The Cricketer Club Cricket Guide 2021

WIN A CRICKET CAGE FOR YOUR CLUB SEE PAGE 39

Club Cricket Guide 2021 Heroes of 2020 How club cricket battled through a pandemic

Get cricket ready The best bats on the market reviewed

T E K C I R C K C A IS B

Ian Bell Masterclass Learn to cover drive like a star

FITNESS TIPS | IMPROVE YOUR TECHNIQUE | BECOME AN UMPIRE | GREEN CRICKET

COACHING MASTERCLASS PAGE 18 BOWLING EXERCISES PAGE 14

BATS PAGE 34

CONTENTS GET CRICKET READY

17 Woodstock Cricket

GOOD GEAR GUIDE

6 Introduction

18 Ian Bell masterclass

32 Introduction

7 Fitness

21 Nutrition

34 Bats

10 Yoga

22 Katchet

50 Softs

12 Batting exercises

24 The Cricketer Jobs

52 Stretton Fox

13 Fielding exercises

26 Juniors

54 How to buy a bat

14 Bowling exercises

29 Disability cricket

57 Dunottar School

FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OFPAGE2020 62

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CLUB LIFE

80 Groundskeeping tips

92 ACE

64 Club Life in 2020

82 Financial support

94 Club noticeboard

67 Lockdown Heroes

84 Durant Cricket

96 Stockists

72 Voneus Village Cup

86 The Great Tea Debate

75 VVC draw 2021

88 Up your social game

76 total-play

90 Bola

78 Green cricket

91 Get invoved in umpiring

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GET CRICKET READY 6 INTRODUCTION

14 BOWLING EXERCISES

25 CRICKETER JOBS

7 FITNESS

17 WOODSTOCK CRICKET

26 JUNIORS

10 YOGA

18 IAN BELL MASTERCLASS

29 DISABILITY CRICKET

12 BOWLING EXERCISES

21 NUTRITION

13 FIELDING EXERCISES

22 KATCHET

INTRODUCTION

It has been a turbulent year, stained by tragedy, but there is light in sight.

BY SAM MORSHEAD

rom March 29 in England, as Covid-19 restrictions began to be eased, team sports were allowed to resume outside, and that means the club cricket season should be able to start on time.

While packed clubhouse bars might still be a little way off, the chance to be among friends playing the sport we love is a major boon for the cricket community.

The experience of club cricket might not return to the normality we once knew immediately, but if the past 12 months have taught us anything, it is to recognise the value of things we took for granted.

And it is in that spirit that The Cricketer introduces its Club Cricket Guide for 2021.

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The recreational game is covered with great care and attention: from training tips to nutrition guidance, groundskeeping hacks to advice on balancing the books, juniors’ cricket, the women’s and disabled game, umpiring, and so much more.

Contributions come from a host of figures in the know across the professional and amateur worlds, and there is a very special batting masterclass from the great Ian Bell.

Plus, we review the latest kit on the market to give you the inside track as you restock your bag ahead of the new season.

It is the definitive guide to the new cricket season. And it’s yours, for free, only on TheCricketer.com.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

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Look after yourself: A guide to getting physically ready for the season FORMER SURREY, MIDDLESEX, WORCESTERSHIRE AND ENGLAND LIONS WICKETKEEPER BEN SCOTT, FOUNDER OF KINETIC CRICKET, REVEALS WHY PREPARING YOUR BODY FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON IS MORE IMPORTANT NOW THAN EVER... hy is it vital that club players prepare for the new campaign?

Cricket movements and shapes are not natural to the body. Our ankles, knees, hips and shoulders were not designed to run up, hurl our bodies into the air, land on one leg and throw 10 times our bodyweight in force into the ground. Or standing side on all day wielding a chunk of wood.

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We create a tolerance to these movements by building up exposure and basically being match-fit. This year, however, many of our kit bags haven’t moved from the shed and our specific strengths that held our body together playing cricket have either drifted away or changed.

Many people during the lockdowns would have tried to keep fit for personal reasons but now more than ever

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FITNESS

FOUR STEPS TO FITNESS SUCCESS, WITH BEN SCOTT POSITIVE CYCLE

it’s important to turn to the specific training that made surviving a cricket season a realistic task.

What are the risks involved in not preparing for physical activity again?

The obvious fear is injury. Some people enjoy fitness and training but, I get it, some people really don’t. Improving your game and giving yourself the edge is one thing, but for those that don’t like exercise the cold hard fact is that as we get older you have a decision to make. I either prepare my body or risk not playing the game I love.

Being fit for cricket is about survival. I played 15 years of professional cricket and didn’t miss a game through injury. I always felt that I had an element of control over my body. There are plenty of cracks you can fall through in professional sports and being injury prone was one I wanted to seal.

I’ve had many clients coming to me at 40-50 years old having never really exercised looking to try and extend their playing careers as long as they can because they love the game so much and hate the idea of being sidelined.

But what if you’re struggling for motivation? Lockdown has been tough...

There’s a difference between motivation and discipline.

Motivation is doing laps of the field in 25 degrees with a lovely smell of freshly cut grass. Discipline is dragging yourself out of bed in February, putting on wet trainers and hitting the road or turning Netflix off, moving the coffee table and working out. Motivation can be difficult but it is important that we recognise any rut. Be motivated by the knock-on effects of being in good shape. Being ready for the cricket season is great, but being healthy transcends the cricket pitch and sets you up in all other areas of life.

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I often refer to positive and negative feedback loops with my clients.

For example: train well, eat well, sleep well, get energised, feel like training well; and a negative loop being the opposite. Identify your own loop and focus on where you can break that cycle. Improving any part of that cycle will have a knockon effect and progressively you will start to climb out and on your way to where and who you want to be.

CREATE GOOD HABITS

Build a specific set of warmup exercises that are nonnegotiable every time you are within sight of a cricket pitch.

The routine only needs to be five minutes long.

You’ll know if you need to do more but keep it manageable and you’re far more likely to do it. There is a trick I use with clients called habit stacking where you bolt on a habit you want to include with a habit you already do. For example, try some standing leg swings while cleaning your teeth.

It might drive your partner mad but your teammates will love you for coming back for that second spell.

BASIC FITNESS

A base level of cardio fitness is always a good place to start.

Aim for being comfortable running for about 20 minutes. If you struggle to find the time then even breaking down three 10-minute walks during the day will keep the activity levels up.

Look to build your workload incrementally in the lead-up to the season.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

The forgotten part of preparation for cricket is nutrition. If you are eating well and remaining hydrated then you will have the energy and drive to fulfil the challenges listed above. It is key to hit your protein and water requirements.

Protein volumes can be calculated in various ways but I like to use a ratio of 1 to 1.6g of protein to 1kg body weight as a starting point. So if you weight 75kg you look to eat between 75g-120g per day. This will aid recovery and also satisfy hunger as protein is very filling.

With water, try to consume 1ml for every calorie you take on. So if you’re eating 2,300 calories a day, try and match that with 2.3 litres of water.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

FITNESS

Why yoga could be the perfect preparation for club cricketers FORMER SUSSEX BOWLER LEWIS HATCHETT EXPLAINS HOW YOGA MIGHT COME IN USE – BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY – GIVEN THE SECLUSION AND RESTRICTIONS CAUSED BY NATIONAL LOCKDOWNS ewis Hatchett took 102 professional wickets during his first-class career with Sussex, before retiring due to a stress fracture at the age of 26.

Having initially struggled with soft-tissue injuries during his early playing days, the issues dried up once the left-arm seamer committed himself to yoga.

“Once everyone saw that I hadn’t been on the physio table for ages, the question became a matter of why I had been playing more and improving and staying fit,” he told The Cricketer.

He credits the physical benefits of the practice with improving the strength of his muscles, as well as yoga’s mental side helping him to cope with the pressures of elite sport.

It led him to create Sport Yogi, a mindfulness app aimed at amateur and professional athletes, focused on highlighting yoga’s advantages, which have been accentuated by the circumstances of the pandemic.

He is keen to stress that “it’s not about lighting a candle or anything – it’s not done like that”.

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FLEXIBILITY AND RECOVERY

There will be a huge jump in injury rate if people aren’t careful because they haven’t trained as they’re used to, and they haven’t trained as much as they’re used to.

Ultimately, the brilliant thing about yoga is that it allows you to do a couple of things: it gives you an opportunity to build your flexibility, which allows you to perform and recover better, while also reducing risk of injury.

For bowlers especially, flexibility is actually a really underutilised tool that not many delve into.

REFRESHING THE MUSCLES KEPT QUIET BY LOCKDOWN

For bowlers, you want to be taking care of your back, sides, shoulders, hips and hamstrings. For batters, it’s probably a bit more focused on your sides, hamstrings and calves.

For me, the reason why yoga is so good is ultimately that it allows you to make certain poses and movements that put you into some quite unique positions and, at the same time, put strength through them.

You’re actually engaging the muscles, you’re getting a CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

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lot of rotation, you’re getting extension and flection, and you’re using muscles to do it.

Crucially, you’re pushing ahead of the curve by doing something like that rather than doing absolutely nothing and jumping off the sofa, thinking your hamstrings are going to be exactly as they were eight months ago.

THE VALUE OF MINDFULNESS

I think we’ve all spent so many days and months just dreaming of putting our pads on. And because of that, the reality might be that you’re slightly anxious about it or you might get overly excited about the idea of playing.

So, using something like mindfulness and meditation is just a great way of observing where your mind is at any given moment. It gives you an understanding of whether you’re nervous or over-excited about your game. And from there, just realising where your mind is at allows you to begin to figure out how you might be able to fix it rather being swept away by it. In short, mindfulness allows you to see where your mind is at.

SETTING MEANINGFUL GOALS AND LEARNING TO ENJOY THE GAME

The one thing I would encourage people to do this year is to set their own internal goals – not just wickets, runs and winning. But if you were to lose every game or not play that well, can you find a way to still enjoy yourself?

I’d be hopeful that this year will allow people to enjoy cricket in a different way to they ever have done before because they’ll cherish it a little bit more after events of the last year. I would encourage people to be more open to how they see their cricket.

And on top of that, I’d like to think people will be more thankful for it as well and won’t take certain people for WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

granted. Use it more as a gratitude experience and be a little bit more grateful for the game that you’re playing.

That should bring enjoyment, for sure.

DEFEATING THE STIGMA AROUND YOGA

I always think back to how much it sucked being out injured. And now, I think of how much it sucked not being able to play my sport for an eight-month off-season; imagine how much it would suck then not being able to play for another six months because you’ve pinged your hamstring.

Ultimately, it’s really tough: what’s your goal? Do you want to play as many games as you can throughout the season?

Do you want to lead the wickets or lead the runs?

If your motivation is to win games and do these things, then this can help you.

Why would you not turn over every stone like the elite athletes do?

The sceptic is going to assume it’s going to be very spiritual.

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BATTING

Getting in the zone value. You can observe yourself first hand without worrying about a ball.

If you’re going to do shadow batting, do it with a bit of purpose. Steve Smith gets used to getting in particular situations; you imagine bowlers and you start visualising them coming through their action.

People probably think it is stupid but now it is all you’ve got.

You can get used to your movements, alignments, where your bat is and act out an innings before it has happened.

There is not a lot else going on so why not pay a bit of attention to your game? That feeling when you get a hundred or you win a game… that is why you play. That is at any level.

When you go into a practice session, the most important time is the five minutes before. That’s the time when you can make it worthwhile or a complete waste of time. If you’re going to shadow bat, why not do it properly and get something from it?

If I want to shadow bat I might be doing it because I want my bat to come down straight.

If I’m going to do fitness I might want to lose a bit of weight or get fitter. Everything you do, there needs to be something behind it.

DIY: PREPARE FOR BATTING

A VETERAN OF MORE THAN 500 SENIOR APPEARANCES, CHRIS NASH OUTLINES HOW MENTAL PREPARATION IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE PHYSICAL... f you’re preparing for a season you want to tap into all of your best innings and remember how you felt.

Before a season I’m always looking at fixture lists.

I am visualising who the bowlers are going to be, how they’re bowling and who we’re playing. You can prepare for games by acting them out before they happen.

If I’m playing at Old Trafford for the first game, for example, I put myself there. You can visualise the first couple of games.

Murray Goodwin used to take a bat home with him to the hotel.

I’ve spent many hours in my lounge practising. Stand in front of a window or a mirror and see what you’re doing.

Nets are great but I think shadow batting is a really good tool. In this situation it is all you can do, but it holds real

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A lot of my training last summer during lockdown was on a rugby pitch using the 22yard line as my wicket. I would run a two six times, with 30 seconds in between. That’s an over of running twos. Try to think about what you need to be fit for on a cricket pitch and replicate that in your training as much as you can.

LEG DAY As a batter, lunging is a brilliant one because that is how you move at the crease.

Also, squatting, explosive jumps and quick feet are the kind of bodyweight exercises that anyone can do in their own lounge. You can translate them straight away onto a cricket pitch. They are basic bodyweight exercises.

I try to do a lot of stretches.

They will be very rotational based. It is about relating the exercise to your performance.

Buy two exercise bands, one for your legs and another for the upper body. They cost about £2 each. Tie one to a door and rotate round to create resistance. Batters need to have strength in their legs and rotate with strength.

Anything that you’re pushing your muscles through the movements is really essential.

This is another exercise where a band is invaluable.

Just rotating side to side with resistance makes a difference.

Planks with rotations have a similar effect. A lot of people focus on the strength side but you also need to be flexible enough to swing a bat.

BACK IT UP

CABLE CHOP VARIATIONS

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SHUTTLE RUNS

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FIELDING

Fielding Clinic THE PERFECT RUN-OUT

Anticipation is key. Good fielders watch the ball onto the bat and develop that judgement of where the ball is going to be hit. When you field the ball, sometimes it pays to get rid of it quickly to stop the batsmen going for the run.

However, if you have time, pick up the ball, point your foot towards the stumps as it lines up your hip and shoulder with the target, and aim at the base of the stumps.

Drill: Set up six fielders around the pitch with the stumps at one end and the feeder at the other. Hit the ball out to a fielder and shout “stumps” for a throw aimed at the base of the stumps or “keepers” for a throw back to the feeder.

Remember to have players backing up the throws and use different angles, heights and pace of delivery to keep the fielders alert.

FIELDING NEAR THE BOUNDARY

LEICESTERSHIRE COACH DIPS PATEL IS AN ECB LEVEL 4 MASTER COACH WITH MORE THAN 25 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE IN CRICKET. HE SHARES HIS TOP TIPS AND DRILLS FOR IMPROVING YOUR FIELDING TECHNIQUE…

Don’t run around the boundary; attack the ball and cut off the angle. This will make the difference between batsmen running ones or twos. Keep your eyes on the ball with your hands out in front and stay low on the pick-up. Footwork is key for a 60-plus yard throw. You want a wide base and again, point your foot towards your target to improve your aim.

Drill: Put a line of cones in a V-shape in front of the boundary with the fielders standing at the point of the V and the coach and a feeder standing 60-plus yards away. The coach hits the ball into the V for the fielder to attack and stop passing through the cones. Once the ball is picked up, throw it back to the feeder.

FIELDING IN THE SLIPS

Slip fielding is personal. I’ve watched them all… Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Alastair Cook, and they’re all different.

I’d recommend a wide base to create a powerful position to move left, right, up or down, with your hands ready to take the catch. Watch the ball from the bowler’s hand to maintain your focus and help you anticipate an edge.

Drill: Set up your slip cordon with a feeder and a batter. The feeder throws the ball in to the batter (overarm or underarm) who snicks the ball towards the slip cordon to take the catch.

UNDER THE HIGH BALL

The key here is to have your hands high. Whether you point your fingers or reverse cup, having your hands above shoulder height means if you fumble the ball, you have time to re-adjust for the second attempt.

If you have to run towards the ball, get underneath it with slightly bent knees to provide a robust base and watch the balls into your hands.

Drill: Set up four player stations around a central cone. The feeder hits a high ball towards the cone and a player runs in to take the catch – focusing on getting underneath the ball – before throwing it back to the feeder. Rotate players around the stations to work on different angles.

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FIELDING 101 Former Warwickshire captain and current 2nd XI coach Ian Westwood shares his top tips for succeeding in the field…

NAIL THE BASICS

Fielding is about doing the basics well: ground fielding, catching and throwing.

Practise these and you’ll be a decent fielder.

COMMUNICATE

Keep your eyes on the captain, shout loudly to claim the ball and control your space in the field.

PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE

Practise fielding every session, even it’s just throwing at

the stumps or doing some catching after a net.

#1 PRE-GAME DRILL: ROUND THE CLOCK

Set up six cones around the stumps, mimicking the inner circle. Hit the ball towards a cone where it’s fielded, thrown at the stumps, backed up and returned to sender.

It gets everyone involved, covers all three skills and gets the energy going. Make it competitive with points for a direct hit or keep it fun.

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BOWLING

ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL QUICK TYMAL MILLS BREAKS DOWN A FIVE-POINT PLAN FOR CLUB CRICKETERS AHEAD OF THE NEW CAMPAIGN IDENTIFY YOUR TIME AND USE IT WISELY

It’s all about planning: identifying what time you have, what you think you want to work on and then making sure you ramp it up and peak at the right time.

Last season, my pre-season was probably a bit long for me. I had two weeks where I was probably wasting balls – I was training when I felt like I should be playing. That’s why identifying what time you’ve got is crucial. Once you’ve done that, you can work backwards.

CREATE A FOCUS FOR YOUR SESSIONS

I find that having a theme for each session is a very good thing to do, especially when you’re coming back from not

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playing – as everyone will be, given lockdown restrictions.

For me, last year those were new-ball bowling, wrist position and swing. If you have work and other commitments to build your training around, then try to have a theme for that session and stick to it. I’m a big believer in working on your strengths to the point that they become superstrengths. That’s what I’ve always told youngsters.

Identify what you’re good at and make yourself really good at it, so you have a point of difference, so you’ve always got a reason to be picked, so the captain can throw you the ball and, really importantly, when you’re under pressure you’ve got a skill that you can rely on.

MAKE YOUR SESSIONS COMPETITIVE

Try to make every few sessions as competitive as you can.

Whether that be with a batsman or, if there isn’t a batsman available, set yourself targets: shoes, cones or whatever it might be. Score yourself out of each batch of deliveries.

You can evolve it even further by getting a mate to shout which delivery he wants you to bowl as you’re running in.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

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Plan, focus, compete: How bowlers should prepare for the new season

GET CRICKET READY Then you’re having to really test your skills. There are always ways of upping it. Perhaps keep a record of how you did and then try to beat it the following week as well.

LOOK AFTER YOUR BODY, ESPECIALLY POST-LOCKDOWN

The last thing you want to do as soon as you come back is go all guns blazing and then injure yourself in the first session after spending however long without cricket. Then you find yourself missing all the games you have lined up. One positive to come out of lockdown for me was the onus on keeping up fitness work during that period when we couldn’t really leave our homes.

Things like jumping and landing, your body needs to get used to those actions again ahead of the season. In my garden I stood on the sleepers where our flowerbeds are and I just jumped off them to land on the floor, which prepares your body for the impact of bowling. These activities sound very minor, but they make the transition when you start bowling a little easier.

MASTERING THE BACK-OF-THE-HAND SLOWER BALL…

I find it naturally very easy to bowl a back-of-the-hand slower

ball, but a lot of guys don’t have the shoulder flexibility to get their arm all the way around. It seems to be is that if you’re a bowler with a side-on action, you’re going to be able to bowl a good off-cutter. If you’re a chest-on bowler like me and you can get your shoulder round, you can probably bowl a back-of-the-hand ball.

But my tip is just to have a session where you experiment with all the different slower balls, and you’ll pretty quickly work out which one feels comfortable for you.

An extension of the back-of-the-hand delivery is the slower ball bouncer. For that, I hold the ball a little bit deeper in my hand. Normally, I’ll have a pretty regular grip in the middle of my hand, holding it relatively tightly. But if I want to bowl it short, I’ll put it a little deeper in my hand and literally hold the ball tighter. Naturally then, because you’re holding it for a little longer in your hand, your release point is a bit later and it drags into the wicket.

Likewise, if you want to bowl it a little bit fuller, then hold it a little looser in the hand, but you’ve also then got less control over it because you’re not gripping the ball as hard, which is why it’s easier to drag it down than execute the perfect dipping yorker. It’s why you don’t see many of them!

SPIN IT TO WIN IT Leicestershire left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson offers five key lessons for finding rhythm…

How do you get yourself back into the swing of things in pre-season?

I’m a big believer in starting small and working back, so I spend the first three sessions just bowling from a base position and getting the body going again. For the first session, I don’t even bowl to a full-length pitch – I’ll just bowl half a pitch without a run-up.

