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 Chris Woakes was asked, mid-over, to switch to spin because of bad light can rightly wonder if we’ve lost the plot.
Woakes, bowling line and length at a terrorising 80mph, was little trouble for the Sri Lankans and yet, to the amazement of all, he had to slow down (steady there, Chris). Next over? Gus Atkinson bowling 86mph at the other end.
Light, the measurement of it, and the impact on players and spectators has cropped up more than once this summer, to the puzzlement of many.
Safety is always at the forefront of any decision as it should be. But if we’re not careful, those who have forked out handsome sums are ignored because of reliable yet unhelpful metrics.
What’s the Bazball equivalent in cricket umpiring? Maybe not tearing up the rulebook but sometimes not getting it out in the first place.
In club cricket, I reported on the abandonment of a game due to the low position of the sun (which presumably doesn’t just sit there and refuse to budge).
I understand measuring the light as a yardstick by which to judge but everyone is there for a reason, having given up the day. Clubs have spent a load before a ball has been bowled, so within reason, let’s #GettheGameOn as the ECB once asked.
Speaking of hashtags.
#leafblowergate
Leaf blowers have been banned by the Aire-Wharfe Cricket League I discovered. If a pitch is wet, you now have to dry it with paper towels or blow really hard on the cut strip.
An alternative for any water that has snuck through the covers, as can happen, is to line up a row of thirsty dogs and have a canine drinking competition.
The thinking being, I guess, is that you could use a leaf blower (on turbo setting presumably) to transform a pitch at the interval from a seaming nightmare into a dusty road fit for batters to gorge on.
Like the incident at The Oval, it’s that removal of any interpretation on the day to make a sensible decision that everyone can agree on.
I know what you’re going to say… ah, but rules make it fair for all. But cricket isn’t as neat and uniform as that, is it? Unique circumstances crop up all of the time in weird and wonderful ways that sometimes regulations set in the 1800s (and not revisited since) don’t help but hinder.
In this case, it’s a new rule that might be adapted or withdrawn but it does seem a bit odd.
Rain and sawdust
With #leafblowergate (I’m leaving Twitter at the end of September so you can have that for free), the rule ignores some fairly obvious counter-arguments. It can rain at any time to change conditions, and not all new cricket ball behave the same way.
Then there’s sawdust added at any point during an innings that blows onto the pitch where the batter is taking guard. There was no controversy in Mark’s photo above (which is actually Darley vs Birstwith in the Nidderdale league before I get emails) – but I needed a ground pic.
But most of all, why use a leafblower? It’s to help dry a surface that needs it or remove debris like bits of mud. It can’t be less damaging than a rough scrub with a stiff brush surely?
Players switching between teams
Make a rule and someone somewhere will test it or cross it. Devious clubs have been known to stack lower teams with stronger players to influence games. Typically, there’ll be a league rule that a player can only play x number of games in one team or another.
I’m not saying it’s a daft regulation because otherwise you’d have all kinds of shenanigans but clubs can struggle to put out teams. They don’t tend do it to be dastardly (until the tail-end of the season when titles, promotion and relegation are at stake 😇).
First off, someone has to track all this. How many players have played for which teams all season across all divisions of every league in Yorkshire.
Good luck with that.
So, what you get are occasional punishments where it has come to light.
I’m not sure how I feel about a club losing points or being punished with a fine because a cricketer who plays for the 4th XI has had a few too many games for the 3rd XI.
I know, I know. Everyone has to abide by the same rules. Except that, and I don’t have a satisfying answer here, not all clubs are equal, are they? In finances, personnel, facilities, volunteers, you name it.
Just getting a team together can be tough through no particular fault of anyone.
Somehow we’ve supercharged the admin in league cricket and at times, things have become irrationally harsh and without compromise because of paragraph 14, sub-clause b, line 92.
Thanks for reading – Now, what do you think?
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Mark Shaw says
Hi John,
It seems that you have been misinformed that the AWSCL have banned leaf blowers. That is not the case and they can be used prior to and subsequent to matches.
They are not however permitted to be used for clearing debris from the pitch under Law 9.2 of the Laws of Cricket, a much higher authority than any League.
https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket/preparation-and-maintenance-of-the-playing-area
Yours in Cricket
John Fuller says
Hi Mark, thanks for the insight and I can add this into the article. I’ve seen them used in AW matches this season before, during and after but also been told by umpires that it’s not allowed at certain times – but I appreciate the clarity that it’s only during the interval that they’re not allowed. The MCC link was useful, if surprising. I guess the issue is that the MCC governs everything from Test to village square and I wonder if there’s wriggle room at league level for relaxing those rules.
Phil Marks says
Hi John
Always interesting to read your articles. Hopefully you will be able to make a visit to Undercliffe CC next season as we celebrate 150yrs of cricket. Just let me know when you would like to visit one of the founder members of the Bradford Cricket League.
Kind regards
Phil Marks UCC member
John Fuller says
Thanks Phil, I had hoped to catch the evening league finals day or a Bradford League game but it wasn’t to be. I will bear it in mind for 2025.
All the best for 150th celebrations.
Phil Davies says
Phil
I was at UCC a few weeks back and noted the use of leaf blowers at the interval to clear the debris. Personally I thought it was genius, a real game changer.
It obviously didn’t give UCC any advantage given that Pudsey Congs then batted and went onto win.
Time to get the leaf blower on the Laws of Cricket
John Fuller says
Thanks Phil, yes, I guess leagues will interpret things differently and there’s no right answer (I’m just opinionated on certain things!).
I understand the reasoning but seems a bit odd to my mind.
Chris Hemsley says
can a league not make it’s own specific laws to alter some part of the MCC law book?
asking for a friend
Anonymous says
Indeed they can Chris and often do
Anonymous says
Thanks John entertaining read 😄
Steve Mitchell says
I cannot see how a leaf blower can alter the condition of the track, I used ours to clear debry from around the crease.
It was never used on the main playing surface, a stiff brush causes more damage. It also prevents this old man from further damaging his very dodgy back.
John Fuller says
Thanks or your thoughts Steve and hope your back stays strong!
John Leighton says
Hi John,
I agree what your saying about playing members not being able to play in certain teams because they have played too many games for a more senior team.. This year a player was named twice on play cricket for our first team for games which the league abandoned at the start of the season because of unusually wet conditions.
Those two games were counted against the player when he was dropped (due to lack of form) to the second team without league permission . Result was a deduction in points for our second team – just crazy.
John Fuller says
Hi John, I do appreciate the difficulties as a league to tease out all the issues like this but my own view is that the example you’ve quoted is very harsh.
Mike ulyatt says
Hi John, hope you have had an enjoyable season.
Re matches being stopped through bright sunshine.Kirkella CC ground in East Yorkshire is a small ground and I played for them in their first season there early 1960s and pitch was west to east which means in September and a low sun makes batting at the east end difficult especially when slow bowlers toss it up !
John Fuller says
Hi Mike, good to hear from you and your tales of Kirkella. I like a ground with some character. I was at a local club on Saturday, sunny, idyllic but the midges were out in force!