In news that saddened me, I learnt that Glasshouses Cricket Club had withdrawn from the Theakston Nidderdale Cricket League – due to a lack of players. Importantly, the cricket club will not fold but for now, it has no players and no fixtures. Mothballed if you will but with future plans that we’ll come to. […]
Opinion
New ECB safety regulations cause concern at grassroots
The news of updated ECB Recreational Cricket Safety Regulations does not, at first glance, sound particularly riveting – but it is causing a stir. The Regulations replace previous versions and cover those cricketers aged Under 19 in relation to Fast Bowling, Fielding Distances, Eligibility of Junior Cricketers, Playing Out of Age Group and Protective Equipment. […]
The curious case of the Prime Minister and sixes at Crossflatts
This is about new housing, planning permission, red tape, proximity to a cricket club, Sport England, flawed references to Freddie Flintoff, risk assessments and common sense. Add in an intervention by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer and things get interesting. While my article on Scarborough Cricket Club’s first-team was blowing […]
How does ECB strategy for 2025 to 2028 affect recreational cricket?
The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced its updated Inspiring Generations strategy for the next four years. By 2028, the governing body wants to “become the most inclusive team sport in England and Wales, while at the same time growing and uniting the game and leading it through global transformation”. While the launch […]
2025 at grassroots: From girls’ cricket to grounds
What are going to be the trends in grassroots cricket in 2025? Well, this is when I peer into the future and make some educated / outlandish predictions. [Delete as applicable 😁] Girls’ cricket at clubs In my analysis of the ECB’s new 2025-2028 strategy, what stood out in the drive to have 6,000 girls’ […]
White Rose Forum keeps Yorkshire CCC fans connected
The White Rose Forum is proof that amid the breakneck speed of technology and snowballing innovation online, a chance for a natter about cricket without emojis or character limits has its unquestionable place. (This article has been updated but was originally published in 2020) A Yorkshire cricket forum can be a thriving community, a hotbed […]
Rules vs common sense: Leafblowers and seeing the light
If there’s one thing that club cricket excels at, it’s rules, regulations and calculations, occasionally to its detriment. This is about light, leaf blowers and common sense. Seeing the light It’s not just the recreational game that can sometimes stray into a soap opera. Anyone who watched the third Test match at The Oval where […]
Kindness, outrage and talking to each other in cricket
If you’ve been affected by any of the topics in this article, you can get support from the organisations listed here. It’s been a deeply troubling few weeks across the country with the UK riots pulling back the curtain on ugly societal divisions. That was followed by the news that ex-England and Surrey batter Graham […]
Hamzah Hussain: The architect behind Cricket Arena
Hamzah Hussain blinks at me studiously from behind a pair of dark-rimmed glasses before beginning to share how the game of cricket inspired him. It is an interview I’ve been excited about for ages. Hamzah is the architect (literally as it turns out) behind Cricket Arena, a community interest company that organises cricket tournaments in […]
Cullingworth: Meet the club offering completely free cricket for 2024
Cricket clubs do all sorts of ingenious things to attract new members and keep the ones they have. Cullingworth have done something pretty radical: Free cricket. No membership fees. No match fees. Plus, you get a playing and training kit. Oh, and free home cricket teas too! It’s an extraordinary thing to do and I […]