Do you go straight into bowling with a run-up?

My run-up is 11 yards, which is longer than the average spinner, so I spend my first few sessions just trying to do a lot from a stationary position. You’re taking away anything that might confuse you once you’re bowling from a base position. I remember Matt Mason saying that it eliminates all the stuff you can complicate.

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When you first come back to bowling, are you concerned with your line and length?

I wait a couple of sessions before judging where I’m pitching it. A big drill to try to recreate match pressure is bowling an over with someone down at the other end to mark where I’m landing. At the end of the six balls, you’ve got six markers or pebbles on the ground, so you’ve given yourself a pitch map.

I find that useful through the winter because you can go through the motions when you’re just bowling and not really achieving anything. But as soon as you go: “Bloody hell, that wasn’t a great over,” it can wake you up. Otherwise, it can get distorted if you’re just bowling for the sake of it.

Can you over-bowl in pre-season?

I’ve been in situations where I’ve bowled a lot in practice, so I think it is important to be really clear about what you’re

trying to achieve, setting out a plan for what you’re going to bowl and what your desired outcome is from the session.

I know certain people prefer just bowling into a mitt or a net, but I want to be bowling at a batter as soon as I’m able to. I like to recreate that buzz.

How important is it to focus on perfecting your stock ball?

I’m a bit lucky in the sense that there haven’t been many left-arm spinners with a doosra. But my stock ball is the key. When I speak to my brother [England and Lancashire leg-spinner Matt Parkinson] about this, he says he tries to bowl his googly once in six or eight balls in the nets, so he’s not becoming over-reliant on it.

And crucially, you don’t want to lose your stock ball.

It’s important to be at peace with what you bowl. People get excited when a spinner comes on and he’s got three or four deliveries and he bowls a tricky googly. I think the biggest thing is knowing what you can do best and what you can do for long periods.

What can you hold consistently? I’m a big believer in nailing your stock ball and then anything you can add being a bonus.

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Woodstock: For the classic cricketer THE CLUB CRICKET GUIDE DELVES INTO HOW WOODSTOCK BATS HAVE PERFORMED OVER THE YEARS t is no secret that Woodstock are the bat of choice for the classic cricketer, the one who plays for the love of the game and wants a bat made with an equal amount of care and passion.

Woodstock have been ever-present in The Cricketer’s Good Gear Guide and one thing is abundantly clear: the quality never wavers.

Since 2017, Woodstock’s bats have averaged an outstanding mark of 8.7 out of 10 from our testers, a supreme effort for a brand that is continuing to stand out in an increasingly busy market.

From 2017 to 2020, The Cricketer alternated between testing the Airstream and the Classic, both made to the Players LE Grade. While some may ask “why are you testing the same two bats?”, the answer is that each Woodstock blade is unique.

Every single one is made by master batmaker and founder John Newsome. He has recently moved his workshop from Shropshire to Suffolk but will still

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make each Woodstock with the care and expertise it deserves.

While the specifications of each bat range is metronomically consistent, it is the minor touches that make each bat a bespoke item.

If you want a lower middle, more suited to power-hitting, that’s not a problem. A lighter cleft, perhaps, so you can nudge the ball into gaps and set off for a quick single, rotating the field? It is easily done.

Worcestershire’s Joe Leach has been a part of the Woodstock family for nearly a decade.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad Woodstock,” the Pears captain tells The Cricketer.

“I haven’t ever seen someone who has bought one and say it’s anything other than outstanding. The quality speaks for itself because the company seems to be getting bigger and bigger, with more professionals joining.

“I trust John explicitly. Having been with him for a number of years now, he knows what I like. He knows what I like more than I know what I like. It’s got to the point now that if I go there he’s already got three or four ready to go. John can just look at a piece of wood and know if it’s good, and he hasn’t been wrong yet.”

This service and expertise is by no means exclusive to those in the professional game. As Newsome told The Cricketer last summer: “We wanted to appeal to the traditional club cricketer, who didn’t want anything flashy but something smart and cleancut.”

Look out for the new Woodstock store, soon to open in the Nottinghamshire area. Here, players will be able to choose their gear, and even discuss bespoke specs for bats which will then be made to order in Newsome’s Suffolk workshop.

As Leach alludes, Woodstock are a growing company, with county and international stars such as Ireland’s Mark Adair and West Indies bowler Sheldon Cottrell joining their ranks.

Runs are being made using Woodstocks all over the world, from global tournaments to the shires of England, with every bat having started life in Newsome’s Shropshire workshop.

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Joe Leach

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MASTERCLASS

Bat like Bell FORMER ENGLAND INTERNATIONAL BATSMAN IAN BELL OFFERS UP A BATTING MASTERCLASS

PERFECT YOUR COVER DRIVE

The secret of the cover drive is all about picking the length really quickly. The important thing for me when I was playing the shot was playing it late and getting it right under my eyeline. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a massive stride; what’s crucial is that it’s a comfortable stride. Obviously, it’s then up to you how you finish the stroke.

I used to like finishing it by checking my drive, with the toe pointing where the ball had gone. Other guys might finish with the full flow, so that really is quite an individual point. But the key is playing the ball under your eyes, so that if there’s any movement in the pitch, you should be able to negate that.

I think it’s more important to get your head to the ball because you can get away with your footwork being slightly off. Obviously, you want your footwork to be good, but I think you can

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get away with it as long as you’re letting the ball come to you and you’re playing it late.

Some guys like to snap their wrists as well. But in fourday cricket, it isn’t about overhitting the ball – it was far more about timing it. So, I liked to get into that rhythm.

Sometimes, I would break my wrists on the drive, but I liked to be in control. With the outfields we have, it was more about hitting the ball for two and then timing the shot nicely enough to get four. My game was built around not trying to hit the ball too hard but getting the technique right.

Once you’ve got that right, the final part is in turning a pleasant-looking stroke into something more tangible on the scorecard. The skill is to hit the gap, not the fielder. I wouldn’t want to get too carried away by opening the face too much and looking to hit too square. Sometimes, the natural variation off the pitch or from the bowler’s angle takes it a little bit squarer in any case.

You have to practise that hard enough, and that is the important thing in training: when you’re hitting a cover drive in training, be honest with yourself. Did you hit the gap or did you hit the fielder? You see a lot of guys practising where they’re hitting nice shots, but I think the best players are making sure that when they practise they’re hitting the gaps.

And now that I’ve retired, when you look back at the things that you miss, one of them is when you hit a nice shot and there’s that kind of pause in the crowd. You could judge yourself on how good the cover drive was when you heard those noises. They are the things that you do miss when you don’t have that opportunity anymore.

PLAYING SPIN PROPERLY

Playing spin is all about picking length and picking it really quickly. If you watch Joe Root, who’s probably England’s best player of spin, he picks length so quickly and he’s either right forward or right back. And that is the key.

When you’re practising or when you’re in the middle, can you get right to the pitch of the ball or can you get right back onto your stumps to buy yourself some time? I think we’ve WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

seen it with Joe; the reason why he scored those big runs in Sri Lanka – and it was a real masterclass – was that he has so many options in defence and he has so many options to score. He’s one of the best sweepers of all time as well, so he’s not necessarily going to hit over the bowler’s head but he’s going to put pressure back on the bowler through his sweep shots instead.

That was how he went about it to put the pressure back on, but all that comes from his ability to pick length really quickly. When you’re working with young players, it is about making sure that they are learning to get right forward or right back onto their stumps.

If you get stuck at the crease and don’t move, when the ball spins you’re bringing short leg and silly point into the game. Defending the ball when it’s turning is so much easier when you either get right back onto your stumps or you’re smothering the spin Another massive thing that follows on from that is being able to rotate the strike. If you get stuck at the crease and don’t move, when the ball spins you’re bringing short leg and silly point into the game. Defending the ball when it’s turning is so much easier when you either get right back onto your stumps or you’re smothering the spin.

Likewise, being able to rotate the strike is important because spinners want to bowl over after over at the same player, which Joe prevented Sri Lanka from doing so well.

That’s so important. You’ll find your own way, but the principle of being comfortable in defence is so important A lot how you go about your innings also has to depend on the circumstances. If I’m facing an off-spinner on the first day in England, then I want to be more proactive and see if I can force them into bringing a seamer back on. Your go-to

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MASTERCLASS shot might be hitting down the ground, but if it’s the fourth day in India that might not be an option, so you then might have to go to your sweep. Understanding the surface you’re on is crucial.

Take Axar Patel, for example. In that series, he bowled at a really good pace and utilised his height. It’s not necessarily true to say that England were getting done by the straight ball, especially when the previous ball is bouncing past your right shoulder! The natural variation he had was key, but he hit a good area at pace, which makes it extremely difficult – the difference between the turning ball and the straight ball was huge, which made it very hard.

I think as a player in that situation, you have to take one form of dismissal out. So, what you want to do is say: ‘Right, I’m not going to get bowled or lbw here. I’ll accept it if the ball turns past me or I get caught at slip.’ I think you have to accept that might happen, but you have to try to negate the lbw and bowled. If you manage to do that, you’ve got more chance of scoring runs. But starting against spin is hard in those first 20 balls, which is why having a solid defence is so important.

Another challenge is how the game has changed with regard to lbw decisions. I think you have to get your pad out of the way. Anything that is pad first, you’re in trouble.

I remember facing Saeed Ajmal in the UAE, and it was really tough: the pace he bowled at, having a doosra and an off-spinner that were just subtle movements. As soon as it clipped your pad, you were out. In years gone by, you could use the pad as a bit of defence, which was a bit easier. But now, you have to get your pad out with a full face and try to hit the ball as much as possible. If it does then take your inside edge, you just hope it will run off without going onto your pad and then into the air.

length for themselves or they show their stumps to do it.

For me, I knew I was in a strong place if I was picking up the cut and pull early. That then meant that the bowler had to go a bit fuller, and then he’s playing into my game, where I can go over extra cover or use my cover drive. It’s about having that clarity. When you’re picking up length early, that’s a good sign.

But the game has evolved. You get a huge premium if you start well. We’ve seen England in the last four years changing the way that white-ball cricket is played. It’s more like T20 all the way through in 50-over cricket. It’s really exciting to see how modern players go. They’ve changed the way they think – it’s attack first, getting ahead of the game as early as possible.

As an opening batter, you know you’re in a luxury position so you have to go out there and score quickly. It’s not necessarily about trying to bat through 50 overs and being the anchor. It’s about how you can score a hundred as quickly as you can. I remember growing up, playing white-ball cricket in whites with a red ball! Then, it was about building a foundation. The whole thing has completely flipped on its head.

There is a different mindset now. Youngsters are fearless now. Maybe it was the case in years gone by that players would look at their average as a marker of success. Actually, now it’s strike-rate and average together. You have to be affecting the game, not just scoring runs. Batting through and scoring a hundred might just lose you the game.

BATTING IN THE POWERPLAY

Everyone wants to bat at the top now. A lot of is keeping it simple; in white-ball cricket, the best players play the best cricket shots. It’s not slogging, but they use power and they do it in the right way.

That’s the advantage of the powerplay as well; you only have to clear the inner ring and you’re off. It’s easier said than done, but the skillset of the modern-day player is phenomenal.

The key is to try to understand what the bowlers are trying to do early on. Take Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer: they’re looking to hit heavy lengths and bowl straight. Understanding how you’re going to score off that is vital; it’s all well and good hitting half-volleys in the nets, but how are you going to score off a straight heavy length delivery? The best players can do that; they find a way of hitting it back over the bowler’s head, they create a better

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NUTRITION

Fuelling for success WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO GET IN SHAPE FOR THE SEASON?

Try not to do too much, too quickly. Sustainability is key.

Diets and meal replacements are short-term fixes. You want to think, “how can I stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible?” If you have to do it five days a week, every week it has to be something you can stick to.

Be honest with your intake. People go on low-calorie diets, feel lethargic and fall off the wagon. You might only need a 10 per cent reduction in intake to make a positive change but if you don’t know your intake, you can’t make the right change.

IT’S MATCHDAY... HOW SHOULD I BE FUELLING?

JONTY NORRIS, HEAD OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING AT DERBYSHIRE CCC, SHARES HIS NUTRITION TIPS TO HELP YOU PERFORM THROUGHOUT THE SEASON

JUSTIN SETTERFIELD/ GARETH COPLEY/GETTY IMAGES

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE DIET OF A PROFESSIONAL CRICKETER?

One of the key principles is fuelling for the work that is required. If you’re under-fuelled, you’re not going to perform.

However, it’s also important on lighter days to manage your intake. Just because you’ve trained loads one day doesn’t mean you can eat loads on your day off.

This can also vary with your match performance, particularly for batters. You might score two centuries one match and under 10 the next which is a big change in workload.

The other key is protein intake. It’s important for recovery and building muscle, or if we’re trying to manage energy intake for weight or body fat loss, protein is good for feeling fuller. It can be from a variety of sources like chicken, fish, eggs, dairy products, beans, pulses and vegetarian substitutes. It’s not just chicken, broccoli and rice every day.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES FOR A CLUB PLAYER?

Professionals have to think about whether it’s a Championship game or a one-day match because of the variation in workload. A club player, by contrast, has to be consistent through the week and then fuel on game day.

Pros can get away with eating more, because they do more activity. A club player’s expenditure is low except on game day, so you have to stay disciplined during the week.

At the weekend it’s about making sure you’re ready to go and doing good recovery before getting back into the routine.

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It’s important to avoid the post-tea slump.

If you smash tea, you’re digesting for the next two hours and it has a negative impact on your fielding performance.

Try to eat smaller amounts at regular intervals. Focus on carbohydrates – cereal bars are good for your kitbag.

Staying hydrated is essential. Try to get through a litre of water. If it’s hot, think about replacing your salts – whether it’s a hydration product or table salt in squash.

Post-match, get some carbs and protein in to start your recovery before you hit the bar.

DINE LIKE A LORD Andy Mitchell, head of strength and conditioning at Middlesex, reveals what the pros eat during a day at Lord’s

BREAKFAST

We encourage the players to eat breakfast at home, but we have cereals, bagels, bread, eggs etc available for a second breakfast!

LUNCH

Lord’s lunches are the stuff of legend. There’s usually a soup starter followed by four different mains: veggie, fish, meat and pasta. There’s always a dessert too but it’s hard to bowl 20 overs after a crème brûlee.

TEA

A quick snack full of good, but light, calories:

wraps, sandwiches, fruitbased flapjacks or muffins, smoothies, fruit, nuts, energy gels and protein shakes.

SNACKS

There’s always fruit, nuts, snacks, biltong and supplements in the dressing rooms, and there are cool bags on the boundary filled with an electrolyte drink, bananas and some energy gels to help the bowlers fuel.

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KATCHET

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Hitting the ground running COVETED BY COACHES IN THE PROFESSIONAL GAME, KATCHET’S COACHING PRODUCTS WILL ENHANCE TRAINING SESSIONS AT ANY CLUB

raining has taken on more importance in the past year. With fixtures in jeopardy, each training session needed to be worthwhile in order to keep players sharp and in form.

Katchet are at the forefront of providing innovative products to help club cricketers reach and stay at their full potential. On our testing day at Dunottar School, The Cricketer put Katchet’s Swinga technique balls and Skyers to the test.

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SWINGA TECHNIQUE BALL

When club nets reopened last summer, one regulation stated that each bowler used their own ball in the nets.

Battles were initially fierce, with bowlers steaming in with their own brand new cherry.

Bowlers had the rare privilege of bowling with a new nut while batters also relished the challenge of negotiating the swing, but in an informal practice setting.

This joy was often short-lived, though, as balls would soon wear on the netting surface.

Enter the Swinga technique ball. This new product from Katchet is made from the same material as a bowling

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machine ball but one side is smooth while the other is dimpled. And when bowled, it swings just like a new ball would.

“It will behave exactly like a new cricket ball,” Katchet cofounder and ex-Scotland international Colin Smith tells The Cricketer.

“It doesn’t swing more than a new ball would. It also doesn’t swing if you deliver it wrong.” The delivery isn’t exaggerated like a tape-ball, and the Swinga is a product that can benefit both the batter learning to negotiate the new ball and the bowler who is perfecting their wrist and seam position.

The Swinga can be bowled from the hand but also can also be delivered via bowling machine or Sidearm.

As well as practical, the Swinga has financial benefits too.

“The cost implications for a club to always train against a new ball is ridiculous. Even Test teams don’t do that,” Smith continues. “This will save a club money as they don’t have to keep buying new balls for practice.”

The Cricketer testing team were sent a few Swingas to bowl and throw down, and the reaction CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GET CRICKET READY was universal.

“For bowlers to be able to practise with a new ball replica that will never deteriorate is fantastic. I wish these were around during my career,” editor Simon Hughes said.

“And it doesn’t just swing for anyone, you have to have the right wrist position and action, just like a real new ball,” he continued. “These will be equally useful for batsmen too, as they rarely experience a new ball in training, especially at club level. Now they will be far better equipped when striding out to the middle to take the new ball.”

The Swinga has received equal praise from the wider world of cricket, with names such as Justin Langer, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Hollioake counting as satisfied customers.

SKYER HYPER FACE RANGE

Clubs may already be familiar with the Skyer ranges but they are an essential in any coach’s kitbag, and the technology is continually improving.

“The material we use on the face of the Skyers is very technical,” Smith explains. “The rebound rates are astonishing, totally different from competitors who don’t use the same material.”

‘Catches win matches’ is the old saying, but in modern cricket that phrase couldn’t have more relevance. The implications of a dropped chance in a T20 are obvious in a format where matches are won and lost by small margins, but even in the longer forms a sharp catch can immediately swing momentum.

The Skyers are light, for which coaches’ arms will be

thankful, and, as Smith says, the foam is responsive again to the coach’s benefit as it requires little effort to fire out stingers.

“We’ve also widened them so they have a bigger hitting area. I didn’t see why you had to be limited by it being the same width as a cricket bat.”

Catching practice has never been easier for a coach, or indeed a player, to run.

The Cricketer’s testing team also got their mitts on some Skyers and it wasn’t long before their soft February hands were exposed.

“The Skyers are light to hold and perfect for hitting low skimming catches indoor,” said The Cricketer’s Jim Hindson, who led a training session with pupils from Dunottar School on the testing day.

“Outdoors, you can really put your squad through its paces with a full range of authentic fielding drills, from whacking balls along the ground to hitting challenging high catches. The hitting process is effortless, and allows coaches to get really creative with their drills.”

WIN! SKYERS AND SWINGAS FROM KATCHET Transform your training sessions with this coaching bundle.

Five winners will receive: • Choice of Skyer • 12 Swinga technique balls

Head to www.thecricketer.com/winkatchet to enter!

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JOBS The world’s No.1 cricket jobs site Cricketer Jobs is the central resource for cricket-related jobs, listing all the latest vacancies in coaching, groundstaff, admin, medical, media and much more, around the world.

With our dedicated team at your service, jobseekers will never miss an opportunity and employers will always find the perfect candidate.

To list a job for free contact Ed.Krarup@thecricketer.com Enhanced listing packages available to help you find the perfect candidate. Contact Ed.Krarup@thecricketer.com for more details

www.thecricketer.com/cricketerjobs

CRICKETER JOBS

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Cricketer Jobs: Opening the world of cricket one job at a time

THE CRICKETER RECENTLY LAUNCHED CRICKETER JOBS, A ONE-STOP SHOP FOR ALL CRICKET VACANCIES GLOBALLY, HELPING APPLICANTS FIND THEIR DREAM JOB AND EMPLOYERS RECRUIT THE PERFECT CANDIDATE

PHOTO: ALEX DAVIDSON/GETTY IMAGES

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inding a job can be a thankless task. While there are plenty of job sites out there, identifying your dream role in the cricket industry can be a long and difficult

process.

A similar struggle also faces those hiring, who are looking for the perfect candidate.

Cricketer Jobs changes all of this.

The online service is led by Sam Lavery, who has a decade’s experience in helping people break into, and then grow within the game.

“We can now be the centralised one-stop shop for all cricket jobs globally,” he says. “Whether you are looking to advertise a job, or find one for yourself, the home of all jobs in cricket is Cricketer Jobs.”

An important element of Cricketer Jobs is its breadth. Jobs can be advertised for national organisations or village clubs, with everybody catered for in between.

“I started advertising jobs in cricket coaching but as you have more conversations with people in the game you get to know the marketing managers and finance managers who are also looking for career progression.

“Suddenly you’ve got this range of jobs. Someone asked me if I could advertise bar staff and I thought, ‘why not?’

“We are a broad service that is accessible to everyone.”

