Guest column: The future of local cricket is hanging in the balance

Many outsiders might assume a year off cricket is hardly the end of the world but for many clubs, particularly the smaller ones, it could mean exactly that.

Even in the most prosperous times there have been cricket clubs folding all across the land over the last few years.

Dronfield Sports Contact CC, where I started out at, ceased to exist in the early 2010s. This after fielding three Saturday teams and boasting a flourishing junior section less than a decade before.

We are faced with a summer without any competitive cricket matches but this doesn’t mean that clubs aren’t required to pay the bills.

Despite the pavilions around the nation being out of use, the utility bills keep rolling in, not to mention the ground maintenance costs. Running a cricket club is not a cheap affair.

Few clubs are lucky enough to be backed by a wealthy individual. Some manage to make a significant profit from bar takings in normal times. Many are not this fortunate though, and rely on their members’ subscriptions to stay afloat.

It is surely not fair for the onus to be on these members – who have potential financial struggles of their own – to support a sports club’s flailing finances.

My club, Hallam CC, are fortunate enough to be situated in one of the more affluent suburbs of Sheffield and has a burgeoning number of members.

Five senior Saturday sides and countless junior teams, as well as the most All Stars in the country, has allowed us to have asked for half-subs for the season, with many happily donating despite little prospect of any play.

Despite this we are still only just breaking even. A growing number of clubs will not be this fortunate.

So what is the likelihood of any leather on willow in 2020?

As restrictions are starting to be lifted Hallam have begun to organise socially distant net sessions for our members.

Every slot has been booked and attended since regulations allowed.

People are desperate to play. Should Mr Johnson allow it? Our league, the ECB Yorkshire South Premier League, are holding out hope for organising some kind of cup competition.

In reality this seems optimistic. I think most players are hoping for a collection of friendlies at best.

The incredibly frustrating thing about this is the lack of consistency in guidance from the powers that be.

When our Prime Minister announced recently that sports such as basketball could begin again but claimed a cricket ball was a ‘natural vector for disease’ this just got people’s backs up.

If it is not safe to play cricket, we understand that.

But then it is not safe to play basketball, or indeed football, or most other sports either.

The other huge issue for cricket as a result of this is that, with other sports now being available again, how many league cricketers have migrated to the golf course or alternative sporting venues?

For us die-hards, we’ll always go back to cricket when it is allowed but that won’t apply to everyone.

How many league (or potentially higher) cricketers, present or future, are we going to lose to other sports?

While the effects on the professional game may not be immediate, they could well be severely detrimental in the long term.

Assuming that cricket recovers from this situation and everything is back to ‘normal’ come 2021, what ramifications will we feel moving forward?

It is become increasingly common in recent years for some clubs, particularly but not exclusively those in ECB Premier Leagues, to pay out some remarkable sums in wages for their players.

We could argue all day about the virtues of this, and we frequently do in the pub after a game, but how sustainable is this having lost a season?

Most clubs paying out large amounts on players get their money from having a successful clubhouse with a bar, pool table, quiz machine etc.

A year without any money coming in could well result in a severely lower budget for some clubs.

In a world where loyalty to clubs is increasingly rare, some teams may face an exodus.

Despite having a large membership, the only money Hallam pay out on players is the air fare for our overseas player each summer.

We are usually fortunate enough to encourage a youngster to join the club and provide him with somewhere to live, at a house of one of our members, and the opportunity to earn money from coaching. In recent years we’ve had some cracking lads from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa who have added a great deal to the club both on and off the field.

Given the uncertainty regarding world travel our league has already suggested that overseas players may not even be an option come next summer. We are fortunate in that last season’s South African, Andre Bradford, has moved over here permanently and now works in Sheffield, playing hockey in the winter for Sheffield HC.

This means we won’t face the issue of uncertainty over international travel restrictions. Other clubs may not be as lucky.

One thing is for certain - the future of the local game hangs in the balance. It seems the only thing to do is wait it out and hope this crisis doesn’t stop play – for good!

Joe Cooper plays for the first team and is a committee member at Hallam CC.

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