Scarborough Cricket Club have withdrawn their 1st XI from the Attis ECB Yorkshire Premier League North Cricket League with immediate effect.
It’s an extraordinary development given the history and resources of the club, not to mention Scarborough’s position as a Yorkshire County Cricket Club outground.
Scarborough’s 2nd and 3rd XI’s are unchanged in the Championship East and Beckett Division Four.
Scarborough Cricket Club CEO Laura Edmunds shared a statement with the League in which she said:
“As a club, we have embarked upon a new commitment and vision to strengthen our role within the local community, both in cricket and beyond, to create a sustainable organisation for the long-term benefit of the town.”
“Our unique location, history and exceptional grounds provide us with the opportunity to support and inspire more young people and future cricketers. We are committed to developing pathways for local young people into senior cricket and building a club that is sustainable both on and off the pitch.”
She concluded: “Over time, I hope to see us rebuild a sustainable base of local players that is competing at the highest possible level. However, in the meantime, I wish all those in the league every success for the upcoming season’’.
Now, here’s the thing.
Behind every statement, however buoyant, usually lies a subtext. If I were to read into things, it suggests that a) things weren’t sustainable and b) there’s been something of an internal reset.
Further clues lie in the Scarborough CC website where there is a page outlining expectations of new players. I nearly fell off my chair at this paragraph:
“Players who expect to be paid for matches, are unwilling to accept decisions from the selection panel, or are not engaged with the wider club community need to be aware that this does not align with SCC’s culture.”
It’s not a particularly welcoming tone to take but presumably one they felt was necessary if paid players previously have not accepted selection decisions or engaged with the wider community.
So, Scarborough will not pay any players and have no first team playing Premier League cricket for 2025.
It’s a shock for a club of their stature to have no first team involved at the top level of club cricket in Yorkshire.
The move leaves the top tier of the Attis ECB Yorkshire Premier League North Cricket League lopsided with 11 teams and will have ramifications for fixtures but also the transfer market.
It seems likely the ECB Premier Division teams will have two free weeks, as was the case when Yorkshire Academy dropped out a few years back.
Thanks to those giving me background and their views on this story. You’re welcome to leave a comment below – I read them all.
It would be fair to say that some observers have known about rumblings at North Marine Road for some time and yet there is still surprise that it has come to this.
The news raises a few questions around clubs paying players, as well as the relative strength of Scarborough’s second team for 2025 now that suddenly there are no firsts.
The focus at Scarborough is now even more on junior development and the intray of the new Head of Cricket, currently being advertised, will be packed.
***
Scarborough Cricket Club were approached for comment and if there is a response, beyond the statement supplied to the league, then we’ll be happy to update this article here.
📸 Photos are by kind permission of Simon Dobson and you can view his images here on Flickr.
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I too, like yourself, was shocked when I found out.
My question is, what will be the ‘first’ team’s status when they return to the league presumably next year?
Hi Mark – not a clue. It would be a poor message to send to other Premier Division clubs if SCC slotted back in at the top and presumably, if Scarborough’s reset is based around their junior depth then they’ll need to go back up the divisions. A great shame and I wish everyone at the club and their supporters well in terms of the inevitable fallout from this.
Imagine….. a local cricket club not paying amateur players….. Perfect! Fair play! Should be an honour to tread the hallowed turf at NMR. Not something linked to a pay check – especially when one should have a job anyway! Full credit. Fair play. All money in local sport should be banned. Make the grade or be an amateur!
Bravo SCC. A brave and wonderful move. All the best on the rebuild!
Agreed , but not sure it’s possible to fight it ! I do hope so !
Premier League standard across the country is of a standard that it demands and supports pros. Lancs league requires a pro for every team to raise the standards. Does this reflect badly on the league or club standard?
No longer the case, LL clubs can choose to have an overseas amateur instead of a professional.
very much the same throughout cricket south to north, premier and division 1 has become semi professional with many teams paying players crushing the volunteers and fundraising that goes off glad to see a prominent club making a stance. perhaps cricket needs a jolt back to ppl playing for enjoyment without financial reward this may encourage ppl to play for the local club
No issues with decision however it should have been taken in October not the latter part of March
not so much off a surprise to the local cricket scene in scarbourough they should have pulled out in oct 24 they knew the players had gone and no more funding was forth coming for players lets hope the second team know first team lads who have being honest club players can enjoy the season and the youngsters in the 3rd team know second team can get to play every week @ nmr iits a challenge to the players who have given a lot off years to the club to maintain their league status and re build
from the good parents and kids and volenteers who can make cricket work take a look@ the good clubs sides who don’t pay players or officials to have paid positions within the club stop living in the past and go forward with the club volenteers and honest players guns for hire don’t work but good local clubs are sussesfull from running juniors so the kids growing into adults have an infinity for the club any club can find them selfs in this situation if they don’t listen to the ground swell off its members Good look to the 2 teams that will be playing @ one off the best grounds in the area
take a look@ Clifton alliance a village side premier league north champs last year built on solid foundations sheriff Hutton bridge not even a village were champions off Yorkshire you also have to look@ Castleford and Driffield both these club were relegated in the mid 20215 16 and have since won the Yorkshire league from hard work off volenteers who have lead their clubs back to playing @ a great standard for social cricket the answers are in the town not out side the area
Yeah I think its fair to downsize the league cricket side of the operation, I get why they don’t want to shell out big time for players, like York cc for instance, but the fact that they have yorkshire games there and host events they kinda need to be a bigger operation and have paid staff. But a balance need to be found on the field, and I think completely withdrawing the first team is a drastic step, especially so close to the start of the season.
Top observations John 👏👏👏
The decision to dramatically increase the admission prices for county championship games was a shock, but now this.