Lavery runs Cricketer Jobs alongside his role as assistant

director of sport at Kingston Grammar School, as well as coaching at various levels at Surrey, and he takes immense satisfaction from helping somebody find their dream job.

“Every now and then, and it’s becoming more frequent now, I get a message from someone saying they saw the job on the site, applied for it, and they start next week.”

Of course, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the job market.

“In a time like this it’s about trying to keep everything as visible as possible. So that people who are looking for jobs, or indeed looking to employ, have a place to congregate.

“I know some really good people who have lost their jobs for various reasons, so supporting them and helping them get back to work is so important to the game.”

Cricketer Jobs is not just for those looking to find a new role, though. Employers frequently have trouble finding that perfect applicant, particularly with the larger job sites pushing adverts to such a large pool of candidates.

“There are jobs out there that may not be going to the best people. Sometimes that is simply because the best people don’t know about it, so we want the best candidates to get the best jobs.”

Lavery’s expertise in the cricket job market is unrivalled.

He can count many professional clubs and international boards among the clients for whom he provides bespoke consultancy services, including the identification of candidates for shortlists and longlists, preparing them for interview and supporting the employer during the interview process.

But Lavery has no bias when it comes to his time and efforts on Cricketer Jobs.

“The big jobs are exciting, but it is often the smaller ones that are the most impactful on the people that you are working for.

“Working with a smaller club you can impact the entire club.

If you provide them with a head coach, that has an enormous effect on everybody there.”

For expert support in finding your ideal candidate, take advantage of our enhanced recruitment packages visit www.thecricketer.com/cricketerjobs WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

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JUNIORS

Inspiring generations: Top tips for a thriving juniors section WIMBLEDON DIRECTOR OF CRICKET JONATHAN SPELLER OFFERS ADVICE TO CLUBS ON HOW TO MOTIVATE AND ORGANISE DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS ast August, Jonathan Speller was voted The Cricketer’s Lockdown Club Hero after masterminding a programme at Wimbledon CC to allow more than 750 youngsters to continue playing cricket during the coronavirus pandemic.

As Wimbledon’s director of cricket, he is responsible for the club’s cricket operations, overseeing an explosion in junior engagement and the development of a girls’ section during his three years in the role.

And, despite the pandemic, the last year has been no different. As soon as lockdown restrictions were eased,

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Speller created more than 4,000 sessions for local children and a summer camp scheme which sold out inside 48 hours to provide a safe and supervised environment for kids to stay active.

A coach with more than 20 years’ experience, Speller discusses his coaching philosophy and shares his tips for maintaining a successful junior section.

WIMBLEDON’S COACHING PHILOSOPHY

Under-8s: Physical literacy, not cricket technique My coaching philosophy has been inspired by teaching CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GET CRICKET READY and psychology. When you’re young, you’re unconsciously incompetent – you don’t know what you don’t know. If you bombard a six-year old with technique, they’ll have no idea why they should be doing it. At Wimbledon it’s about physical literacy, getting them engaging with their friends and doing the fundamentals.

This is where the ECB’s All Stars Cricket programme is brilliant because it’s pure physical literacy. Can you balance, can you communicate, can you run fast, can you catch, can you throw? All Stars send you kit – a bat and ball for each child – which is a great starting point, while another advantage of physical literacy is you can use parent volunteers. They don’t need any specific skills and if you can engage a couple of them in a session then your coach to player ratio explodes.

Under-12s: Encourage experimentation When they reach under-9s, they’re consciously incompetent – they know what they can’t do – and understand better how their bodies work. That’s when you can start doing the fundamental teaching with a Level 2 coach.

You’ll see personalities come out at this point – those who are risk averse and won’t try to hit the ball hard, and the risk takers who’ll try to hit anything – and we encourage that experimentation.

With bowlers, as long as they’re bowling with a straight arm and their action is safe, great! What’s dangerous if you start coaching too soon is you pigeon-hole people.

If someone says, “you’re quite a good fast bowler”, all of sudden that’s what you do. I don’t believe in that.

Bowl fast, spin or swing, I want them to experiment.

12 and over: Teach the game Here we move to game-based theory and practice, teaching them nuances and learning the actual game.

We’re looking for open dialogue with the kids because in teaching, if the teacher is doing 80 per cent of the work and the kids are doing 20 per cent, they’re not really learning. Our coaches throw ideas out there and get the kids asking why or challenge them to explain why.

Setting up a junior section: Getting started My big advice is, if you’re thinking about setting up a junior section, just start! There are lots of free resources available and volunteers will always step forward if you’ve got a common goal. Also, engage with your county board. We’re a big cricket family and if you ask, people will help.

You’ve got to think about your legal and safeguarding policies. This includes DBS checks for coaches and volunteers, sticking to ECB ratios of coaches to players (especially when using hard balls) and having permission for photos. Appoint a club welfare officer and use the resources available on the ECB website to make sure you’re ticking all the boxes.

And think about the admin side, how you’re going to communicate with parents, manage membership etc. We use an app called Spond (although there are others) which is a real time-saver.

Attracting players Take advantage of what’s out there. All Stars is excellent here because it’s a public forum where people put their location in and are matched to clubs in their area. Social media is good for catching parents too but our big one is holiday camps. Someone might not want to commit to a full season but a few days at cricket camp gives them a feel for it.

We’ve pushed a lot harder on our summer camps recently. The emphasis is on them being young kids and having fun, and the early drop-off and late pick-ups help local parents during a long summer. Open them to members and non-members to attract as many kids as possible.

Create a group identity Have a uniform. It sounds silly but a uniform brings people together and creates a community sense. In our club it helps to level the playing field amongst the kids – it doesn’t matter if you’re private school or state school, high or low economic background, you have a collective love of one thing and a pride of the badge. As Wimbledon, we’re a family and that’s what it’s all about.

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JUNIORS

Be flexible One of the first things I looked at was the pressure on kids to move onto hardball at a certain age, something I think can be a huge turn-off. Instead, be flexible. We created a softball programme to keep more kids at the club.

Also, all our session plans include the next step up or down – e.g. using a smaller ball or a bigger ball – to challenge/help the kids while one to one coaching and nets are always available for those looking for something extra.

Setting up a girls’ section Starting a girls’ section from scratch is like starting any junior section. You just want to engage and inspire, and now girls’ cricket is taking off in schools, you have loads more girls who are interested!

At Wimbledon, up to under-9s we don’t split them because there’s no difference up to this stage on their learning journey. They’re split after that, but that’s only because some girls prefer to play girls’-only. However our girls sessions and boys sessions are run at the same time and any girls who want to join in with the boys can! Our coaches are always adaptable and allow players to swap in between sessions.

We don’t have a ‘girls’ night’ because we want them to see themselves as cricketers, not ‘female cricketers’. However. having a girls’ night does have its advantages – it creates a community. At my old club, Friday night was girls’ night, and they’d have pizza after training. But, as long as you’re engaging, enthusing and inspiring, you do what works for your club.

Remember, your job isn’t to create the next England star People might ask why I don’t push the kids harder but that’s not my job. My job is to inspire you to play into your 40s, 50s, 60s with your kids and grandkids. Instead, make

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a good connection with your county set-up and their elite programme. If someone shows promise, you can put them on that pathway where they can be challenged further, but don’t run the risk of putting kids under pressure.

I also don’t subscribe to kids playing up a year. Future leaders learn in the safety and confines of their peer age.

Usually, the young guy or girl in the side doesn’t stride into an older age group as a leader, again pigeon-holing them into a role in the team. If they need challenging, encourage the better players to mentor their team-mates or younger age groups and develop those softer skills and learn from teaching others.

FIVE KEY STEPS FOR SETTING UP A JUNIOR SECTION se the available resources, such as your local county board and U the ECB’s All Stars programme. et your ECB Clubmark – it’s official accreditation of your legal G and safeguarding policies and shows you’re ticking all of the boxes. hink about your community – will holiday camps be a great T starting point? Do you want a uniform? reasure your parent volunteers - they keep the kids engaged T and are a free resource who are giving up their time around the club.

E mphasise physical literacy and cricket skills instead of technique for younger age groups.

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Cricket for everyone?: The experiences of a disabled cricketer OLIVER THORPE DETAILS THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO DISABLED PLAYERS IN ENGLAND AND WALES IN 2021 eing a disabled cricketer can be quite the challenge: some levels of the recreational game are too easy, some are too hard.

It’s all about finding the right level for you, which you’ll find by ticking three boxes: if you’re comfortable, not putting yourself in danger and, most importantly, you’re enjoying it.

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WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

There are a number of ways that a cricketer with a disability can get involved in the game. They may choose to play able-bodied cricket, hard-ball cricket, soft-ball cricket or even visually impaired cricket.

Over the last few years, the ECB has done a lot to ensure that the disability game is being recognised, and more and more we’re starting to see clips go viral on social media –

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DISABILITY CRICKET

it’s extraordinary to say the least.

Now, you may be sitting as a disabled cricketer thinking ‘how do I get involved?’ or a club thinking ‘how do we start up disability cricket?’ – well fear not, there is a way and you’ve come to the right place.

As a disabled cricketer, speak to local clubs in your area and see what they have to offer. They may offer the formats mentioned above and if they don’t, it may be worth having a chat about how you can get involved.

If there are no clubs nearby, then reach out to your local county cricket board or foundation and see what they have available. The ECB and Lord’s Taverners do loads throughout the year, catering for all forms of disability.

At university, I was fortunate enough to represent Lancashire and help them reach the semi-finals of the ECB D40 competition in 2018. This was a hard-ball 40-over competition for players with a hearing impairment, learning disability or a physical disability, with counties from all over the country taking part. A full list of competing counties is available on the ECB website.

Search out programmes such as the Super 9s, Super 1s and table cricket. For young children, the ECB’s Dynamos Cricket and All Stars Cricket programmes are available to youngsters of all abilities.

For players with a visual impairment, Super 9s or D40 cricket is not an option. Instead, you have the BCEW regional league and the BCEW national league.

At this stage, you’re on the pathway to becoming an England cricketer and one step closer to pulling on the Three Lions. There is a Lions programme in the respective disciplines, bridging the gap between county level and the international scene.

If there’s a club out there that wants to get involved, then you could approach your county cricket board or foundation to see what assistance they can offer. They will have officers that may be able to facilitate in helping you get set up and answer any questions that you may have.

Alternatively, you could approach the ECB directly and they will help you gain access to their Champion Club programme. The programme is designed to give clubs a helping hand in making the game more accessible in their community. They will offer you guidance, resources and equipment to help you achieve this. It will allow for all members of your community regardless of ability to get involved in the game whether it be as a player, official, volunteer or a follower.

30

Each champion club will receive a free kit bag containing plastic equipment and a variety of balls and markers to help coaches.

If your club becomes an ECB champion, you will be able to access ECB funding to support the delivery and funding of inclusive sessions. A full list of how a club can get involved with this scheme can be found on the ECB’s website.

The programmes mentioned in this piece are a fabulous way of engaging all members of society, ensuring that cricket is seen as a game for all and making clear that the entire community can get involved, no matter their ability.

It is fantastic to see the ECB actively engaging with the disability game and putting in every effort to make it visible, at every level. Hopefully in a post-pandemic world we will hear more about the disabled game and be able to watch it grow and inspire those who previously thought that our great sport wasn’t for them. Cricket will always be a game for everyone. Don’t let anybody tell you anything different.

It’s all about finding the right level for you, which you’ll find by ticking three boxes: if you’re comfortable, not putting yourself in danger and, most importantly, you’re enjoying it

FIVE QUICK STEPS TO ESTABLISHING A DISABLED SECTION AT YOUR CLUB SPEAK TO YOUR COUNTY BOARD Get in touch with your local county board, they’ll be able to help your club get on the ladder and get you on your way to supporting the disabled game.

CONTACT THE ECB

There are people at the national governing body who will be happy to help you get started with disability cricket.

They’ll point you in the right direction and make sure you the support you need.

REACH OUT TO LORD’S TAVERNERS

The Lord’s Taverners charity will be able to assist you in

setting up disability cricket at your club. They’ll be able to give tips and advice on how to go about things.

GAUGE INTEREST

Make sure you speak to relevant members of your community and ensure there are enough people willing to participate.

RAISE AWARENESS

Spread the word on social media. Make sure the people that need to see it do so by tagging them.

You’ll get players from nearby towns and cities turning out so ensure that you’re prepared.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE 32 INTRODUCTION

52 STRETTON FOX

34 BATS

54 HOW TO BUY A BAT

44 BOUTIQUE BATS

57 TESTING DAY

50 SOFTS

INTRODUCTION

Cricket is back but is your kit bag ready?

The Cricketer is here to help... inally, cricket is back. And now it’s time to make sure you are ready for the summer.

Ahead of a crucial summer for our game, what better time to retire the cracked willow and upgrade to the bat you deserve?

We are eternally grateful to Owzat-Cricket for letting us hand-pick our selection of blades off their shelves to test, and to the participating boutique brands for allowing us to use their labours of love.

Keep an eye out on The Cricketer’s social media channels to be in with a chance of winning the stunning bats in our boutique selection.

All the major brands are covered at all price points.

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If you are looking for the finest willow on the market, or indeed looking to find the bat to last the next decade, our expert reviews will guide you towards the perfect companion.

Equipment doesn’t just stop at bats, though.

Our Good Gear Guide covers all of your needs for softs and footwear – make sure to check out the fascinating story behind protective equipment manufacturer Stretton Fox on p52.

We, and all involved within cricket, are thankful for your support so please keep buying from Owzat-Cricket, keep buying from boutique brands, and keep on supporting our game.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

BATS

Gray-Nicolls Maax

RRP: £125.00 Weight: 2lb 12oz

RATING

8.3 Owzat price: £99.99 Edges: 40mm

Kookaburra Ghost 4.2 RRP: £150.00 Weight: 2lb 9oz

Who it is

Who it is

Muscular hero

Grey and trustworthy

Huw Edwards

The Maax gave off a superb initial impression to our testers, averaging 9.0 in this category, and Advaith even gave it 10s across the board. The consistent weight throughout the blade was noted though it was slightly heavy for some.

Pick-up/feel

34

7.2 Owzat price: £119.99 Edges: 36mm

Jason Statham

Initial Impression

RATING

This one was a Ghost by name and by appearance. The allwhite stickers are smart and understated. It’s a thin handle which suits some more than others, though this can be amended. If you find the middle it went well. Charlie found it, calling it a “lovely bat” while Simon Hughes commented on its “great feel and pick-up”.

9

Build Quality

8.6

Initial Impression

7.6

Performance

7.8

Pick-up/feel

7.6

Build Quality

7

7

Performance

7

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE Kookaburra Kahuna 5.0 RRP: £160.00 Weight: 2lb 7oz

RATING

8.2 Owzat price: £129.99 Edges: 35mm

MRF

RATING

7.8

Legend 1.0 RRP: £170.00 Weight: 2lb 10oz

Owzat price: £134.99 Edges: 42mm

Who it is

Who it is

Beefy with potential to be destructive

Hits a long ball

Kyle Sinckler

Dustin Johnson

The Kahuna has been a staple in the Kookaburra production line for many years, and it continues to impress.You think of Ricky Ponting in Australia’s glory years and this could have boosted its initial impression score. Jack Myers commented on the “big hitting area” and Nick Friend found its “massive, yet forgiving middle”. This is one for the big hitters.

The name is appropriate when you consider the legends that have wielded MRF willows down the years. Charlie considered it the most consistent bat he used and Max was pleased with its even weight distribution. Nick felt you could hit it into the stands and felt the swing was similar to that of a golf club. Runs to be had with this one.

Initial Impression

8.2

Build Quality

7.8

Initial Impression

8.2

Build Quality

7.5

Pick-up/feel

7.8

Performance

8.8

Pick-up/feel

7.7

Performance

8

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

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BATS

Gunn & Moore Zelos Signature

RRP: £165.00 Weight: 2lb 11oz

RATING

7.7

Owzat price: £134.99 Edges: 38mm

Kookaburra Big Beast

RRP: £180 Weight: 2lb 13oz

RATING

7.5 Owzat price: £144.99 Edges: 40mm

Who it is

Who it is

A household name who continues to produce the goods

An acquired taste

Robert Downey Jr

Harvey struggled with the toe of the Zelos but Manny was delighted with the middle. Advaith suggested that perhaps the middle could be lower but that suggests that this is a bat for faster, bouncier pitches as the weather heats up.

Piers Morgan

This animal was actually quite friendly. Annabelle was pleased with the build and happy to get her arms through the ball.

Nick said it was an acquired taste but the thicker edges are an indication of how bats are made today. Romilly was able to use the weight to her advantage, commenting on the positive momentum in the follow-through.

Initial Impression

7.8

Build Quality

7.8

Initial Impression

7.8

Build Quality

8

Pick-up/feel

7 7.8

Performance

7.3 7.4

Pick-up/feel Pick-up/feel

8.3 7.2

Performance Performance

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36

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE Adidas

RATING

8

XT 4.0

RRP: £215.00 Weight: 2lb 9oz

Gray-Nicolls Ultimate Original

Owzat price: £169.99 Edges: 37mm

RRP: £250.00 Weight: 2lb 11oz

RATING

7.2 Owzat price: £199.00 Edges: 39mm

Who it is

Who it is

Dark and brooding

Makes a big impact in the middle

Batman

Ilkay Gundogan

The sports giant have muscled their way into the cricket market and their offering was generally liked. Tom noticed its clean look, something that may be missing from other bat designs. Nick thought this would be a good choice for a run accumulator as it was on the lighter side. Easy to drop one to the infield and take a quick single with this one.

The design is a lovely throwback for some and the 39mm edges drag the Ultimate into the modern era. However, Nick felt it picked up heavily and the feel suffered as a result. The middle worked for Charlie, and Romilly found a nice balance with the bat in hand.

Initial Impression

8.2

Build Quality

7.6

Initial Impression

6.6

Build Quality

7.6

Pick-up/feel

7.8 8

Performance

7.8 8.2

Pick-up/feel

6.7 6.8

Performance

7.87

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

37

BATS

Gunn & Moore Diamond 808 RRP: £265.00 Weight: 2lb 8oz

Gray-Nicolls

RATING

8.3

Elite Original

Owzat price: £209.99 Edges: 37mm

RRP: £300.00 Weight: 2lb 11oz

7.6 Owzat price: £239.99 Edges: 40mm

Who it is

Who it is

Long-term quality

Keeping older vibes alive

Celine Dion

Tom Jones

The classic brand continues to deliver. The Diamond had a “great balance and grip” according to Annabelle, and she added that the build quality was such that it could “last forever”. A big tick for clubbies who may not want to buy a new blade every season.

Harvey enjoyed this one, giving it top marks for initial impression and performance.You feel it is more suitable to the longer format, where bat speed and agility is not as essential, and you want a willow that will protect your stumps and pads. The middle allows batters to use their technique rather than power to beat the infield.

Initial Impression

7.8

Build Quality

8

Pick-up/feel

8.2 8.3

Performance

8.7 9

38

RATING

Initial Impression

7.5

Build Quality

7.3

Pick-up/feel

7.8 7.3

Performance

7.2 8.3

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CAGES AND NETS

MATTING

TRAINING

NET INSTALLATIONS

BATS

Gunn & Moore Chroma 909 RRP: £310.00 Weight: 2lb 8oz

RATING

7.3

Owzat price: £247.99 Edges: 37mm

OptiMax

RATING

7.7

LSM

RRP: £275.00 Weight: 2lb 9oz

Owzat price: £249.99 Edges: 36mm

Who it is

Who it is

Will always do the job

Will be back year after year

N’Golo Kante

Michael McIntyre

Advaith commented on the quality of the grain of the Chroma. Nick found it ticked boxes across the board. It’s little wonder this brand has lasted the test of time… and a pandemic. Tom wasn’t totally enamoured with the toe but when you hit one out of the screws the bat does all the work. A reliable investment.

The middle might have been a bit thin for Charlie but in Max’s eyes it was “out of this world”. Nick was pleasantly surprised, saying it played “better than it looked”. It may not hit six after six but the OptiMax will be a trusty item in the kitbag for the long term.

Initial Impression

7.4

Build Quality

6.6

Initial Impression

7.2

Build Quality

7.4

Pick-up/feel

7.6

Performance

7.4

Pick-up/feel

7.8

Performance

8.2

40

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE SF

RATING

Maximum Classic RRP: £340.00 Weight: 2lb 9oz

7.3 Owzat price: £269.99 Edges: 35mm

Newbery

RATING

7.4

The Master Players RRP: £355.00 Weight: 2lb 13oz

Owzat price: £279.99 Edges: 38mm

Who it is

Who it is

Thin up top

Quintessentially English

Peter Crouch

Helen Mirren

Holly’s favourite bat of the day and you could see why. It was square and chunky but the soft pick-up didn’t follow that description. The handle was thin, which would suit a nurdler more than a boundary blaster. However the middle did reward timing and technique.

