It’s that time of the year already. The nights are getting brighter, the weather is improving slowly and over the course of the next few weeks, every club or village cricketer will participate in a tradition as old as time and ask themselves, “where are my whites!?”. Logically we know that they’ll either be unwashed from last September at the bottom of our bags or hidden away at the bottom of the wardrobe. However this initial panic must take place to signify the beginning of the greatest part of the year – The club cricket season.
After the chaotic start to the 2022 season where I found myself shopping for whites less than 2 hours before the first game, I decided to skip this ritual and get everything prepared by early March. This extreme out of character organisation meant I had some time to reflect on the significance of the club/village scene in England, from a personal point of view as well as it’s importance to the game in general.
From my first game in under 15s cricket back in 2006 to first team senior cricket in 2023 I have witnessed first hand how much the game has changed. Positively and negatively. What has remained the same, and I believe will do so for as long as the sport exists, is the importance the clubs have within the community. We are all aware of the emotional attachment we have to the counties, as demonstrated by the uproar every time a loudmouth begins screaming for a reduction in the counties. This is true, albeit to a lesser extent, with cricket clubs around the country.
Whether you actively support the club, use a matchday as an excuse to walk your dog around the boundary or the club house just happens to be your local watering hole, the clubs hold real personal significance to so many. The majority of these clubs are ran and kept afloat by volunteers. Giving up their summer weekends and the occasional evening for no other reason than their love of the game and their community.
The on field side of club/village cricket offers even more. It is and always will be a huge regret of mine that I took such a long break from playing the game. For years I’d tell myself “Right, Dan. Next season. Let’s get back playing” but sadly many summers would pass without stepping foot across the boundary rope. Something inside me late in 2021 said “it’s now or never” and one “Are you looking for any players” text later I was padded up and back in the nets.
Ask 100 club/village cricketers what their favourite thing about playing is and I’d bet my house that the bulk of responses would be along the same lines – playing and having a laugh with your good mates. This is very much my reality too. Turning up to a new club where you know nobody is incredibly daunting but if my experience is anything to go by, it’s not daunting for long. The camaraderie within club cricket is special. On the field everyone has each others back and off the field it’s never a dull affair. Whether it’s post match drinks or a post season night out.
One of the reasons I feel compelled to sell the game at club level, other than my genuine love of having a bat in my hand at the crease, is the trajectory the game is heading. There are noticeably fewer youth sides at clubs nowadays with clubs opting for senior sides only. While this doesn’t close the door entirely to kids wanting to get involved, it does make it much harder. It is understandable that clubs do not want to financially commit to having a youth system while numbers are declining but having fewer kids playing competitive cricket can only have a negative knock on effect throughout the wider game. Potentially up to the national side.
Even at the point of writing this, a club fairly local to myself which was established in the 19th century are discussing the possibility of withdrawing from the league. All because of low numbers. For me a clubs existence being cast into doubt for a reason such as this is unacceptable but I suspect we will hear of many more going the same way.
Hopefully I am correct in thinking there will be many others like me debating whether to get back in to the game and other who have never played wanting to try. If you fall in to that category and have made it this far please take my advice and get in touch with your local club. You will have no regrets and even if you have never held a bat before, I’d wager you will finish the season with more runs than me.
Good luck to all of the club & village cricketers preparing for an April start. Go well!