get all our players a game!

We have a junior set up, and when they graduate we tend to keep the majority. Last under 17s we had 9 for the season after. U17 before, we kept all 11!

So currently we have 3 Saturday teams, 2 Wednesday night teams, 1 Sunday side. And this year junior wiser u17, u15, u13 and 2x u11s.

We do not pay any players at our club, infact only a few of the 76 players we have registered for Saturday cricket was not a junior at our club.

We are not a league winning club, althought we won sat cup and league in 2009, and the midweek side took 3 promotions in a row, we aren't ever favourites for a league, and work hard for our wins.
So we don't attract trophy hunters.

The only thing I can say keeps people at our club is the banter. And great family feel, everyone gets on, everyone has a laugh at games. Most stay for drinks, most turn up to BBQ and other charity events.
U15 and u17s have atleast 30 adult players in attendance for there games, and when the u17s got to a cup final two years back. We had nearly a 100 players, supporters and family at the game.

So my advice is make your club a great place to play and people will stay.

It does have to be a good fun club to stay alive without paying, cash cowing youths. If you get it right it shows that it can be done. A club I've been helping in the last year is expanding, when most clubs are struggling to put out Sunday sides, we are easily putting 2 Sunday sides out every week.. Add that to a cup t20, two midweek t20 sides and three Saturday league sides.. Oh and touring games most weeks from June to August and civil service cup comps too... All without any junior sections etc. Again, it can be done and run as a club for the players. It as I say.. Most are not.

Stuey · « **Reply #27 on:** March 21, 2014, 09:55:23 AM »

Quote from: ProCricketer1982 on March 20, 2014, 06:30:12 PM

It does have to be a good fun club to stay alive without paying, cash cowing youths.

Cosh cow is correct, I help coach the youth teams at our club and the majority is baby sitting (upto U15). How many will go on to play for our club is negligble, may be 2 from each age group on average. However the money they bring in is pure gold, especially for our treasurer! I've been involved with cricket since birth, dad played village cricket and all the family went, which I wouldn't have swapped for the world (still love the smell or beer and cigars in old village pubs), kept me out of trouble and taught me how to make relate to people of varying ages. My dad, my brother and I still play and my son is just starting out, people who stop playing due to a new family are missing the point IMHO. keep playing and introduce the kids, it's better than them playing xbox all weekend or wlaking the streets.

Urame · « **Reply #28 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:52:59 PM »

As a first team captain (and groundsman, coach and anything else that needs doing) at a village cricket club, I can totally empathise with any village cricket club struggling to put teams out, Last season we lost 60% of our first team before the season started, this left big holes and no players to fill, which resulted in a very stuttery season.

The club needs to put 2 teams out a week to function finacially and player recruiting is very hard trying to compete with the bigger clubs in the area.

It falls on the same 3-4 people time after time and this is where I see the problem in Village cricket, people get fed up with it always falling to them and the same people toget jobs done, if they dont do it, nothing happens.

uknsaunders · « **Reply #29 on:** April 01, 2014, 05:00:07 PM »

Quote from: Urame on April 01, 2014, 02:52:59 PM

As a first team captain (and groundsman, coach and anything else that needs doing) at a village cricket club, I can totally empathise with any village cricket club struggling to put teams out, Last season we lost 60% of our first team before the season started, this left big holes and no players to fill, which resulted in a very stuttery season.

The club needs to put 2 teams out a week to function finacially and player recruiting is very hard trying to compete with the bigger clubs in the area.

It falls on the same 3-4 people time after time and this is where I see the problem in Village cricket, people get fed up with it always falling to them and the same people toget jobs done, if they dont do it, nothing happens.

Who do you play for?

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Author Topic: Village Cricket (Read 62207 times)

Aldred Cricket Bats

Re: Village Cricket

uknsaunders

Re: Village Cricket

Manormanic

Re: Village Cricket

IronChef

Re: Village Cricket

robausten

Re: Village Cricket

ProCricketer1982

Re: Village Cricket

Stuey

Re: Village Cricket

ProCricketer1982

Re: Village Cricket

Northern monkey

Re: Village Cricket

ProCricketer1982

Re: Village Cricket

smilley792

Re: Village Cricket

ProCricketer1982

Re: Village Cricket

Stuey

Re: Village Cricket

Urame

Re: Village Cricket

uknsaunders

Re: Village Cricket