One of the most quintessentially English brands around, but this bat does not come across like one of their usual refined willows. Firstly the design and logo is different – Jack liked the retro stickers, and secondly it’s a powerful stick. It was heavy at 2lb 13oz but when used with timing the weight can benefit the power game.

Initial Impression

7

Build Quality

7.2

Initial Impression

7.3

Build Quality

7.5

Pick-up/feel

7

Performance

7.8

Pick-up/feel

7.3

Performance

7.5

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

41

BATS

New Balance TC860

RRP: £385.00 Weight: 2lb 11oz

RATING

7.8 Owzat price: £299.99 Edges: 42mm

Woodstock

RATING

Airstream Players LE RRP: £450.00 Weight: 2lb 12oz

Edges: 36mm

Who it is

Who it is

Stocky, requires muscle

New on the mainstream block and here to stay

Hulk Hogan

Regé-Jean Page

The consensus was that the TC860 is a hefty willow. At 2lb 11oz with 42mm edges it certainly was chunky on paper too.

This worked for Holly, Charlie and Manny. It was a bit much for Nick. New Balance have made a hunky bat, so if you’re a nudger it may not be for you.

Advaith said this was his favourite. Managing editor of The Cricketer Huw Turbervill said it “was the most exquisite bat I have used in my life, I hit six balls and they all flew”, which is quite the compliment. The handles were thin, some commented, but as ever some do have that preference so they can use their wrists for greater control.

Initial Impression

7.7

Build Quality

7.7

Initial Impression

Pick-up/feel

7.8

Performance

8.2

Pick-up/feel

42

8.4

8.5

Build Quality

8.5

8

Performance

8.5

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE Woodstock

RATING

Tour De Force Players LE RRP: £450.00 Weight: 2lb 11oz

8.6

Edges: 36mm

Who it is

Henry Cavill

English and bulky

The higher scoring of the two Woodstocks. Its pick-up and performance were the two standout categories, both scoring 8.8. The foundations for its high performance will have come from the workshop, where each bat is handmade. It is weighty which may not be for everyone, but when used well the ball pings with ease.

Initial Impression

8.3

Build Quality

8.5

Pick-up/feel

8.8

Performance

8.8

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

BOUTIQUE BATS

Neon

RATING

Chrome Reserve Grade RRP: £359.99 Weight: 2lb 9oz

7.8

Neon

RATING

Pink Club Grade RRP: £199.99 Weight: 2lb 8oz

Edges: 38mm

Edges: 38mm

Who it is

Who it is

A shiny smile

When he performs well it’s 10/10

Joey Essex

Kylian Mbappe

The blade is noticeably shorter on this Neon, making for a higher density of wood – Virender Sehwag was first to do it apparently. “Very nice, very pleasant, light pick-up and lovely swing-through.” Nick certainly enjoyed it. “Thanks for your time,” he later added.

When he got one out of the middle, Harvey said it was “10/10”. Max agreed: “The ball came off really nicely and it was easy to find the middle.” And while Tom felt the design wasn’t for him, he did add that it was “the best bat here by a mile”.

Initial Impression

7.7

Build Quality

7.4

Initial Impression

Pick-up/feel

7.9

Performance

8.2

Pick-up/feel

44

8.2

8

Build Quality

7.7

8.7

Performance

8.3

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CENTENARY R ANGE A century of cricket 1921–2021 PRI CE

2/6

ANNUAL 1921-2021

PETER MORRIS

P.J. PERCHARD

A.W.T. LANGFORD

R.A. HUTTON

E.W. SWANTON

J.A. STERN

D.E.J. FRITH

A.D. MILLER

R.J. HAYTER

A.J. SWANN

Botham’s Ashes

by C . D . A .

Martin-Jenkins

C.D.A. MARTINJENKINS

S.P. HUGHES

England’s World Cup

by S . P . Hughes

NET

D’Oliveira

by E . W . Swanton World Series Cricket

by R . J . Hayter

Coverage of – County International Club Schools

ANNUAL 1921-2021 FOUNDED BY

P.F. WARNER

Mastheads print £59.99

Bodyline

by P . F . Warner

“The Cricketer” A centurion with a future

Editors print £59.99

Cover of covers £59.99

AVAILABLE APRIL 30

First issue reprint £9.99

shop.thecricketer.com

Centenary binders £12.99

call 0203 198 1359

BOUTIQUE BATS

Stallionz Cricket Black Edition Limited Edition RRP: £385.00 Weight: 2lb 8oz

7.8 Willow Twin RATING

RATING

8.3

Gold

RRP: £415.00 Weight: 2lb 9oz

Edges: 39mm

Edges: 37mm

Who it is

Who it is

Smart, wellpresented

English and charitable

David Gandy

Marcus Rashford

The two-tone wood was a good sign from the off. Annabelle was a fan of the stickers: “The design was so good, it really stood out.” It’s one of the lighter bats tested which went down well. However with 38mm edges boundaries are always a possibility.

The “fantastic” grain was noted straight away. Manny added it was “nice and light with a massive middle and weight spread evenly”. The design is smart, with a gold tint added to a classic English crest. When your purchase a bat you are paired with a Change Foundation young person, and they benefit from programmes run by the Change Foundation.

Initial Impression

7.6

Build Quality

7.6

Initial Impression

8.3

Build Quality

7.9

Pick-up/feel

7.7

Performance

8.4

Pick-up/feel

8.6

Performance

8.3

46

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

Willow Twin @willowtwin_uk

INTRODUCING THE WILLOW TWIN 2021 RANGE

willowtwincricket

www.willowtwin.co.uk

L

W L O

T

W

I

BATS THAT DRIVE CHANGE. I

N

W

WILLOW T WIN

15% off with code CRICKETER

www.willowtwin.co.uk

Supporting The Change Foundation with every purchase.

BOUTIQUE BATS

Woodworm

RATING

7.5

Wand Select RRP: £259.99 Weight: 2lb 7oz

World Class Willow 8.1

RATING

Orca 2.0 5 Star Willow Grade RRP: £320.00 Weight: 2lb 11oz

Edges: 38mm

Edges: 43mm

Who it is

Who it is

Consistent performer

Vibrant, lively and energetic

Harry Kane

Dua Lipa

Max was afraid as Nick was smashing balls back at him. It was the bat that Nick wanted for himself. “The pick-up, swing, middle, all gorgeous.” Annabelle got great connection and it worked for her. Woodworm are bringing out a women’s range soon. The slim handle didn’t work for everybody, but the stickering was “neat and smart”.

At 43mm the edges are at the thicker end of the market, but it’s “lighter than it looks”. The pick-up was widely credited and the wide face gave confidence. “Why wouldn’t you make a bat with all those colours?” asked Simon. World Class Willow are official brand partners with Help for Heroes, and purchases will contribute to a target of £10,000 for the military charity.

Initial Impression

7.6

Build Quality

6.9

Initial Impression

Pick-up/feel

7.7

Performance

7.8

Pick-up/feel

48

8

Build Quality

7.8

8.2

Performance

8.3

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

World Class Willow are proud to be official Help for Heroes brand partners.

To purchase a bespoke, limited edition handmade Help for Heroes cricket bat and contribute to the target of a £10,000 donation to the charity please go to www.worldclasswillow.com or email

paul@worldclasswillow.com or call 01278 723110 • Handpicked from our finest willow • Handmade by our master bat maker to conform to ICC and MCC cricket bat regulations • Ultimate 12 piece cane handle • Talk to the team • Made to order • Free UK shipping www.worldclasswillow.com

SOFTS Bags

AERO TOUR BAG OWZAT PRICE: £129.99 RRP: £160

Includes separate travel bag and a holdall for clothing. Plenty of pockets, slim and robust, this is a top end bag.

Helmet

KOOKABURRA D4.0 DUFFLE

MASURI E-LINE STEEL

OWZAT PRICE: £39.99 RRP: £50

OWZAT PRICE: £99.99 RRP: £130

Full size adult bag, padded bat sleeve and valuables pocket. One pad either side takes bulk out of main compartment. Exceptional value.

Double eye-line grill provides excellent protection without compromising tracking the ball.

Body protection

STRETTON FOX

Protection that can be moulded precisely to the user.

Turn to p52 to find out more.

50

KOOKABURRA PRO 500 CHESTGUARD OWZAT PRICE: £23.99 RRP: £29.99

Vest and chestguard combined for comfort.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE Batting pads

Wicketkeeping gloves

NEWBERY SPS GLOVES OWZAT PRICE: £79.99 RRP: £100

SF MAXIMUM OWZAT PRICE: £84.99 RRP: £100

Full foam making an exceptionally light pad with flush fitting knee socket.

A classy looking all-white top end glove with long cuff.

KOOKABURRA BEAST 4.2 OWZAT PRICE: £31.99 RRP: £40

A top value lightweight pad.

Footwear

NEWBERY SPIKE

GRAY-NICOLLS CUT OFFS

OWZAT PRICE: £49.99 RRP: £60

OWZAT PRICE: £39.99 RRP: £50

Excellent keeping glove designed to reduce wastage by using discarded materials, means unique design for each pair.

Full spike with a ‘sock tongue’. Excellent value for an allrounder.

Batting gloves

GRAY-NICOLLS ORIGINAL 750 OWZAT PRICE: £55.99 RRP: £70

Lovely retro look synonymous with Gower era with sausage finger, extremely comfortable allied with top class protection.

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

MRF 3.0 OWZAT PRICE: £19.99 RRP: £22

Slim, leather palm and sweatband. Excellent value.

51

STRETTON FOX

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Padding up with Stretton Fox

STRETTON FOX HAVE ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES AMONG COUNTY PROFESSIONALS. NOW THEY ARE HITTING THE MASS MARKET t only takes one sharp blow to start wearing a thigh pad every time you walk to the middle. It’s an unnecessarily painful impact to have to deal with and as such, at all levels of the game, batsmen will rarely walk to the middle without sufficient protection.

And there is one brand about which players at the top domestic level are fanatic.

You may not have heard of Stretton Fox, but you soon will.

“At the start of the 2020 season, I would say somewhere between 43-47 per cent of all professional cricketers in the UK were wearing Stretton Fox thigh pads,” founder George Fox tells the Club Cricket Guide.

“Every single one of them has paid for their equipment,

I

52

rather than sponsorship.”

The Cricketer was sent a box of Stretton Fox guards, from thigh pads to chest guards, to use on our testing day. They arrive flat and rigid, so to mould them the user needs to put them in an oven at around 80 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes, at which point they soften and can bend to the body.

The ambidextrous design means one product fits all.

The result is a thin, perfectly-fitting, rock-hard guard.

The Cricketer’s Nick Friend said: “The custom nature is what stands out for me. Not only can each piece be moulded to the player’s exact shape, but the detached Velcro straps allows you to wear it however you want.”

Editor Simon Hughes was equally impressed. “It cements cricket’s status as one of the most innovative sports, and shows that protection continues to be of paramount importance.”

The guards are coveted by professionals hence their willingness to pay for them, but how has Stretton Fox, a brand that only launched on a large scale in 2020, managed CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE

to become the manufacturer of choice for the country’s top batsmen?

“It started in 2012 as a bet with former allrounder Neil Carter, who is a friend and was playing for Warwickshire at the time,” Fox explains.

“He was showing me his kit. I remember looking at his thigh pad and thinking ‘that looks absolute rubbish!’ The insoles of my shoe would do a better job.

“I said I bet a pint I could do better. So I put some stuff together and literally gaffer taped it to Neil’s leg.”

Fox did not enter this endeavour blind, though. A designer by qualification, Fox has worked within the textiles industry, gaining experience during a long stint in France working in high-end fashion.

“I was mainly textile focussed but that took a technology turn,” he says.

Fox had all the tools and knowhow to bring science into

batting protection but shortly after sending Carter to the Edgbaston nets, Fox received a call asking him to get to the ground immediately.

“I thought ‘uh-oh, what’s gone wrong?’ The whole squad is there as well as the ladies team.”

But rather than see Carter injured or hurt, he is laughing as players are hitting his new thigh pad with a bat, and the allrounder couldn’t feel a thing. All the players wanted one.

“I gave them a price which they agreed, got back home to start work and before I had finished that order I had people from other clubs getting in touch because word had got out.

“Within a year there were 300 pros using the equipment.”

What sets this equipment apart is the adaptability to fit the body. The material is light yet solid and rather than have fixed straps, the guards are held on using two detached elasticated Velcro straps.

“You aren’t limited by the straps, they can go wherever you want. You’ll find the first time people wear it the straps will be aligned and looking smart. But give it a month and the straps will be all over the place at different angles but that’s the point, you find what is most comfortable to you.

Stretton Fox’s material disperses the force of the ball, lessening it’s impact.

“What we’re doing is the equivalent of if someone treads on your foot wearing flat trainers, rather than stilettos.”

The Stretton part of the brand name came later.

“There was a young boy, Nathan Stretton, who was the 12-year-old son of my close friend. He had just been signed to Leicestershire as a young county player and came back from a training sessions quite bothered by something.”

Nathan had been hit by some short balls and had some painful bruises, but the problem wasn’t that he wasn’t wearing protection, it’s that he was.

“My blood boiled,” Fox remembers. “So I made him a set of pads and because he had really made me want to do something I said we would name the business together, and Stretton Fox was born.”

It is the bespoke nature and inability to feel the ball that really makes this equipment stand out. The ability to mould and strap them on however you wish results in no invasion of comfort, and gives batsmen every opportunity to complete that quick single or stand up confidently to the short ball.

To find out more about Stretton Fox equipment, visit www.strettonfoxsports.com WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

53

HOW TO BUY A BAT

How to buy a bat: Five easy steps to finding the best blade

54

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE OWZAT-CRICKET’S GAVIN YOUNG LAYS OUT THE KEY QUESTIONS WORTH ASKING YOURSELF BEFORE SETTLING ON YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND… uying a bat can be both thrilling and daunting in equal measure: so much choice can lead to difficult decisions.

It’s mind-blowing when you walk into a store. You look at all that wonderful willow lined up and think: “How can I pick just one?” But I think that there are five main steps.

KNOW YOUR PRICE RANGE

The first thing you need to do is set a budget. Bats go from roughly £100 to £600, so getting a figure in your head before you start looking is important.

Our average selling price at the moment is probably between £200 to £250. Most people can’t afford and can’t justify more than £450 if you’re using it for training and then for a game once a week. It’s a lot of money to shell out – as club cricketers, we’re often not good enough to get the benefit out of it.

WORK OUT WHICH WEIGHT SUITS YOU

I’d advise people to worry less about the weight and more about the pick-up. You can get two bats weighing the same that feel totally different.

Stick a pair of gloves on when you’re trying one out as well – it changes the pick-up. Likewise, maybe put a second grip on it as well.

DO YOU HAVE A BRAND IN MIND?

There are a lot of brands out there; some people have gone through the same one forever because their dad

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used it. It’s increasingly rare that people buy a bat because a certain player has used it: kids might want Joe Root’s bat or Dom Sibley’s bat, but it’s not something that translates into adult cricket so much.

It’s difficult to choose a brand. Trying to pick between them is hard. You can spend hours pondering. People can have 10 bats laid out in front of them, but then they lose the plot because they’ve got too many.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BAT?

The standard of the bat is an important point. You’ve got five grades: one being the best, five being the worst. You want six to eight grains and a clean piece of willow.

Grade five bats are very hard, so people will think they’re buying a big bat which will help them hit it further. But it’s not like that. It’s down to the quality of the willow (and the user’s timing!).

Of course, you can tell the difference between a grade five and a grade one – it’s a Ford and a Ferrari.

GIVE IT SOME TLC – IT’S MADE OF WOOD!

Bats need to be looked after. It’s like a piece of garden furniture which you can’t just leave out. If you don’t look after it, it will be no good. Knocking in and oiling – and doing it right – is key for it to last. The younger generation pull it out every week, put it back in their bag and think it will last.

You don’t want to leave it in a car boot or, indeed, in a boiler room. If you do either of those, it will go hard – either because the heat’s got to it or because cold has got to it. Ideally, have it in the house somewhere – a bedroom, a porch or a bat sleeve in your cricket bag. Through the winter, it’s a good idea to get it out, get the anti-scuff cover off it and give it a bit of oil just to soften it up.

When you buy it, concentrate mainly on the edges and toe with the knocking-in process because that’s the weakest point. You never see many bats cracking from the middle!

Do it over a period of a couple of weeks, so you’re doing it slowly. Also, if you’re playing on a damp wicket and the toe gets a bit damp as a result, give it a bit of sanding – don’t just leave it in your bag and think it will be all right.

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Surrey Cricket Development & Performance Centre

Co-educational day school in Reigate for ages 11 to 18.

Open Mornings run throughout the year.

Regular cricket tours.

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Contact the Admissions Office for further information.

Email admissions@dunottarschool.com or call on 01737 761945.

High Trees Road, Reigate, RH2 7EL www.dunottarschool.com

GOOD GEAR GUIDE

Surrey stars keep Dunottar love alive The Club Cricket Guide’s bat-testing day was held at Dunottar School.

Huw Turbervill learns more about the Surrey school

he cricketers of Dunottar School could not have received better advice during the lockdown, when they had a chance to meet The Gaffer.

That is the nickname of Surrey and England legend Alec Stewart, who held an online ‘meet the pro’ session with the boys and girls – and parents – of the school, which is based in Reigate.

T

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Stewart led England in the late 1990s, won 133 Test caps, and is now the supremo of Surrey Cricket… and the school has become an important cog in that machine.

In February 2018 Dunottar launched a partnership with the county to create a Surrey Cricket development and performance centre at the school. The jewel in the crown of this exciting link-up was the installation of a

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TESTING DAY

superb, four-lane indoor net system, with a range of bowling machines.

Other Surrey legends have also held sessions – Adam Hollioake, one of the county’s finest captains, who also led the England ODI team; 2019 World Cup winner Jason Roy, who plays for Reigate Priory CC; and Bryony Smith and Aylish Cranstone, from Surrey Women.

Andy Cole, the former Manchester United and England striker, also spoke, and the common theme from all the events was how good it was for youngsters to play as many sports as possible, to build up their skillsets.

Stewart – whose nephew Max Wallis attends the school – spoke well on the subject of wicketkeeping, praising Surrey and England’s Ben Foakes, and explaining why his height – 6ft 1in – is not a problem. He also gave an insight into the life of an athlete.

Hollioake talked honestly and refreshingly from his home in Perth, Australia. When asked if he would change anything if he could talk to himself as an 18-yearold, he thought for a while, then said no, as although he believes he was not gifted, he made the most of his ability and was a good leader (he took Surrey to the title in 1999, 2000 and 2002).

The Cricketer team visited the school on March 22 to test the latest bats, and it was a thrilling day for pupils male and female. England legend Ian Bell and Dunottar’s most promising cricketers gave their verdict on the blades and Bell also ran a coaching masterclass and Q&A for the eager pupils.

Dunottar was a girls’ school until 2015, but, facing bankruptcy, it was taken over by United Learning and

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became co-ed. It has 423 pupils, is aiming for 460 in September; it now has a 50/50 gender split.

The symbiosis with Surrey CCC has delighted head teacher Mark Tottman, a true cricket aficionado who hails from Kent.

“I joined as head in September 2017 and the link with Surrey was the first thing I did because I love the game,” he told The Cricketer. “Cricket is great because boys and girls play – it is a beautiful co-ed sport. We are a very inclusive school, and boys and girls of all abilities can play safely, and have fun.

“We had house matches and all sorts of fixtures, but we didn’t have the performance angle. Surrey approached us to be their regional performance centre, somewhere where mums and dads could become coaches, take their Level 1, 2 and 3 courses.

That plays out beautifully for me as it’s all about families.

“Surrey paid for us to have county-standard nets which are fabulous, with a catching area in the middle. And our boys and girls went to The Oval to form a guard of honour at the Surrey v Somerset Blast match in 2018. They talked about it for weeks.

“The school has gone from zero to amazing in a short length of time. We are now really over-subscribed, with a lot of people wanting to come here because of the cricket, and we were named in The Cricketer’s top 100 senior schools for cricket – it’s been an extraordinary journey. It’s really lovely to see the boys and girls batting and bowling.

Rounders was OK, but it’s cricket that the girls really love.”

