…for sending out a questionnaire to canvass the clubs long before this year’s AGM.
The former Muckamore all rounder is a visionary within the local game and has gone to great lengths before to find out ways of improving the current structure, but not all clubs have been as diligent in their responses. Thankfully Andy and his committee have not been deterred, although it seems incongruous that clubs and their members would criticize the establishment and then ignore their request for feedback to some interesting initiatives.
Club cricket faces some major challenges in the next decade, and there are some people who feel that the club game is going downhill faster than many stalwarts want to admit. The apathy hasn’t been helped by several seasons of dreadful weather, but overall there is a movement to play less cricket and to play shorter games. We are also losing players, spectators, sponsors, administrators and umpires at an alarming rate, and the overall standard of senior cricket is probably at its worst for many years. Against this background it is ironic that youth cricket has improved, and the standard at national level has never been higher. Cricket Irelandis on the crest of a wave, but the game at grass roots is struggling, certainly in the north.
Andy’s questionnaire won’t solve the major problems facing club cricket, but they might stimulate some positive feedback and perhaps a greater awareness of the clouds on the horizon. The idea of reducing leagues to eight teams seems plausible, but the thorny issues of re-arrangements and promotion and relegation of two teams might have mixed reactions. Are there too many competitions, is ladies cricket being promoted, have we enough coaches, and where have all the umpires gone? These are important questions that address some of the negatives, but on the positive side the development committee is asking is there any appetite for an indoor league or an under-17 league?
Perhaps the sceptics might suggest we play all our cricket indoors to beat the weather, but playing indoor cricket during the winter doesn’t seem attractive given the counter attractions of contemporary sports and of course, television. With so much top class sport being televised these days, this is a serious threat to Saturday cricket.
One initiative that has to be commended is the invitation to senior captains to put forward any ideas to improve the game, and a wish-list to clubs on anything they’d like to change. That might invite trouble, but critics have plenty to say when things go wrong so here’s a great opportunity to make a contribution in a meaningful forum. All feedback is welcomed according to Andy, and if clubs respond in a timely fashion there is still enough time to put forward a proposal for change to the AGM.
Let’s give this questionnaire the time and attention it deserves.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