Jim Love had left. No first team cricket and a potential fine for dropping out of the league at the 11th hour.
As a member of the club I’m thinking there should be an EGM. There’s clearly something amiss at the heart of our much loved club.
Cricket would still be played without professionals and even without Test matches. Without the volunteers wo give their time freely at grassroots level, the game would die. Well done, Scarborough for getting priorities right.
It’s really sad that Scarborough CC had to take this move. This leaves the other Premier League teams with a vacant home weekend date this summer. Wouldn’t it be great if they could use their ground for a junior festival? Boys and girls get to play at great grounds and start their enjoyment of cricket.
Good to hear from you Peter, I’m sure someone will use it on those weekends but I like the idea of a junior festival.
Not knowing how things work and being at a little club in Central Victoria, Australia, is there a suggestion that culturally in terms of how some players contribute on and off field, all is not well and the club are taking a stand?
Great read, keep it up.
Hi Chris, thanks for the message – who’s your club?
That would be my reading of the situation too and as I mention in the article, something of a reset to focus on local talent coming up through the Scarborough ranks.
The club face a unique set of challenges. Maintaining an 8000 seat stadium in condition for county cricket throughout Covid and onwards where weather has not helped gate reciepts, a permanent staff wage bill, competing in a league where clubs like York regularly field county players and a history of mismanagement.
They also have an issue with a board of directors who have little interest in club cricket or the the clubs membership, aging club officials who do not understand the current nature of the game or players, and ground/bar staff who provide the least welcoming atmosphere in Yorkshire.
This has created a perfect storm for a club who allowed their director of cricket to leave rather than support his advice. Doubling the price of county championship tickets is likely to further reduce income for the club in the 2025 season. The club now has a CEO with next to no knowledge of cricket and no players with the ability or desire to return the club to the Premier League.
I can’t comment on the background to SCC decision nor the politics surrounding it.
So, just a general point about paid players from my experience of league cricket on the other side of the Pennines. The creation of ‘open leagues’ where any player can be paid has been madness. It has led to truly bang average players demanding payment, (and sadly receiving it). They move around every year from club to club putting nothing back. Scarce funds disappear in this way, and the chance to organically grow clubs from junior level upwards through proper investment is lost.
Sadly I cannot see this changing – far too many clubs are possessed by the pursuit of silverware at a huge cost to the future development and growth of the game.
Thanks Martin – it’s a theme I see talked about a lot and I’ve got to be honest and say it surprises me how far down the leagues that players get paid.
Ultimately, it’s a club’s choice (or a backer) and has created this freelance market where players move because clubs offer a bit ore here and there.
But not surprising that players aspire to be paid. playing Yorkshire league cricket requires high quality equipment, expensive travel and we are talking about playing in a league that sees you pitted against Yorkshire cc players and other professionals. Being paid to play is not a new occurrence by any means. This post is about why Scarborough have failed to be able to field a team and that comes down to pure mismanagement and a subsequent lack of finances. The reason being paid to play does not align with Scarborough’s culture is that there is simply no money to pay for anyone to play…
Slightly amusing that the highest paid employee of the club disagrees with a culture of being paid for performance!
There is a solution to that – refuse to pay, especially the “bang everage players”. If the only reason that your club 1st XI stays up in the local Premier league (or any division of any league) is because you are paying players to play, then they aren’t really “your club”‘s 1st XI. They are a selection of mercenaries playing under your club’s banner.
Keep payments to the pro game and actual coaches, and focus sponsors’ money on providing infrastructure and improvements for everyone, and/or on enabling access to the game for those that can’t afford it.
Well, quite a to-do. As you say, shocking developments at a club so embedded in Yorkshire’s cricket scene. There must be a lot more to this than is revealed on the website, which is so badly written and tone-deaf; a blatant attempt to dress up a financial crisis as some kind of moralistic crusade.
That said, there is an underlying concern in local cricket about the increasing prevalence of paid players. My own club (which I won’t name on here, but plays at the premier league level) has quite a schism between those who favour a win-at-all-costs approach and those who think a local cricket club should be grounded in its community, providing facilities to identify and develop local talent.
Really sad to see this happen. I remember playing representative cricket at SCC when I was a teenager. It was an unbelievable experience. One of the best wickets I have ever played on and a great setting. When I played in the York Senior League – as it was then – in the 1980/90s, no one expected to get paid and there were some really excellent players in the top division. Players rarely changed club, which ensured continuity and led to some (mostly) healthy rivalry between teams. When I see the number of transfers between clubs each season, I get the feeling that loyalty to a club is no longer very important. Wishing all cricket lovers a great season of cricket this year.
Superb news, let’s hope this starts an awakening in club cricket and leagues. The amount of money changing hands at club level is a disgrace. I hope this starts to happen in the Manchester area too
Scarborough going through their own evolution as other clubs have before them and will after.
Enjoy your cricket Sharpy.
Each club in the Premier Division should be allowed to pay one player, pro or not, and that should be it. Certainly no one should be paid below that level. Countless examples now of very average players making their way from club to club each season with players developed through a club’s system missing out. Needs to stop as clubs are dying because of it.
Good to get your view Graeme. It’s impossible to check that even if it became a rule. As long as someone is willing to pay then it will happen at various levels of cricket.
But isn’t a point being missed here? A league system is a pyramid where the best teams get promoted and the poor ones relegated. Withdrawing a 1st XI but maintaining a 2nd XI doesn’t do it for me – Scarborough’s team in Championship East is not their 2nd XI its now their 1st XI. All clubs have periods when a team comes together and is successful, but then ages or breaks up. You relish the good times and battle through the bad until the next upturn comes along.