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE Jack Myers is director of cricket. A leg-spinner, he was on Hampshire’s development programme until he was 19. As assistant coach under Ian Salisbury, he helped the England men’s Physical Disability side reach the World Series final in Worcester in 2019. They lost to India in the final, but recorded notable victories over Pakistan and Afghanistan along the way.

Simon Manning is the director of sport. When he joined as head of boys’ sport there were only 18 boys at the school.

Both are complementary about the enthusiasm for cricket of Tottman, and how he oversaw the improvements in facilities; all the staff are delighted that women’s cricket – generally and at Dunottar – is on “the crest of a wave”.

They pick out Wallis as one of their promising players, a left-handed hard-hitting bat and spinner with quite a pedigree, of course. I played against him in a men’s club match last summer, with grandfather Micky watching on, and he looks gifted. Then there is Adi Bali (year 9), who bowls at 70mph, and wicketkeeper/batsman Thomas James (year 10).

For the girls, Ellie Thomas is a seamer who helped Reigate Priory CC win the Surrey Slam T20 title last year, and Annabel Jackson (both year 11) is a promising batsman.

The school was established in 1926 by Jessie Elliot-Pyle, and was named after Dunnottar Castle – note the slight variation in spelling – in Scotland. She gave it the motto ‘Do ut Des’, which is translated as ‘I give that thou may’st give’.

Charles II stored the crown jewels in Dunnottar Castle, on the edge of a peninsular, to keep them safe, and ElliotPyle had this in mind for her pupils: keep them safe and educated. The main building is grade II-listed, next to Redhill Common, and near Earlswood railway station. There is a pelican looking after her young in the badge, and Tottman believes that this is the school’s unique selling point.

“If you nurture children rather than putting them under pressure they achieve more – that is my philosophy in education,” he says. “Making mistakes helps them improve.”

Two years ago the £2.2m sixth-form centre was opened, and a few months later Dunottar was awarded an Education Business Award for ‘Outstanding Progress’ among UK independent schools.

Then early this year a £4.5m performing arts centre and theatre was opened. When pupils finally return fully after the pandemic, it should be quite the centre of learning for them… and that includes cricket.

Headmaster Mark Tottman

Director of sport Simon Manning

Director of cricket Jack Myers

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TESTING DAY

Testing day at Dunottar School

Dunottar School was the setting for this year’s gear testing day. Located in leafy Surrey, the school have made huge strides in cricket over recent years, and now play more than 120 fixtures across all age groups. Star pupils from the school joined The Cricketer team and England legend Ian Bell to put more than £10,000 worth of bats through their paces. Needless to say, Bell’s timing was as exquisite as ever…

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CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

GOOD GEAR GUIDE

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61

Award-winning writers.

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Twelve issues of our print and digital bundle is available for £49.99 or 12 issues of the print edition is £44.99 by Direct Debit. A great addition to any cricket lover’s collection. www.thecricketer.com/subscribe or call 0203 1981 359

CLUB LIFE 64 CLUB LIFE IN 2020

78 GREEN CRICKET

90 BOLA

67 LOCKDOWN HEROES

80 GROUNDKEEPING TIPS

91 GET INVOVED IN UMPIRING

72 VONEUS VILLAGE CUP

82 FINANCIAL SUPPORT

92 ACE

75 VVC DRAW 2021

84 DURANT CRICKET

94 CLUB NOTICEBOARD

76 TOTAL-PLAY

86 THE GREAT TEA DEBATE

96 STOCKISTS

88 UP YOUR SOCIAL GAME

FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS

FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS OF AN UMPIRE AND TWO LEAGUE CHAIRMEN EXPLAIN HOW THEY KEPT THE SHOW ON THE ROAD DURING THE PANDEMIC

JASMINE NAEEM – LANCASHIRE LEAGUE UMPIRE

We were initially told there weren’t going to be any matches during the summer. We didn’t know what to do. Personally, I thought there was no chance.

But once we got going it was fantastic. The first game I stood in was Church v Rishton with my husband (former Pakistan international Naeem Ashraf), which helped. The league said we could stand together.

Implementing the rules was the hardest part because everyone is set in their ways. All of a sudden to be told every six overs we’re going to sanitise, when the batters are running they have to stay at distance, it was small little things like that that people couldn’t get used to. When fans came to watch they could see we were respecting the game but also following the rules.

Having those rules helped start the game back again.

It was a great chance that everyone got. They were hard to follow at first but everyone got into it. I am really glad I got the chance to be a part of it because it kept the game going.

There were no teas which was one of the scariest things because everyone loves teas and missed them. It is a time for communication and a great opportunity to enjoy everyone’s company. It is what cricket is all about. Not to have it was very difficult and it didn’t feel like cricket. It was hard to change but we were dying to get the game on.

The atmosphere around the first couple of games was brilliant. There was a real sense of relief. You don’t realise how

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much you miss it. It was great to be with everyone. When that first ball went down, I could see the crowd were into it because finally cricket was back on.

Without overseas pros I sensed that teams upped their game and really played for themselves instead of relying on the individual. There was a real, new level of competitiveness.

Sport unites us in so many ways. It does not matter which culture you come from, male or female, you get to enjoy the game. Any activity outdoors is essential for the next generation.

I was involved in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and that was one of the best things that I’ve ever been a part of.

When people say women should break boundaries I don’t think there should be any to begin with. Last summer proved that even through Covid there are women who want to play and umpire. It is not just a man’s game anymore. We are inspiring the next generation. No matter what happens we’re trying to push sports forward and we’re not going away.

Covid was there but we tried everything to keep sport going.

People have realised how much we miss each other and how much we miss sport.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE DAVID YOUNG, BRADFORD LEAGUE CHAIRMAN

Our view as a league management board was that we didn’t want to push clubs into doing anything they didn’t want to do. We said all along that we’d never force clubs to play last season: we would leave it up to them.

We always said we would not, as a league, manage anything unless it was cricket of a standard. We weren’t going to be involved in cricket where you couldn’t have slip fielders and the wicketkeeper would have to stand back all the time, because that is not what we’re about. We’re a serious league. We were happy to facilitate friendly cricket if necessary, but we wouldn’t run a league where the cricket was nonsense. But to be fair, what the ECB got was as near to normal cricket as we were likely to get.

Some clubs said they weren’t going to have a particularly strong side, some players didn’t want to play, some wanted to play nearer home, some didn’t want to travel, some just wanted to play with their children. In the end, we decided that we would play a competition but there would be no promotion or relegation.

We kept teams in the same divisions but just ran it as a one-off cup competition, so clubs didn’t have to worry about the consequences of putting out a weakened side.

We didn’t want any club to suffer or lose their status because of the virus, which was out of their control. We wanted to provide some competitive cricket and we wanted to encourage cricket.

Most clubs played, though one club wanted to relay their outfield, so took the opportunity to do it: they said they wouldn’t get a chance like that again, to not play and not lose their status. Another club said they felt it was too risky.

PETER MURPHY, SURREY CHAMPIONSHIP CHAIRMAN

We set up three working groups to look at various aspects of the challenges that we could foresee. The things that we were worried about weren’t just whether we could play cricket and what cricket we could play, but also whether clubs were going to survive and what the impact would be if clubs had to close down for the summer and whether they would have enough financial strength to cope and what would happen if players drifted away. We were looking at a range of issues.

As a league, wanted to simplify matters for clubs and relieve them of unnecessary financial burdens; we made a quick decision that we wouldn’t seek payment of subscriptions. We didn’t take money off the clubs other than balls, which most had already paid for.

Our view was that the most important thing was to minimise travel for all sorts of reasons. For one, it was advised by the government. We completely restructured our competition into a set of divisions that reduced travel to a large extent, while trying to ensure that the teams were of a reasonably level standard. Those are conflicting objectives in a way: the more you restrict catchment areas,

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At the time, some of the black and ethnic minority communities were being harder hit by Covid than others.

We have quite a lot of inner-city clubs, and they were concerned about their community, so they didn’t want to play. We respected anything like that.

Our biggest fear was that if we were to lose a whole season of cricket, people would find something else to do – golf, for example. I absolutely feel for rugby union: my local club haven’t had a game for a year. That’s terrifying.

But we ended up with some good cricket. We decided that every division would have a playoff at the end between the top two. In the Premier League, it was going to be Pudsey St Lawrence v Townville, but there was an outbreak at Pudsey St Lawrence, so we had to cancel that, which just about summed it all up!

the more difficult it is to maintain level standards. But we did that reasonably effectively and in the end we ran a season with eight-team leagues, with everyone playing each other once.

Though I say it myself, the season was quite a success.

Yes, we were being judged against quite a low standard because people were delighted to be playing cricket at all, so putting something on that enabled them to do so was in itself seen as quite an achievement.

The feeling was that what we needed to have was a league and a recreational cricket structure in Surrey that was still in existence and flourishing in 2021 and 2022.

‘Keeping the lights on’ was the ECB expression.

It seems quite unlikely that life will be anything life back to normal by May 8, when we’re due to start this year. We do expect that we’re going to have to do something that’s different from playing our normal fixtures in a normal way as if it was a normal season. But first, we need to know quite a bit more about what the environment and government rules actually are at that stage. These things change at short notice. Even by mid-April, we might not be absolutely clear.

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CLUB LIFE

LOCKDOWN HEROES: RECOGNISING THE BEST OF THE CRICKET COMMUNITY ast spring, when the coronavirus crisis hit UK shores, the cricket community showed its true colours.

From the initiatives run by counties to check up on vulnerable members, to YouTube classes for kids, to club members who tended grounds for free, to the amateur cricketers who raised money in unusual ways, to the creatives who kept us laughing on social media - so many people played pivotal roles in keeping the spirit of cricket alive.

To recognise those efforts, The Cricketer launched Lockdown Heroes – an awards programme for those who

L

CLUB HERO: JON SPELLER, WIMBLEDON CC

In a single night’s work, director of cricket Jon Speller turned the fortunes of Wimbledon Cricket Club on its WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

made a real difference during the sport’s unfortunate hiatus.

Five categories opened for nominations: Club Hero, Pro Hero, Social Media Hero, Young Hero and Fundraising Hero – and we asked the cricketing public to tell us who they felt was most deserving.

It provided an opportunity to champion the heroes of our communities, and to celebrate the incredible feats of ingenuity, generosity and compassion that flooded our game during the initial Covid lockdown.

Here, you can read the stories of the winners.

For profiles of all those on the awards’ shortlists visit: www.thecricketer.com/lockdownheroes

head. Once lockdown restrictions were eased to allow groups of six to exercise outdoors, he took it upon himself to build a sophisticated junior

programme to ensure the club were not standing still during the period without cricket.

Suddenly, a black hole without structured physical activity, not least cricket, was filled. Jon created 4,000 sessions held daily between 9am and 7pm for their 750 youngsters, giving them a purpose when life was otherwise empty.

Coloured, spaced out training pods with individual routes from the club car park with hand sanitiser available at every entrance meant that on top of the physical benefits, it was staged in a safe and controlled environment.

Cricket secretary Crispin LydenCowan told The Cricketer: “The value for the children was huge because they’d been in lockdown for so long. To

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LOCKDOWN HEROES get out and get some physical exercise in the fresh air was phenomenal. They jumped into it. Most of the juniors didn’t want to leave when the pod session was up.”

Additionally, Jon formed a summer camp scheme. Two thousand sessions were created and after selling out on the club website inside 48 hours, over £50,000 was generated for a team which struggled during the pandemic.

One parent even booked their child onto every single session.

“Our rateable value is too high so we weren’t allowed to apply for any grants from local councils,” Crispin added.

“We had to think of creative ways of generating income to pay for our overheads.

“If we hadn’t had that income we would have to have gone to members to ask for loans or find additional ways of generating funds.”

PRO HERO: OLLY HANNON-DALBY, WARWICKSHIRE CCC

Making phone calls to vulnerable members, collecting from foodbanks and sending birthday messages to young cricket fans - Olly HannonDalby was a worthy winner.

The tall seamer was an influential figure at Edgbaston through the coronavirus pandemic, playing a vital role in Warwickshire’s community outreach programmes.

Early on in the process he led the way in the club’s #MakeThatCall campaign, which saw players and management unite to call elderly club members and ground stewards who

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The entire programme provided an additional, unintended benefit for parents. Allowed to engage in socially distanced conversations with others upon dropping off and collecting their children, if offered them some temporary respite during an otherwise turbulent time.

“For the kids and the parents it was a relief to arrive at some form of normality,” he added.

“We are very keen to be seen as

a community. A club that is very accessible, who welcomes girls and boys, disabled cricketers of all abilities.

Footfall is the future of cricket and if we don’t have children coming through our doors we don’t have a cricket future.”

Jon arrived in the United Kingdom 15 years ago from South Africa and represented Wimbledon’s 1st and 2nd XI during a three-year spell as a player.

After time at Belleville School and as DoC at Spencer CC, he returned to Church Road in 2018. And after his most recent efforts, there is little doubt about his status at the club.

“He is a superhero,” said Crispin, “and all credit to him for pioneering this. The other sections of our club, the hockey and squash sections have asked him to help with their programmes so he is seen as the natural leader by our sporting directors. His heart is with us.”

were required to self-isolate in the early stages of lockdown.

“Olly spent 45 minutes on the phone for his first call, which was absolutely phenomenal really – to think that he’d give up that much of his time to chat about all things,” said Tom Rawlings, head of media and communications at the club.

“Most clubs always have somebody who’s happy to be part of a photo or help with a membership initiative, but Olly goes above and beyond that.”

“He came back to me after he’d made his first 10 calls to ask for more numbers. He was regularly coming back and actually saying to me: ‘Are

there some more numbers, because I’d love to engage with our members and chat more to them?’”

From early May, Hannon-Dalby joined furloughed members of staff at the Edgbaston storage and food distribution centre, which has been helping the charity Thrive Together Birmingham in sourcing and deliver non-perishable food to local food banks and community groups.

“We launched a food hub here to support local charities because lockdown was causing problems for the local foodbanks,” Rawlings added.

“We worked with a charity and Olly gave time to be part of those shifts on Fridays and Tuesdays. Friday was for collections and counting, Tuesday was for repackaging. He threw himself into those sessions.

“We would normally send birthday cards for our junior members, but we started doing video messages instead.

Olly came forward and did that.

We spoke to him for various media activities. He could never do enough for us.

“I’ve known for a while how good a bloke Olly is because he’s been here since 2013. He does everything with a smile on his face, no matter whether it’s a good or bad day. Whatever it is, Olly always relishes the opportunity to CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE do it. I think most clubs always have somebody who’s always happy to be part of a photo or help with a membership initiative, but I’d say that Olly goes above and beyond that.”

When the county game returned, he took his off-field form onto the pitch.

His 25 wickets at an average of 20.92 in the Bob Willis Trophy last summer included career-best figures of 6 for 33 against Gloucestershire.

In the second innings of that game, he added a further six-wicket haul, before taking four wickets against Somerset in a draw at Edgbaston.

SOCIAL MEDIA HERO: CARL HOLDING, CARMARTHEN WANDERERS CC

Take one coin, one social media account and one simple idea and what do you get? A lockdown revelation which engaged hundreds during the coronavirus crisis.

Carl Holding, a stalwart of Carmarthen Wanderers CC, made waves on social media with his innovative coin toss competition which brought together 128 clubs from up and down the country.

Carl received nominations from far and wide for his efforts to keep Welsh cricket spirits high at a time when clubs were starved of their beloved game.

Carmarthen teammate Giles Thomas, one of Carl’s many nominators, outlined his friend’s passion and enthusiasm for the game on all levels.

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

“Carl arrived at the club about five years ago. His family were playing for Dafen in Llanelli – one of our local rivals! He joined us and in fairness he’s taken to it like a duck to water.

He’s immersed himself in the club, he’s heavily involved in coaching the juniors and plays occasionally for the 2nd XI.” “We had over one million hits on social media which was tremendous.

Carl played a huge part in keeping clubs across Wales together.”

When the country found itself in lockdown, Carl didn’t let that stop him bringing enthusiasm to the table, not just for his own club but those all across Wales.

Introducing a simple coin toss competition, Carl managed to get 128 clubs to enter into the spirit of the tournament, bringing the cricket community together in a time of

uncertainty and separation.

“He got clubs from all over Wales to participate and basically it was heads for home, tails for away and the clubs were drawn against each other and then somebody would do a coin toss,” explained Thomas.

“The coin toss would be made via video on social media and it just went from there. Whoever won, heads or tails, they’d go through to the next round of the draw and it gained massive momentum. It really brought cricket to the forefront of people’s minds again while we were in lockdown.

“Over a period of about six weeks Carl introduced this – and I must mention one of our players, Josh Thomas, who helped with the technology side of things – and it just snowballed from there. There was some great banter had on social media and everybody got involved in it.

“It was amazing, it has certainly raised the profile of our club. We had over one million hits on social media which was tremendous. Carl played a huge part in keeping clubs across Wales together.”

It wasn’t just club cricketers who took to the competition. Glamorgan cricketers joined in the fun as well as Welsh rugby union stars Dan Jones and Ken Owens.

Carl is a key worker so the competition was created and managed in his own spare time, just one of the reasons Thomas put him

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LOCKDOWN HEROES forward for the award.

“He threw himself into it like he has with the club. The workload must have been tremendous for himself and Josh but he got on with and did a great job.

“It’s massive achievement for him.

I think all the cricket clubs in Wales will be really pleased he’s won it.

He’s kept everybody together during this difficult time. I nominated him

FUNDRAISING HERO: DAN MANDERS, SHREWSBURY CC

We’ve all done it. A long message on the club WhatsApp group drops on a bleak weekday night. Airplane mode. Ignore.

Back to Netflix.

Fortunately for Dan Manders, his call to arms was not disregarded by the folk at Shrewsbury Cricket Club.

The 40-year-old’s plan was simple: use lockdown and the absence of sport to make a difference to the community.

But even he couldn’t have imagined what followed.

Alongside Haughmond Football Club, where Dan is also a member, the team embarked on a 1,000km run - the distance between Shrewsbury and both Lord’s and Wembley Stadium. At least that was the plan.

Thanks to the idea capturing the imagination, this hyperlocal effort between two sports club quickly swept across Shropshire.

The initiative was open to clubs from across the county. Social media exposure soon meant former players in Australia, South Africa, West Indies, and the Falklands were contributing half an

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hour to the total.

It took just six days to reach the original target and upon the scheme being extended, the total run was a staggering 2,800km with as many as 40 teams contributing.

Most importantly though a massive £16,248.69 was raised, all of which went to Severn Hospice which provides care to loved ones in the area.

Their fundraising streams had naturally dried up amid the pandemic.

And to think, their prayers were answered thanks to a single WhatsApp message.

Father-of-two Dan was nominated for the Fundraising Lockdown category by friend Rob Foster, who describes him as part of the fabric of not only the club but the entire local area.

“Through his whole life he’s only played at Shrewsbury, no other club,” he told The Cricketer. “He’s part of the furniture and has been

because I could see what it meant to him and the amount of work he put in in the background.

“It was only yesterday I text him to see if he had heard anything about the award. He said: “I don’t expect to hear anything because the other candidates, there was a profile on all of them and some of them were outstanding so I don’t expect to hear anything!”

there a long time. He knows everyone, from those who have finished playing, to those who are in the junior section. He is one of those people who canvas the whole club. He’s generally well known and well liked throughout.”

Currently the 2nd XI captain and coach of the juniors, Dan is key to how the club operates, and when it came to devising a fundraising strategy he was always likely to be at the epicentre.

“Dan is larger than life, a big character,” added Rob. “He certainly doesn’t do it for the praise. He is a big lad himself so running isn’t his forte. We’re all proud of his efforts.

“We took inspiration from Worcester CC. We have had a huge selection from our club going to play there. A few ideas had floated about doing something and that gave us a bit of direction. We hoped initially that a few people would get involved or if we could do a joint target between two clubs we’ll get the numbers to help do it.

“It was great for people to be getting out there and doing something positive for charity. It gripped hold of everyone. The last day it was chaos with so many clubs around Shropshire wanting to help out.”

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

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The Voneus Village Cup: 50 not out THE 50TH EDITION OF THE COMPETITION TAKES PLACE THIS YEAR WITH A NEW HEADLINE SPONSOR, REPORTS THOMAS BLOW ince 1972 the Village Cup has given recreational cricketers the chance to play at Lord’s. Even last summer, when the Covid-19 pandemic caused havoc, 22 clubbies still graced the hallowed turf.

The final was one of only seven matches at Lord’s in 2020, as Redbourn’s failure to hit a six off the last ball gave Colwall their maiden title.

It joined a long list of memorable finals, from Freuchie

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becoming the first Scottish winners in 1985 to father and son Nigel and Dan Thirkell scoring half-centuries for Linton Park in 1999.

And this year’s final, the 50th, will certainly deliver more excitement.

The Village Cup has been organised by The Cricketer since its inception but this year it welcomes a new headline sponsor. Voneus, specialists in providing superfast broadband to rural communities, will be fronting the competition for the next two years.

Voneus’s involvement is another indication of just how much the Village Cup has grown. Entries have continued to rise this year, to nearly 350, and all involved will be desperate to snatch the title from Colwall.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE

VILLAGE CUP 2020 IN REVIEW: COLWALL WIN MAIDEN TITLE

The Herefordshire club defied the pandemic to lift silverware at Lord’s, writes Thomas Blow.

Colwall won their maiden Village Cup title last summer after defeating Redbourn by six runs in the final.

They were inspired by Ben Wheeler, who smashed an unbeaten 72 off 33 deliveries to help them post 229 for 6.

For much of the chase it seemed as if Redbourn would be successful, but the dismissal of captain Ed Hales on 119 by Ben Febery switched the momentum and they fell just short.

It was a remarkable tournament from start to finish. The first round was due to take place in May, but the pandemic scuppered those plans and left the season in doubt.

Thankfully play did get under way in July with an enthralling opening round. Accompanied by glorious, sunny weather, 2019 runners-up Houghton Main eased to a 10-wicket win against Crossflatts.

With defending champions Reed unable to field their 1st XI because of their Premier League promotion, many believed this would be Houghton Main’s year. But Kippax, who later withdrew due to a Covid outbreak, ended their hopes in the regional final.

The regional stage saw former champions clash in North Yorkshire. Sessay, back to full strength following their

Voneus’s involvement is another indication of just how much the Village Cup has grown... in 2021 nearly 350 teams will look to make their way to the Lord’s final

Many new clubs have discovered the competition through social media and nationalvillagecup.com, which is updated with new articles and exclusive content throughout the summer.

They may have also heard about Colwall’s success through the BBC, ITV or Sky Sports, as they all covered last year’s final. Or perhaps they watched the match live on YouTube thanks to broadcasters FrogBox Live and InteractSport.

The Village Cup has never been as accessible as it is today. As it raises its bat to mark its half-century, make sure you join the celebrations by following the competition on Twitter (@TheCricketerNVC) and Instagram (@villagecup).

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

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VONEUS VILLAGE CUP Premier League relegation, were expected to challenge for a third title. They were no match for 2018 winners Folkton & Flixton, however, who recorded a seven-wicket win.

Folkton & Flixton went on to defeat Edgworth and Stocksfield in the nationals but failed to get the better of Carlton Towers and Tom Collins in the quarters. Collins, who previously hit scores of 189 and 162, smashed 92. He finished as the highest runscorer with 524 at 131.00.

Just behind him on 504 was Hales, who batted superbly to guide new entrants Redbourn to Lord’s. They won seven times, defeating Reed and 2009 winners Glynde & Beddingham. Hales was helped by his brother Will, the third highest run-scorer with 344, and leading wicket-taker Conor Yorath (18 at 7.94).

Others impressed. Stoke Green’s Tahir Kazmi conceded just 43 runs from his 20 overs and Astwood Bank’s Dan Thomas took 7 for 16 against Temple Grafton.

Redbourn’s semi-final opponents North Perrott enjoyed a solid tournament. The Somerset champions secured an eight-wicket win against Pentyrch in the fifth round before overcoming Frocester in the last eight. Frocester had previously smashed 338 for 2 against Oldbury-on-Severn.

Tiddington were the most resilient team, as they defeated Great & Little Tew by one wicket in the first round before squeezing past Cumnor on fewer wickets lost. The 1995 runners-up won the Oxfordshire group with a two-wicket win against Shipton-under-Wychwood before Pentyrch ended their hopes.

Colwall’s path to victory was much shorter than previous winners due to Covid-related withdrawals. And when they finally got started against Bronwydd, the match was a washout and they only progressed by winning a coin toss.

But after that, Colwall were magnificent.

They defeated Astwood Bank and Dumbleton before taming Carlton Towers in the semi-final and Redbourn at Lord’s. And for that, as well as their commitment to playing during the pandemic, they are worthy champions.

ROLL OF HONOUR

5

up 2021 illage C 1999: Linton Park

0thTroon V 1972: 1973: Troon 1974: Bomarsund 1975: Gowerton 1976: Troon 1977: Cookley 1978: Linton Park 1979: East Bierley 1980: Marchwiel 1981: St Fagans 1982: St Fagans 1983: Quarndon 1984: Marchwiel 1985: Freuchie 1986: Forge Valley 1987: Longparish 1988: Goatacre 1989: Toft 1990: Goatacre 1991: St Fagans 1992: Hursley Park up 2021 50th Village C1993: Kington 1994: Elvaston 1995: Woodhouse Grange 1996: Caldy 1997: Caldy 1998: Methley

2000: Elvaston 2001: Ynystawe 2002: Shipton-underWychwood 2003: Shipton-underWychwood 2004: Sully Centurions 2005: Sherriff Hutton Bridge 2006: Houghton Main 2007: Woodhouse Grange 2008: Valley End 2009: Glynde & Beddingham 2010: Sessay 2011: Woodhouses 2012: Reed 2013: Cleator 2014: Woodhouse Grange 2015: Woodhouse Grange 2016: Sessay 2017: Reed 2018: Folkton & Flixton 2019: Reed 2020: Colwall

THE 50th VONEUS VILLAGE CUP Follow the competition in its 50th year at

Headline sponsor

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Official partners

Official charity

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE

Voneus Village Cup draw sets clubs on road to Lord’s NEARLY 350 TEAMS HAVE ENTERED THE 50TH EDITION OF THE TOURNAMENT, WITH DEFENDING CHAMPIONS COLWALL GETTING UNDER WAY AGAINST BRAMPTON BRYAN & LEINTWARDINE IN THE THIRD ROUND ON MAY 23

WATCH THE DRAW NOW he Voneus Village Cup draw, which usually takes place in the MCC committee room at Lord’s, was held remotely this year due to the ongoing lockdown.

Simon Hughes, editor of The Cricketer magazine, delivered the news via a video posted on nationalvillagecup.com, Twitter and YouTube.

The tournament will begin with a preliminary round on April 11.

Teams in Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Essex & Suffolk will be involved in that set of fixtures, with 24 competiting in the latter group.

The first round will take place on April 25, with threetime champions Reed travelling to Hare Street & Hormead in the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire group.

Many former winners are on the road in the opening round, as 2011 champions Woodhouses will head to Croston Sports in Lancashire and two-time winners Goatacre will see what Aldbourne has to offer in Wiltshire.

Teams in Northumberland, the West Midlands, Northamptonshire, Devon & Cornwall and West Sussex will enter the tournament in the second round on May 9.

Should they beat Brailsford in the opening round, five-time Lord’s finalists Elvaston will host 2020 WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

Derbyshire champions Holmesfield in the second.

In the West Midlands, the winners of Himley and Quatt will host Pelsall in the third round.

Last year’s semi-finalists North Perrott face a second round trip to Congresbury.

The third round will take place on May 23, with 1985 winners Freuchie hosting Meigle in Scotland.

In the North Yorkshire (North) group, two-time winners Sessay could host 2018 champions Folkton & Flixton in the third round.

That is no guarantee, however, as 2005 winners Sheriff Hutton Bridge, among many other good teams, are on that side of the draw.

Should Colwall win their opener, they will face Aston Ingham in the Herefordshire & Powys regional final on June 6.

The draw for the national rounds will take place in due course, starting with the fifth round on June 20.

Matches will then take place every two weeks until the semi-finals on August 1.

The final, as ever, will be held at Lord’s, on September 19.

To view the full fixture list, visit https://www.nationalvillagecup.com/fixtures/

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practice facilities as a base or can be erected over existing non-turf or natural practice areas.

NATURAL TURF EXPERTISE

NON-TURF INNOVATION

Since 2007, total-play has been a market leader in the design and installation of artificial cricket surfaces, working with clubs of all levels to deliver practice facilities and non-turf match pitches that perform.

Never one to rest on its laurels, the company has worked at the forefront of non-turf pitch science to continually evolve its offering in line with the ECB’s rigorous performance standards.

It now boasts no fewer than six ECB approved non-turf cricket pitch system designs - including the flagship tp365 system - to offer clubs unrivalled choice when it comes to selecting a system to meet individual site and budgetary requirements.

New for 2021 is Cricket Shield, an exciting new solution that bridges the gap between a traditional outdoor system and an indoor centre to bring facilities to life on dark and gloomy days or during evening use.

Providing protection from wet and windy conditions whilst encouraging airflow and maintaining a comfortable temperature, it comprises a temporary building with bespoke lighting and ball-stop netting system both developed to meet the standards stated by the ECB. Cricket Shield offers clubs the chance to increase usage levels of a typical outdoor non-turf facility without the investment involved in a permanent building. It is available as a complete package with one of total-play’s ECB approved

The management of fine turf cricket tables is in total-play’s DNA. MD David Bates is a former cricketer and firstclass groundsman who applies his vast experience to support clubs with everything from end of season works through pitch renovation and the construction of new grounds.

Backed by an experienced in-house workforce with access to an extensive range of state-of-theart, laser-guided equipment, total-play has helped numerous clients across the UK ensure their fine turf cricket tables are fit to perform.

This expertise has also helped develop a range of exceptional cricket ground products, including the Climate Cover System™ – the lightest, strongest and only breathable sports turf cover as used by every UK test match venue and Rain Cover – a great value waterproof flat cover that allows light to reach the grass plant and enable photosynthesis.

Both are available exclusively via thecricketgroundshop. co.uk alongside range of mobile pitch covers; the TGC frost protection and germination cover and a host of other products including electronic scoreboards, sight screens, coaching aids and more; offering everything you need to produce quality fine turf surfaces and ‘get the game on’.

For more details visit www.total-play.co.uk

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

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SUSTAINABILITY

g n i n e t s i l t e k c i Is cr warnings?

to the climate

NICK HOWSON DISCUSSES THE THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND WHETHER OUR SPORT CAN DO MORE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE…

he Hit for Six report. Playing Against the Clock study. The Game Changer paper. The United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework.

Heat exhaustion warnings. Regularly flooded grounds. The message is stark: climate change directly threatens cricket’s future. But the sport is not listening.

Since the UN asked organisations, teams and stakeholders to commit to a new five-point plan to reduce the impact of climate change following the signing of the Paris Agreement, the call to arms has fallen on deaf ears in the corridors of cricket’s decision-makers.

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Neither the ICC, nor the major national governing bodies in India, England or Australia have signed up to the pledge.

Indeed, from the hundreds of thousands of clubs and dozens of influencers it has just three representatives.

Cricket Australia have rules surrounding extreme heat and the ECB promised in their Cricket Unleashed document to promote sustainability. However, those vows are neither strong nor widespread enough.

“Climate change isn’t going to be solved by one person doing things perfectly,” said David Thibodeau, head of Sports for Social Impact.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE

ROBERT CIANFLONE/GETTY IMAGES

“It is going to be changed by a million people doing things imperfectly.

“As long as people are trying to do a little bit we’ll get there eventually.”

Without a strong commitment from those running the game, cricket’s grassroots family are largely left to fight for themselves. Fundamental changes must come from within, which has led to an uneven approach.

Lindal Moor CC are among those leading the way. In 2019, the Cumbria side installed 16 solar panels on top of their pavilion. Two years on and they are already seeing a financial benefit.

“It was something we’d never thought of, to be brutally honest,” said chairman David Brown, whose club put £1,500 towards the venture, which was mostly financed by a £5,200 grant by Baywind Community Trust.

A wind turbine to power the scoreboard, more panels and a link-up with the nearby bowling club is in the pipeline, but Brown believes major hurdles remains before cricket undergoes a culture change.

“All the clubs I’ve been to so far there is very little evidence of them thinking about it,” he added.

“A bit of direction from the local county cricket board or even the ECB. We get briefing after briefing on lots of things but I can’t remember one about sustainability.

“I’ve raised it at our local country board meeting [Cumbria]. It has been taken on board, but nothing has

ABOVE Australian bushfires interupted play in 2019

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

been done about it.”

The clock is ticking for cricket to get its house in order, according to Chris Whitaker, a former ECB facilities and investment manager and now chairman of Basis (British Association for Sustainable Sport).

Whitaker spent more than 12 years at the ECB making a case for sustainability. He has a stark warning for the sport at all levels.

Climate change isn’t going to be solved by one person doing things perfectly... it is going to be changed by a million people doing things imperfectly “Legislation will come in the next few years,” explained Whitaker. “The government will pass legislation over how you use water, electricity, dispose of waste. Rather than it coming along as a big shock, getting yourself into the right place will be much easier.

“The governing bodies have to take on the messaging. It tends to be done in a passive way, in a reactive way. They need to get the big conversations going. I was delivering these seminars and whilst they would nod and agree, once they walked out it was the last time, they thought of it. They need to be challenged.”

The 2020 Club Cricket Guide profiled Earley CC, the first club to provide a vegan tea. The Covid-19 pandemic has provoked conversation around the future of the mid-match meal. But as Whitaker outlines, there is no simple solution.

He explained: “If we’re not going to have teas anymore, is that going to generate a lot more plastic? Everyone is going to be bringing their own stuff from the supermarket in a single-use container. It is that kind of thinking where you are considering the long-term impact.

“It is great for leagues to say they’re going to drop teas and all the rest of it. But what is the impact of that? Why are they not given some guidance?”

Even the hugely successful national All Stars programme staged across 2,200 clubs with its bags of equipment raises problems. “At no point when they were producing it did the ECB think if it was recyclable. What is going to happen to it afterwards? You have to send it to landfill.”

The equipment industry is seemingly as distant from a pledge towards sustainability as the sport it serves. Every year, thousands of bats travel from the UK, are stickered up overseas, and return to be sold to the market. That journey alone highlights the challenge at hand.

Woodstock Cricket managing director Jonathan Gordon said: “I think we’re a long way away from it. There is a lot of mixed messaging from the market. I would like to think longer-term people will pay more attention to where the product has come from. There is a route to make our industry more sustainable and more honest. But I think it is a long road.”

79

GROUNDSKEEPING

“Quality groundsmanship takes time and there’s no quick fix for a nice surface” ANDY WARD, HEAD GROUNDSMAN AT LEICESTERSHIRE’S GRACE ROAD, SHARES HIS TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR GROUND IN TOP SHAPE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR ithout groundsmen, village cricket would cease to exist. Long before the 1st XI drag their cricket bags out of storage for pre-season training, the groundstaff are tirelessly reviving the square from its winter slumber.

Early in the morning, late at night and well after the last pint has been pulled, they are out there cutting, mowing, watering and rolling. They are the underappreciated heroes of the club cricket scene.

Andy Ward knows this better than most. A multiaward winning groundsman with 35 years’ experience at Leicestershire’s Grace Road, he shares his tips for keeping your ground in top shape throughout the year.

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TIMING IS KEY

I start preparing for the season in the second week of February. This might seem early, but we often have a firstclass game at the end of March and at this time of year you need six weeks to prepare a pitch and get any firmness in your top surface.

There is huge seasonal variation. In the middle of summer, you can prepare a pitch in 11 or 12 days, but I always give myself 13 just to err on the side of caution. You never know when you’ll get a week of wet weather!

In the middle of February, we put the groundsheets on to keep the rain off and put some condensation on the pitch.

Then we start rolling the outfield with a light roller and gradually build up the roller weight as the soil dries out.

It’s different at club level because you come in on a Monday and you work on the pitches for the following weekend, whereas I have two weeks in advance and multiple pitches on the go at different stages of preparation.

The key is to keep an eye on the weather forecast. The last couple of years we’ve had really lovely summers and that can reduce your preparation time. You’ve got to be willing to CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE START PREPARING FOR THE NEXT SEASON WHEN THE LAST BALL IS BOWLED

At the end of the season, and this if vital for club groundsmen, don’t be afraid to just rip up your square.

You have to be cruel to be kind. As soon as the last ball is bowled, get on with your renovations.

Rip up your square, clear all of the fibre and grass, get your seeds down and start germinating. It might look nice leaving it green but the following season you’ll have problems.

You’ve also got to think of the time constraints because it’s a lot harder to grow grass in October than September. Don’t mess around.

FROST IS ACTUALLY A GROUNDSMAN’S FRIEND

In the past, with dry winters you could just go out and the pitch would be ready to roll in February. We miss the frost, too, because it kills all the bugs and diseases, like fusarium.

As long as you keep off the grass, frost is good for your ground.

Now, you have to keep it covered in the winter because it’s just far too wet. It’s not good for the ground to stand wet all the time but if you cover it on winter nights, the condensation – which you want – becomes ice and creates its own problems. Cricket is a summer sport and we’re probably the only country where we prepare pitches in ice and snow! hold back so the pitch isn’t ready too early. Equally, you don’t want to risk leaving the square uncovered one night and it bucketing it down and ruining your pitch.

The other key thing is time because there’s nothing worse than chasing a dry pitch. Quality groundsmanship takes time and there’s no quick fix for a nice surface.

GET TO KNOW YOUR SQUARE

Every ground is different and the quality of your pitch depends on how well you know your square. What works for me here doesn’t always work elsewhere. Even my square at Grace Road and our net area have different loams so there are different properties, and you have to be careful, particularly when you’re putting water on the pitch. Trust your expertise.

MATTHEW LEWIS/GETTY IMAGES

USE A LIGHT MIST TO REVIVE YOUR PITCH IN SUMMER OR OVERNIGHT

Clubs often have multiple games in a weekend. To breathe some life into your pitch during a busy period, give it a really light mist of water – using a spraying machine or a watering can – to dampen the surface and go over it with your light roller. This freshens it up, flattens it out and makes it look tidy. Do this as soon as play is finished and then prepare your ends. Just remember to be careful with your water because if you put too much on, you’ll be struggling the next day.

It’s the same in the summer. Put your cover on overnight and when you take it off in the morning, there’s a really lovely bit of condensation to roll in. Keep rolling until the roller’s dry to get a really nice surface. If you don’t have covers, and most clubs won’t because of the man power it takes, use a mist again.

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

Time is key. There’s nothing worse than chasing a dry pitch. Quality groundsmanship takes time, and there’s no quick fix for a nice surface CUT YOUR GROUNDSMAN SOME SLACK

From the highest level to the lowest level, people come in and judge the pitches, poking and prodding.

There’s always a reason why the pitch isn’t quite up to scratch and it generally isn’t the groundsman’s fault. But he always gets the blame. Club grounds have so much cricket on them and you need time to prepare a good pitch.

I sympathise with club groundsmen because they’ve got a tough job.

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FINANCES

Counting the cost: The financial facilities available to cricket clubs dealing with the Covid crisis

EMERGENCY LOAN SCHEME

Essential fixed and contracted costs Equipment orders that couldn’t be deferred or recovered Subscriptions (television or broadband) How much can clubs apply for?

Clubs with a junior section can apply for between £1,000 and £50,000 Clubs with only an adult section can apply for between £1,000 and £20,000 How can clubs apply?

Clubs can apply by visiting: ims.ecb.co.uk

RETURN TO PLAY: SMALL GRANTS

Volunteer training Additional coaching/facility hire costs Operational alterations Additional sports equipment and kit to minimise sharing Running costs – up to £3,000 (Organisations based in Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 1-5) How much can applications be worth?

Applications can be placed for grants between £300 and £10,000 How can clubs apply?

Begin your application by registering here: https:// myapplications.sportengland.org/applicationportal/ Registration/OrganisationDetails.aspx

What does it do?

Provides funding to cover shortfall in preparation, day-to-day running and maintenance costs following resumption of recreational cricket last summer What will it cover?

Facilities preparation costs Costs related to adaptations made to comply with Covid guidelines Pitch renovation

What does it do?

Use National Lottery and government funding to help sport and activity groups, clubs and organisations respond to the challenges of returning to play in a coronavirus-safe way Who can apply?

Applicants do not have to be specialist sports clubs – they can also be voluntary groups, not-for-profit companies, community organisations, registered charities and leisure operators What will it consider?

Minor facility alterations: changes to meet government/social distancing requirements

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CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

ALFRED-KENNEALLY

he past 12 months have been uniquely difficult for the amateur game. The vast majority of clubs have come through the initial struggle caused by the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the summer of 2020.

But the longer-term consequences are still being felt: the loss of bar use, venue hire, match fees and pitch bookings from last season are among the economic effects.

And so, the support structures put in place by the ECB at the outset of Covid-19 to help clubs through the period have been essential.

In April, the ECB launched the Emergency Loan Scheme and the Return to Cricket Scheme as part of a £61m package designed to assist the sport – both recreationally and professionally – through an unprecedented summer and beyond.

CLUB LIFE

SPORT ENGLAND FUNDING: COMMUNITY ASSET FUND

Projects to temporarily cover an outdoor area or install floodlights How much can applications be worth?

Small-scale investments can range from £10,001 to £25,000 Medium-scale investments can range from £25,001 to £50,000 Who can apply?

Applicants do not have to be specialist sports clubs – they can also be voluntary groups, not-for-profit companies, community organisations, registered charities and leisure operators, among other entities How can clubs apply?

Applicants need to visit: sportenglandcaf. microsoftcrmportals.com

RETURN TO CRICKET GRANT SCHEME – APPLICATION DEADLINE OF MARCH 15

Utility or service costs Rental charges Employee costs Cleaning or maintenance commitments IT licences Security Insurance Equipment orders that couldn’t be deferred or recovered Subscriptions (television or broadband) How much can clubs apply for?

Clubs can apply for grants up to £3,000 How can clubs apply?

Clubs can find an application form by contacting their County Cricket Board: www.ecb.co.uk/county-cricketboards

ENGLAND AND WALES CRICKET TRUST (EWCT) INTEREST FREE LOAN SCHEME

Land purchase for cricketing purposes Non-turf practice and match facilities How much can clubs apply for?

Clubs with a junior section can apply for between £1,000 and £50,000 Clubs without a junior section can apply for between £1,000 and £20,000 Requests from other organisations are subject to application How much partnership funding is required?

A minimum of 10 per cent partnership funding is required from the applicant.

How can clubs apply?

Clubs can apply by visiting ims.ecb.co.uk

What does it do?

Alterations have been made to this fund as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and so applications for projects must be based about addressing challenges caused by Covid-19 and linked to enabling people to return to play.

What will it consider?

Projects to adapt the use of a place or space to meet return-to-play guidance Projects to convert an existing space to help meet social distancing requirements Projects to make improvements to a building or open space to enable activity to take place as a temporary arrangement

What does it do?

Provides emergency grants to help with shortfalls in preparation, running and maintenance costs caused by Covid-19 Assistance in exceptional circumstances, where other financial support is unavailable or inappropriate – for instance, where constitutionally a loan is not deemed a plausible option.

What will it cover?

Facilities preparation costs Costs related to adaptations made to comply with Covid guidelines Pitch renovation Essential fixed and contracted Costs:

What does it do?

Provides finance to clubs for projects to help them build a sustainable future What will it cover?

Buildings: changing room development, clubhouse renovation, social area development, machinery storage, scoreboxes, improvement in car parking facilities, CCTV/ security, outdoor lighting, energy consumption and saving systems, water consumption and saving systems, flood defence measures Equipment purchase Fine turf: square, outfield, drainage, irrigation

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

83

DURANT

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Keeping the game alive THE CRICKETER VISITS ORTON PARK CC IN PETERBOROUGH TO SEE HOW THEIR NEW DURANT CRICKET FACILITIES ARE HELPING THE CLUB EXPAND AND KEEP ITS PLAYERS AND MEMBERS SAFE hygiene measures.

Had Orton Park not invested in a remotely controlled scoreboard they would have had to sanitise all the numbered slates after each use.

Durant have also installed an artificial wicket on the square.

“All our junior games are played on the artificial,” Durham continues.

“We have a midweek adults team using it as well every Thursday, plus training on a Friday so it gets a fair bit of peppering. But it feels like you’re playing on a brand new wicket.

“It’s perfect. I think they’re great for kids to learn on because not everyone has a good grass wicket. At times you can get out to a real grubber on grass but you don’t get that at all on our artificial.

“Every club should install an artificial pitch. They make life much easier for the groundsman, especially as every age group has their own wicket length now.

“They’re not that expensive for the amount of use you get out of them. Last summer, more often than not, there was play on the artificial every day Monday to Friday.”

The new facilities helped Orton Park handle Covid restrictions last summer but they will also enable the Peterborough club to expand, allowing more teams and juniors to play the game safely.

“Durant are always who we prefer to use. Their reputation and quality speaks volumes.”

Durant Cricket are specialists in cricket ground equipment. For more information, visit www.durantcricket.co.uk or call 01572 822013

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CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

PHOTOS RICHARD PARKES

rton Park CC in Peterborough is a growing cricket club.

Orton have made great strides in the past few years but their facilities were unable to keep up with the club’s progression and demand to house more players. They have invested in a new two-bay netting system, as well as an artificial pitch and an electronic scoreboard.

These new facilities were installed by Durant Cricket and have ensured that, when play resumes, Orton Park are equipped to safely accommodate a packed summer schedule.

“There used to be one old single lane net which was very tired and only just fit for purpose,” Orton Park chairman Mark Durham tells The Cricketer.

“But to Durant Cricket’s credit, within a matter of weeks they managed to get the job done for the start of last season. What we’ve got now has made a huge impact, especially for the juniors but for all those involved with the club.”

The new two-lane facility ideally suits any club, with a fully-enclosed permanent structure and full run-ups. The white netting at the back is a smart touch to replicate a sightscreen.

Orton Park can now host significantly more players in their two nets and comply with social distancing.

The 19-digit electronic scoreboard is not only impressive in appearance, and far more visible than its ‘nail and slate’ predecessor, but it helps maintain social distancing and

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TEA DEBATE

Tea Debate The great

ast year, news broke that the Sussex Cricket League was to swap the traditional tea break for a 10-minute interval between innings in 2021.

The story sparked a wide discussion among club cricketers across the country: had the days of great 5pm feasts of

finger sandwiches, pork pies, sausage rolls and sugary treats really run their course?

Here, two of The Cricketer’s most passionate clubbies – Sam Morshead and Jim Hindson – present their opposing sides of the argument.

GIVE US OUR FILL POST-MATCH, AND LET THE POOR TEA LADY HAVE A LIE-IN!

Jim Hindson argues in favour of the abolition of the half-time feast

At Wollaton CC we had chilli and jacket potatoes; at the Cavaliers & Carrington CC it was a spicy offering that would see us rushing for the juice; while playing in the north of the county, homemade cakes would dominate.

Cricket teas in Nottinghamshire and around the UK have been a staple of the game.

The only time I recall ever missing out on the mid-game feast was in a Notts Colts match up at Kiveton Park CC in the early ’90s. The batting performance of our young side so enraged coach and former Notts batsman John Birch that he barred us from entering the pavilion and subjected us to brutal fielding drills in lieu of tea, while the opposition looked on, mouths full, with amusement. Letters of complaint were written to the county club after the affair – forgoing tea was a serious business.

Then came 2020, a pandemic and a brief hiatus from playing at all. When we did eventually return in the Notts Premier League, one of the stipulations was to bring your own tea. Understandably, the sharing of food in the clubhouse was off the menu.

This was a small but not insignificant sacrifice. At my club, Caythorpe CC, we have the magnificent Jean Green (supported tirelessly by daughter Debs), our tea lady since days of yore and a local legend both for her selfless dedication to the club and her fine spreads. While those famous cheese and onion sandwiches and homemade macaroons were missed, oddly mealtimes fell into place.

When the game commenced at 12.30pm, the lower order

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from the batting side would retire to their pack-ups and eat at, wait for it, lunchtime. In between innings, within five minutes of a drink and a snack, both teams were prepping for the second half of the game. Bowlers were enjoying a run through, skiers were whacked for eager fielders and batsmen got their throwdown fill in the nets.

Both sets of players then took to the field without carrying the sluggish malaise of tea in their guts. Digested, prepped and ready to do battle in the best possible condition. It just felt right.

For those lamenting another dagger in the social fabric of our game, just bear with me. While teas up and down the country and especially with Jean at the tiller were lovely, the only socialising in my experience was uttering a ‘wellplayed’ through gritted teeth while reluctantly passing the milk to the guy that had smashed you around the park.

I’d also wager the notion that clubs raise funds from making cricket teas is also misguided (try feeding 30 oiks on a strict budget!). So let me offer a solution which is being considered by the Notts Premier League.

Rather than stopping the game midway, how about laying on a spread after the game, when all battles have been fought?

It works in rugby – chilli and a pint – so why can’t it work in cricket? Encourage more socialising after the game, utilising the time saved from not stopping a match midflow. You can extend the hospitality to spectators too, maybe even raising vital club funds each weekend.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE TEAS ENCOURAGE SOCIAL COHESION AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT… LET’S NOT DITCH THEM FOR THE SAKE OF CONVENIENCE

Sam Morshead argues that club cricketers need as many reasons to contribute to their team as possible Tea is a fundamental part of the social fabric of a cricket club.

I grew up in a village in rural Wiltshire, playing for a side who rarely enjoy a membership of more than 30. When we were kicked off our old ground by the landowning count, a local farmer gifted a field at peppercorn rates, and the players dismantled the clubhouse in one location and reassembled it at another.

Friends of friends helped with the renovation of the turf and the installation of irrigation, and halfa-dozen willing volunteers kept the grass short enough with a set of rusty gang mowers.

Everything our club has ever done has been based around a sense of community; and, while it might sound hyperbolic, I’m convinced that the concept of the cricket tea played a major role in our social cohesion.

At White Horse, teas are the responsibility of one player each week, with that player subsequently reimbursed out of the subs pot. It is a simple, easy introduction to volunteering: a chance for gentle competition, among both members and with our opponents; and it gives a focal point of the afternoon from a social perspective.

Get enough members interested in doing their bit, and tea turns into something of a challenge. And as the challenge intensifies, so the teas improve to a point where their reputation precedes them.

In the case of White Horse, residents started appearing at the bar around teatime, spending heavily behind on local beers and ice creams for the kids; families of players enjoyed the inclusivity of the occasion, with children making friends and becoming interested in the game.

Volunteers graduated from clumsily constructed cheese sandwiches to hoovering the pavilion to scooting around the outfield on the gang mowers, and then onto the committee. All for one, and one for all.

I can understand that not every club cricketer’s experience will have been like mine, but many of the arguments I have heard for the culling of teas feels misplaced.

The suggestion that the move would incur a financial benefit feels misplaced. Even if all the savings on teas were passed on in subs discounts - and, after the horror year our amateur game has experienced surely no one would hold it

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

against their club’s committee if this did not happen – the cost of feeding yourself independently could well make the day more expensive.

Faced with the choice between spending £3 on a cardboard meal deal from the closest petrol station and £3 on a contribution to a spread, I know where my stomach and soul would send me.

For the smaller clubs, who do not need to hire caterers or feed 4th and 5th XIs, the lack of willing volunteers is a major problem.

Most clubs rely on the generosity of time and spirit shown by only a handful of people, and these men and women are the reason so many amateur sports teams are still functioning.

By limiting the number of options available to a prospective pair of helping hands, are clubs not throttling the reasons for members to contribute?

While to be treasurer, you might need a way with ledgers, and to tend to the square an understanding of machinery comes in useful, there is no experience necessary when it comes to buttering bread.

Volunteering can become a habit, even for those who are at first entirely reticent, but there needs to be a job available that can suit even the most hapless. Making teas was my introduction to behind-the-scenes work at my club; I’ve subsequently sat on the committee, organised several six-a-side tournaments, and digitised the club’s historical records. Many others have followed the same path.

It’s amazing what can be achieved when you start with a cheese sandwich.

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IMPROVE YOUR SOCIAL GAME

Celebrating cricket’s

social side A LOCKDOWN CLASSIC FROM ADRIAN MIRFAKHRAI (@ADYMIRF)

‘THE FUNNIEST CRICKET FILM EVER’

BY SANDERSTEAD CC 88

AN UMPIRE SHOCKER AT THREE BRIDGES CC CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE hen the country was plunged into lockdown last year, and a summer of cricket found itself drastically overhauled, the online world of club cricket still managed to find the positives.

There were old classics from the village green mixed with inventive genius from cricket fans stuck at home.

In the early days of lockdown, as many of us acclimatised to working from home, the cricketing community burst into life on social media.

In such a difficult time, these snippets were an essential morale boost. So thank you to anyone who contributed to keeping the game we love alive and at the forefront of our minds in one way or another.

These are just a handful of the many videos that have kept us smiling over the past year, and act as a reminder of what waits for us on the other side of all this.

If you want to share your videos from around the grounds this summer, please do get in touch!

BUXTED PARK CC JOINING THE RUN-OUT CHAOS GENRE

Send us your videos at… @thecricketermag @thecricketer @thecricketermag

SPONDON CC: CLUB CRICKET AT ITS JOYOUS BEST

@thecricketermag

TRAINING DAY: STAYING SHARP IN LOCKDOWN WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

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BOLA

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

BOLA bowling machines: “17 years down the line I still use our one nearly every day”

ny investment comes with risk, principally ‘will I get value for money from this product?’

But when purchasing bowling machines from BOLA, every ounce of value is extracted. Just ask Peter Came and his son, Harry.

“I bought a BOLA Professional in 2004 when Harry was just six years old. At 40, I was running out of arm strength to bowl it fast enough to get him on the back foot,” Peter tells the Club Cricket Guide.

“Little did we know at the time that we would get 17 years of service.”

Harry is at the start of a career full of potential. He made his first-class debut for Hampshire in 2019 and made five appearances for the county. He is currently on the hunt for his next county, and having access to a BOLA has ensured he is putting his best foot forward when the trials come around.

The right-hander can already look back fondly on his cricketing achievements, having broken the longstanding record for most runs in a season at Bradfield College.

He achieved the feat when only 16, scoring over 1,000 runs in the summer of 2015. The previous record was set in 1962

by Michael Mence who went on to play for Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. The following summer Came captained the 1st XI. Harry still uses the outdoor nets at the school, with his father acting as chief machine operator, and the transportability of the machine means each net session is beneficial.

“The actual machine fits into a box, then it’s very easy to transfer the legs and the battery,” Harry says.

“It takes five minutes to set up then you’re off. As well as a battery you can also plug the machine into the mains, so you are not limited by power supply,” Peter says. He is an accomplished cricketer too, having been part of the Hampshire 2nd XI as an amateur in the 1980s. Peter’s

grandfather was Walter Robins, who played 19 Test matches for England and captained them on three occasions.

The Professional is normally set up at home, and while some windows are within Harry’s arc, “we try not to proceed on the lines of whacking the ball because Harry has to go get it if he does.”

Harry certainly appreciates he has been lucky to have access to a BOLA, whether it be at home or using one of the machines owned by Bradfield (who also have a Merlyn for spin practice), but he has made the most of the facilities on offer and is aware of the benefits they have.

“Basically, every day at lunch and after lessons I would be down in the sports hall on the machines. Gloucestershire’s Ryan Higgins, who also went to Bradfield and who I looked up to hugely, would do the same.

“I would have sessions where I was on the machine for an hour or two. You’re the only one there, hitting ball after ball. It’s not like an innings in a match where there is a break between overs, or you are sometimes at the non-striker’s end.

It’s just you against the machine, and it taught me how to bat for long periods of time.

“It’s had a massive impact on my game. Seventeen years down the line I still use our one nearly every day.”

The initial battery has only just worn out, but the Cames have every intention of replacing that and continuing to use it.

“It’s never been back to BOLA, it’s worked beautifully the whole time. You can swing it both ways and bowl spin, though Harry doesn’t like it when he sees me twiddling with the buttons because he doesn’t know what’s coming next,” Peter says.

“For me it was the best way of giving Harry the ability to see what he is capable of. If you get the cricket bug and you want to bat, it’s the best thing you can use.

“Hopefully Harry might be able to use it with his children.”

For more information, visit www.bola.co.uk

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CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

JAMES CHANCE/GETTY IMAGES

BOLA HAVE LONG BEEN MAKING THE BEST AND MOST DURABLE BOWLING MACHINES ON THE MARKET, AND PETER AND HARRY CAME HAVE CERTAINLY GOT FULL USAGE OUT OF THEIRS

GET INVOLVED IN UMPIRING

CLUB LIFE

Life in the middle

perform well and communicate better with the players.

Yvonne: People who play cricket and don’t know the Laws!

But also, recruitment. We are very desperate for umpires to ensure the future of the game.

YVONNE DOLPHIN-COOPER, ONE OF 10 FEMALE OFFICIALS SELECTED FOR THE 2020 RACHAEL HEYHOE FLINT TROPHY, AND FORMER DERBYSHIRE BATSMAN, HASSAN ADNAN, SHARE THEIR UMPIRING JOURNEYS. WHY DID YOU BECOME AN UMPIRE? Hassan: Towards the end of my playing career, I tried coaching, but I didn’t enjoy it so I thought about how I could stay in the game and the only option was umpiring. In 2011, I asked my local Association of Cricket Officials if I could try a few games. My first game was an academy game and I really enjoyed it, did my levels and went from there.

Yvonne: Cricket is in my blood. My favourite places on the planet are cricket clubs! I was at a game with my husband many years ago and was thinking ‘why has he signalled that?’, and then I thought ‘stop asking stupid questions and go and find out!’ So, I did.

HARRY TRUMP/GETTY IMAGES

DO YOU HAVE TO BE A GOOD CRICKETER? Yvonne: No! I’ve stood with people who’ve never played cricket and that doesn’t mean they’re not a good umpire.

Hassan: Having played gives you an awareness of the game.

You’re used to high intensity, you know when to be switched on and you can anticipate things like if someone needs runs, they might slog sweep and you can be in position to give leg before. But there are a lot of first-class umpires who’ve never played and when you learn umpiring, you learn the Laws of cricket and playing conditions.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? Hassan: Teamwork. Sometimes you’ve never met your colleague before a match, and you have to build a relationship straight away. Grab a coffee before the game and talk about playing conditions and signals. If you work as a team, you WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

KEY ADVICE Yvonne: There’s a lot of people management. Laws of cricket first, then match management and people management.

Don’t take yourself too seriously: the match isn’t about you.

Finally, you don’t lose anything by giving it a go! This is a plea for female umpires.

If you’re a mum watching your kids play and your heart is full of pride, learn to umpire.

Hassan: Set yourself realistic goals. For the first two years I didn’t get any Premier League games but through performing well, getting good reports and doing your levels you can progress. You can learn more from umpiring junior cricket too.

They make more mistakes and, being kids, ask questions so you improve because you have to explain the Laws.

Use those around you. Every senior umpire can be your mentor. They’ll guide you, and can give you targets.

BECOMING AN UMPIRE Interested in becoming in an umpire but unsure if it’s for you?

Sign up for the ECB’s “Umpire Introductory” course.

Stage One – learn the Laws, how to apply them and the art of field craft and match management Stage Two – join a league panel as a neutral umpire, Stage Two builds on your Stage One skills and introduces the concept of working with a colleague.

Stages Three & Four – for experienced umpires aiming to stand at the highest levels of recreational cricket.

For more information, visit: www.ecb.co.uk/be-involved/ officials

AGE IS NO BARRIER After feeling left behind by his peers on the pitch, Ollie Thorpe stood in his first match aged just 16 and umpired a 4th XI cup final while still at school.

“The toughest thing about being a young umpire is stamping your authority on the game,” Ollie says. “Some players didn’t like being told the rules by a teenager. You’ve got to be firm but fair.

“I can’t recommend umpiring enough! You get to know so many people. It takes me a while to get around the boundary now because there’s always someone to talk to.”

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ACE

Bridging the gap: Re-engaging the African-Caribbean community in cricket NICK FRIEND FINDS OUT ABOUT THE AFRICANCARIBBEAN ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMME – THE BRAINCHILD OF EBONY RAINFORD-BRENT – WHICH IS ROLLING OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY efore the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic brought cricket to a halt last March, the ACE Programme launched as a vital initiative set up to correct a 75 per cent decline in cricket participation among the African-Caribbean community.

But even as the impact of Covid-19 widened, the organisation – with Ebony Rainford-Brent as its driving force – ventured from strength to strength.

Initially running open trials through the early months of 2020, a summer schedule was subsequently put in place for 25 youngsters – albeit modified due to coronavirus restrictions – including a 40-over game at the Kia Oval. One trialist has since featured for Surrey Under-18s, with hopes for more to follow.

“Ultimately, the long-term ambition from this project is to get someone to walk out wearing the Surrey badge out onto the field,” Jeremy Greaves, Surrey Cricket Centres manager and an employee of the county for 19 years, told The Cricketer.

Those dreams have been aided by substantial backing from Sport England, who have invested £540,000 into the project, allowing the programme to take off as an

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independent charity.

That announcement, coming at the end of Black History Month, proved to be game-changing. ACE has since moved into Birmingham as its second city, with plans to expand further inside the next three years: Nottingham, Manchester and Bristol are all on the radar. The ECB has added further financial support for the project in the shape of a grant to assist these latest developments. Chevy Green has been appointed as director of programmes – the charity’s first full-time employee.

Rainford-Brent, meanwhile, will chair the organisation, having previously become the first black woman to play for England, before taking up a position as a Surrey board member. She is also the club’s director of women’s cricket and has become a highly respected broadcaster.

“I got a little bit of a tear in my eye when I heard that one of the kids had made his Surrey Under-18 debut, and he held his own in the side,” she told The Cricketer.

“I think my happiest moment of the whole summer was when I went down to The Oval to one of the training sessions and the parents were there. Knowing that in 25 years I haven’t seen many black kids out on the training field, it wasn’t a contrived thing – they were just there to train.

I got emotional and I spoke to the kids as I was leaving. I just said that I wanted them to be them.

“I don’t want them to feel like they have to prove anything: just be them and they’ll be in an environment that will support them to fulfil their potential as far as they can go. That feeling of being able to open the door is the greatest feeling.

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE “If, in 20 years – as a result of what the ACE programme does – we’re seeing more kids interested in the game coming through and you see that visually, that will mean more to me than anything. I’d cry for days.

“Of everything we’re doing, it’s the most special feeling to see a young person have a stake in our game that they deserve and believe. It’s priceless.”

In Rainford-Brent’s early days at the club, Mark Butcher, Michael Carberry and Alex Tudor were all part of the men’s first team. All three would represent England. Yet, while England had nine black Test debutants between 1981 and 1990, there have been just three since 1999.

According to research carried out by Thomas Fletcher at Leeds Beckett University, the number of black non-overseas players in men’s county cricket fell from 33 to nine in the 25 years between 1994 and 2019. There were just three in the domestic women’s game in 2019.

Only three full-time head coaches in the history of county cricket have been from an African-Caribbean background and none of the current 41 ECB board members are black.

A report released in 2020 by Sport England added to these figures, revealing a participation rate in cricket of just 5.2 per cent among black youngsters between the ages of five and 16 between 2017 and 2019.

Butcher and Tudor are among the charity’s newly appointed ambassadors, who also include England Women allrounder Sophia Dunkley and former Surrey player Lonsdale Skinner, who is also chairman of the AfricanCaribbean Cricket Association.

In addition, West Indies great Michael Holding – who featured alongside Rainford-Brent in a powerful Sky Sports film about their experiences of racism – has become one of four honorary patrons.

He is joined by veteran journalist Sir Trevor McDonald, Roland Butcher – the first black cricketer to play for England – and Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis, a childhood idol of Rainford-Brent. “There’s no doubt about it; we have missed a generation and a half – maybe even more, maybe 20 years’ worth,” she added.

Surrey chief executive Richard Gould said: “The stat of 10 to 18-year-olds in SE11, 42 per cent are black youngsters.

And of the youngsters I see coming into this club, 42 per cent of them aren’t black. We’re clearly not being sufficiently welcoming and not being sufficiently proactive, and so we have to make sure that changes.”

That is another aim of the programme; as well as providing opportunities for talented youngsters to make their way up the elite ladder, among ACE’s objectives are improving visibility at grassroots level and increasing diversity among coaches and volunteers.

Warwickshire chief executive Stuart Cain, whose county is partnering with the charity as it launches in Birmingham, has also affirmed his determination to rediscover a community that was once a major part of the game in the city.

“If you look at the black community, cricket in Birmingham 15 or 20 years ago in areas like Handsworth was a really vibrant sport with really vibrant clubs,” he said.

“It wasn’t just about the cricket; it was about the social side as well – a place where people met and a place where people helped each other and it was really part of the social WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

scene. That has fallen away over recent years. It’s a really important community.

“It was really important to say that we should raise the bar in how we work with the black and Afro-Caribbean communities to sit alongside the work we’re doing with other communities to represent that broad diversity across the city and make sure that we do try to get to that objective of holding that mirror up and making sure that we represent everyone.”

Despite Birmingham’s diversity, Warwickshire had no coaches or players of ethnic minority backgrounds on their senior staff last season, though Cain added that this situation is in the process of improving. He stated that around 60 per cent of academy age-group squads were now made up of players from South Asian backgrounds, with the club reaping the benefits of significant work in those communities – the kind of tangible improvements that the ACE Programme hopes to achieve.

Players who come through the scheme in Birmingham will also have the opportunity to further their game through Warwickshire’s links with Handsworth Cricket Club and at Holford Drive Community Sports Hub. They are also looking to stage a Caribbean-themed cricket festival for families in the early part of this summer, with the Edgbaston Foundation, the club’s official charity, undertaking wider social initiatives.

Sport England board director Chris Grant explained: “Our research shows that young people want to be active and they want to experience different sports. Cricket is a proven sport in terms of getting people’s attention – not all of them, not all of them fall in love with it. But the thing that’s missing for them is opportunity. If you give them the opportunity to get involved, many of them will grab it. This is such a brilliant example of a programme and now a fledgling organisation that is going to help many more young people have opportunities, so it’s a no-brainer for us to get behind this.”

WHAT IS THE ACE PROGRAMME? • Launched in January 2020

by Surrey in response to the decline of black professional cricketers in the UK by 75 per cent • The aim is to re-engage young people from AfricanCaribbean backgrounds • In October 2020, ACE launched as a charity after a £540,000 investment from Sport England Where has the programme been rolled out?

• London • Birmingham So, where next?

• Nottingham • Manchester • Bristol

Ebony Rainford-Brent is the charity’s chair, and there are several high-profile ambassadors and patrons on board: Michael Holding Trevor McDonald Denise Lewis Roland Butcher Alex Tudor Sophia Dunkley Mark Butcher Who oversees the programme?

Chevy Green, who was previously Cricket Participation Manager for Surrey Cricket Foundation How can you get involved?

Contact the organisation at info@aceprogramme.com

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CLUB NOTICEBOARD

Club noticeboard FIXTURE REQUESTS, FUNDRAISING DATES, PLAYER ADVERTS AND MORE...

THREE BRIDGES CC

Fancy a change? Just getting back into cricket or trying it for the first time? Join TBCC for the 2021 season. We have four Saturday teams playing league cricket and one Sunday friendly XI, along with the newly introduced Sussex Slam team Three Bridges Titans for midweek social cricket!

A fresh, newly refurbished clubhouse and outside decking area is a great place to spend your summer while enjoying the excellent club culture we have at TBCC, and you never know you could feature on TBCC TV. Get in contact via our social media channels and come and celebrate the 2021 cricket season with us!

Twitter: @TBCC_ Instagram: threebridgescricket

ADLESTROP CC

Beautiful Cotswold ground. We play in the Cotswold Hills League and are always on the lookout for new players of all abilities.

Email: adlestropcc.sec@gmail.com Tel: 07531 799225

REED CC

Based in rural Hertfordshire, Reed Cricket Club are always on the lookout for new players of all ages and abilities.

We have three Saturday XIs, with the first team having recently been promoted to the prestigious Hertfordshire Premier League. We also enter the National Village Cup (three-time winners), host regular friendlies and have a thriving youth cricket section. Please visit https://reedcricketclub.co.uk for more information.

OXENFORD CC

Oxford-based club Oxenford CC are encouraging players, umpires and scorers to get involved in the game this summer.

We are a welcoming, successful club focusing on participation and inclusivity.

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We play six or seven games a week on stunning facilities in the city. Contact us via: Oxenfordcc@hotmail.com or @ OxenfordCC on social media.

TAMWORTH CC

An established, welcoming and aspirational club based in the midlands.

We have a thriving junior section as well as four senior teams. The club is keen to attract both playing and social members - offering both junior and senior coaching. Search ‘Tamworth CC’ on Play Cricket, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!

KNOTTINGLEY TOWN CC

We are a family-friendly club, celebrating our 150th anniversary, and looking for players of any age and ability. Based in West Yorkshire near Wakefield.

If interested please find us on: Facebook: Knottingley Town Cricket Club Twitter: @KnottTownCC Instagram: Knottingley Town Cricket Club

NANTWICH CC

Mickleover Cricket Club is a member of the Derbyshire County Cricket League with a proud history, having been established over 150 years ago.

We run three senior teams, a women’s side and a vibrant junior section ranging from Kwick Cricket through to under-17 level.

In these difficult times we are seeking sponsorship support.

For a range of options please contact us: Twitter: @Mickleover_CC Play-Cricket: http://mickleover.playcricket.com Tel: 07706489085

Nantwich CC would like to invite any potential new players to come and join us.

We are a thriving club in South Cheshire with our 1st XI competing in the Cheshire County Premier League. We recently created a new Saturday team which means we now have three Saturday teams and one Sunday team. From this season we will have two women’s teams playing in the Cheshire pyramid.

Alongside this we have junior cricket for every age group. We have a welcoming social side with a regular attendance of over 150 supporters each week. So as you can see plenty of opportunities for everyone.

The club is also on the lookout for both umpires and scorers, both would be paid roles.

If you are interested please contact Neil Forster on 07716634707.

HULL IONIANS COAL EXPORTERS CRICKET CLUB

KIMBOLTON CC

MICKLEOVER CC

One of East Yorkshire’s finest clubs. Our superb parkland setting currently hosts two adult teams in the York & District Senior Cricket League.

You will find a warm and friendly welcome for new and old players of all ages.

The club are looking to build for the future with plans for a new pavilion in addition to the main clubhouse, and to expand our membership so a third adult side and a women’s team can be accommodated.

Email: Hicecc@hicecc.co.uk Tel: 01482667163

A small, well run village cricket club situated in Cambridgeshire. Well renowned for its small ‘Hedge End’ boundary and excellent teas. Two Saturday XIs and a Sunday development XI, along with a fantastic junior set up.

Always looking for new players of all ages and abilities.

Email: jamesbiddle128@gmail.com Website: https://www. kimboltoncricketclub.co.uk/

LOWERHOUSE CRICKET CLUB

Lowerhouse Cricket Club are welcoming players and community members of all CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE ages and skillsets to join the setup!

Website: http://lowerhousecc.com Twitter: @LowerhouseCC Telephone: 07941439741

ICKENHAM CC

Interested in joining a thriving club on and off the pitch in London?

We have five Saturday teams, two women’s sides and a flourishing junior section! Our three picturesque adjacent grounds, set in the greenery of north west London, enhance the family feel, with three games of cricket taking place every Saturday and Sunday, plus colts action all midweek.

Our huge social scene, welcoming atmosphere and massive support makes every visit to ICC a day out.

With our 1st XI playing in Division 1 of the Thames Valley League and 5th XI in Division 10, we welcome all abilities.

Our women’s side is one of the best in Middlesex! Playing in the Women’s Southern Championship with beginners up to county standard, it’s a very enjoyable environment to be a part of.

Email: cricket@ickenhamcc.co.uk Twitter: @IckenhamCricket Instagram: ickenhamcc Facebook: ickenhamcc

RAMSDELL CC

Nestling in the north Hampshire countryside between Basingstoke and Kingsclere lies Ramsdell Recreation Ground – the home of Ramsdell Cricket Club for more than 80 years.

We are a true village club with a desire to be at the heart of parish life. We take a pride in maintaining our square, preparing our pitches and looking after the outfield – all under the supervision of our long-serving groundsman Dave Simpson.

We currently run three summer teams – two of which play in the Hampshire Cricket League (Division 3N & Division 6NE) on Saturday afternoons from early May through to late August.

Above all, though, we pride ourselves on being a friendly club and we would love to welcome you to the Recreation Ground this summer.

Twitter: @ramscricket Website: https://ramsdellcricketclub.com Email: ramsdellcccommunications@gmail. com or ramsdellccsecretary@gmail.com

BOX CRICKET CLUB

Box is a small village club in West Wiltshire.

It was founded in 1870 and last year was due to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

dedicated cricket week for its players and the community. However due to the coronavirus outbreak, these plans were shelved, and the plan is to try again this July for a unique ‘151st anniversary celebration’. Hopefully the weather will play its part and compliment the amazing views at the ground.

Recently the club has gone from two Saturday league teams down to one, however recent recruitment of players has been strong, and we hope to return to two teams in the near future. We are always on the lookout for new players of all abilities. If you are interested in joining the club, please contact club captain Jordan Welsby on jordanwelsby93@gmail. com, telephone 07860 148574 or visit http:// boxcricketclub.com

OLD FINCHLEIANS CC

Old Finchleians Cricket Club is a friendly, social and historic club which has been in situ at our beautiful home in Woodside Park, north London since 1901. We currently field two Saturday teams who compete in the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League and a Sunday development XI. We also host midweek evening T20 and 16 over games.

We have short-term plans to introduce a Saturday third team, a Sunday second team and long-term plans to develop a colts and women’s section too. With that said, we are looking for new talent to bolster all of our teams. We are open to new members from a diversity of ages, genders, cultures and abilities, and are confident that we can find a place for you at our club. Please contact Ben on 07947497214 or email oldfinchleianscc@ gmail.com to find out more.

ROCKHAMPTON CC

We are a local, village cricket club in Gloucestershire. Boasting four teams who play league matches on Saturdays, the club has a fantastic youth section from U9-U17 level with a keen focus on the pathway into the senior sides.

We will be running Dynamos and All Stars cricket courses again for any youngsters looking to learn how to play.

Our 1st XI currently play in the West of England Premier League Gloucestershire Division and will be playing in the Village Cup, looking to repeat our 2013 trip to the Lord’s final. New players of all abilities are always welcome. Our glorious Boundary Field will also be hosting Gloucestershire 2nd XI matches this summer.

For more information about us, have a look at our social media sites @RockhamptonRams or visit http://rockhamptoncc.com

Staff Editor Simon Hughes Managing editor Huw Turbervill Assistant editor James Coyne Art director Geoff Barton Subscriptions manager Chris Smith Commercial director Jim Hindson Digital editor Sam Morshead Digital journalists Nick Howson, Nick Friend Social media editor Owen Riley Business development manager Ed Krarup Customer service executive Thomas Blow Digital intern Elizabeth Botcherby Photographer Paul Carroll

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STOCKISTS

Stockists 2021

3D Sports 3 Brakey Road, Weldon North, Industrial Estate, Corby, NN17 5LU www.3dsports.co.uk

AJ Fordham Sports 81-85 Robin Hood Way, Kingston Vale, Surrey, SW15 3PW 61 Broomwood Road, London, SW11 6HU www.ajfordham.com

All Rounder Cricket 39 St Michaels Lane, Headingley, Leeds, LS6 3BR

Beckenham Cricket Specialists 181 High Street, Beckenham, BR3 1AH www.beckenhamcricketspec.com

Cricket-Hockey Unit 25 Parkers Close, Downton Business Centre, Salisbury, SP5 3RB www.cricket-hockey.com

Intersport – John Henry Sport 207 Wellingborough Road, Northampton, NN1 4ED www.johnhenrysports.co.uk

Boundary Sports 206 Station Road , Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7TE www.boundarysports.co.uk

CricMall www.cricmall.com

Intersport – Gyles Brothers 188 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2XU www.gylesbros.co.uk

Broadwater Sports 37 Broadwater Street West, Worthing, BN14 9BY www.broadwatersports.co.uk

Units 2-5 , Penistone Road, Trading Estate, Hillsborough, Sheffield, S6 2FL www.allroundercricket.com

Cicada Sports Unit 2 Pikehelve Street, West Bromwich, B70 0TU www.cicadasports.co.uk

Aswani Cricket www.aswanicricket.co.uk

CJI Cricket 884 Wimborne Road, Moordown, Bournemouth, BH9 2DR www.cjicricket.com

Baggies Cricket Caps 123 Woodville Road, Hartshorne, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE11 7EX www.cricketcap.co.uk

Cook & Matthews Sport 68A High Street, Chislehurst, BR7 5AQ www.cookandmatthewssport.co.uk

Cricket Direct https://cricketdirect.co.uk

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Discount Cricket Outlet www.discountcricketoutlet.com

Fenton Sports Unit 7, Thomasin Road, Basildon, SS13 1LG www.fentonsportsonline.com

Game Set & Match Unit 1 Beaver Trade Park, Quarry Lane, Chichester, PO19 8NY www.gsam.co.uk

Get Padded Up 11 Courtland Road, Wellington, TA21 8ND www.getpaddedup.co.uk

Holt & Hoskell Salisbury Road, Southampton, SO40 2RW www.holtandhaskell.com

It’s Just Cricket Unit 22, Store4Sure, Abenbury Way, Wrexham LL13 9UZ www.itsjustcricket.co.uk

Kent Cricket Direct 150 London Road, Southborough, Kent, TN4 0PJ kentcricketdirect.co.uk Lord’s International Bradford St, Caerphilly, CF83 1GA www.lords international.co.uk

Lord’s Online Store Lord’s Cricket Ground, St John’s Wood Road, London, NW8 8QN store.lords.org

CLUB CRICKET GUIDE 2021

CLUB LIFE Lorimers4Cricket 22 Finkle Street, Bishop Auckland, County Durham DL14 7PL www.lorimers4cricket.co.uk

Lovell Sports www.lovellsports.com

Lukeys Sports 75 Meadow Street, Preston, PR1 1TS www.lukeyssports.co.uk

Martin Berrill Sports Unit 9-10 Morelands Trading Estate, Bristol Road, Gloucester, GL1 5RZ www.martinberrillsports.com

MB Malik 236 Farnham Road, Slough, SL1 4XE www.maliksports.co.uk

Morrant Unit 5 Station Estate, Eastwood Close, South Woodford, London, E18 1BY www.morrant.com

Mr. Cricket The Old Blacksmiths Yard, Newnham Lane, Burwell, Cambridge, CB25 0EA www.mrcrickethockey.com

Owzat-Cricket 72 Mansfield Road, Derbyshire, DE55 2ER www.owzat-cricket.co.uk

PC Sports 67 High Street,Yeadon, Leeds, LS19 7SP www.pcsports.co.uk

Pro-Direct cricket www.prodirectcricket.com

QDOS Cricket www.qdoscricket.com

Ram Cricket Unit D2, Send Business Centre, Tannery Lane, Send, Surrey GU23 7EF www.ramcricket.co.uk

City Cricket Academy 8 Commercial Square, Freemens Common, Leicester, LE2 7SR www.citycricketacademy.co.uk/ rhino-cricket

Robert Pack Cricket 103 High Street, Irthlinborough, NN9 5PU www.robertpackcricket.co.uk

Romida 11 Avebury Court, Mark Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7TA 18 Shaw Rd, Newhey, Rochdale, OL16 4LT 70 Kingston Rd, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 7BW Lord’s Cricket Ground, St John’s Wood, London NW8 8QN Unit 7 Leeds Road Mini Park, Leeds Road, Huddersfield, HD1 6PA

WWW.THECRICKETER.COM

Unit A Marlborough Close, Haig Road, Knutsford, WA16 8XN www.romida.co.uk

Serious Cricket The Dummer Cricket Centre, Dummer, Basingstoke, RG25 2AR www.seriouscricket.co.uk

The Cricket Company Cotley Barn, Woodhayes Lane, Whimple, Devon, EX5 2QR www.playwiththebest.com/thecricket-company/

The Cricket Store www.thecricketstore.uk/pages/ about-the-cricket-store

Solly Sports 66 Savile Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 9PJ www.solly-sports.com

Total Cricket Oxford Street East, Ashton Under Lyne, OL7 0RE www.totalcricketcentre.co.uk

Somerset County Sports The Cooper Associates County Ground, St James Street, Taunton, TA1 1JT www.somersetcountysports.com

Try Sports 26 Deans Court, Bicester, OX26 6RD www.trysportsonline.co.uk

Sports Avenue 58 Hagley Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY8 1QD https://www.sportsavenue.co.uk Sporting Billy Unit 10, Bath Road Industrial Estate, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN14 0AB www.sportingbilly.com

Sports Warehouse www.sportswarehouse.co.uk/ sports-equipment/cricket

Talent Cricket Unit 2, 31 Bakewell Road, Loughborough, LE11 5QY www.talentcricket.co.uk

The Cornish Cricket Company 82 East Hill, St Austell, Cornwall, PL25 4TR thecornishcricketcompany.co.uk

Uzi Sports Unit 109 Basepoint Business Centre, Rivermead Drive, Swindon, SN5 7EX www.uzisports.com

V Sports Unit 4 Amphion, Business Park, Silverstone Drive, Coventry, CV6 6PD www.vsports.co.uk

VKS 31 Bond Street, Ealing, London, W5 5AS www.vks.com

Whitchurch Sports 11A Watergate Street, Whitchurch, Shropshire, SY13 1DP www.whitchurch-sports.co.uk

World Cricket Store www.worldcricketstore.com

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Club Cricket Guide 2021