The batsman, wearing a dowdy fisherman’s hat, had two shots – a permeable forward defence and a late cut. The presence of two effigies in the cordon didn’t hold him back from playing it. The batsmen would fist bump between overs, presumably to muse over the heat or what’s for tea. There were clusters of families and youths basking in the rays on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in July. They weren’t all familiar with the thespians; this open stretch of green lushness on the outskirts of town was humming with dog-strollers, tanners and outflows from the local watering holes. The bowling and field placement symphonised with the social, relaxed setting.

A batsman soon entered the crease with the look of a ‘proper’ player, warmly greeted with a unified clap without a tinge of sarcasm. He got off to a nonchalant flier before a slightly aerial cut was plucked one handed, low to the ground at point, by a man of about 50, fielding at point because it’s near to third man for the next set. The joyous disbelief implied the batsman was truly unlucky. This was Sunday friendly cricket in all its uncooked, untampered glory.

Nevertheless, is senior club cricket neglecting its fringe audience by not providing enough friendly cricket? Mist, Blackwell and Prodger all agree that the loss of friendlies and the rise of league cricket have driven families away, and that the casual form offers a better setting for youngsters entering senior cricket.

Russell Doel, a batsman of 32 years with Cambridge St Giles CC, who also works for the ECB as national training and county services manager, told Cambridge News in July: “Clubs need to offer a family-friendly atmosphere, facility-wise and culture-wise”. The ECB naturally want clubs to reside under their league umbrella, but does league cricket itself help foster the right ‘culture’?

“I’d love to see our 15-year-olds play senior friendlies rather than league matches, because I think it would be a more enjoyable environment, but it’s not there,” adds Prodger, chairman of Watford Town CC. “They’re guaranteed to get a game, it isn’t cut and thrust, and they’re encouraged to blossom.”

League cricket’s rise has also fed a behavioural crisis – the driving force behind the recent introduction of Law 42, which empowers umpires to dismiss players from the field of play and/or levy runs penalties. “I hope that behaviourally we can adjust back to a time when there was a little more honour or integrity in club cricket,” Prodger says. Mists adds: “I don’t necessarily agree league cricket is the right thing. Winning is about doing it nicely. League cricket is a different world and it’s not terribly nice. When I played friendly cricket we played hard but there was none of the nastiness you get these days in league cricket.”

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Club cricket’s overarching predicaments are all interlinked. Our desertion of friendlies is interlaced with the game’s behavioural problems, formatting issues, the decline of the family atmosphere and the teenage drop-off rate.

Matt Dwyer, the former director of growth and participation at the ECB, is big on variety. “What we are trying to do is offer choice,” he told WCM in April when asked about ‘The Hundred’. “We want people to be able to play the format that’s most appropriate for their lifestyle… ultimately, participation is everything.” But instead of fiddling with format and duration – how about altering the approach?

Perhaps those who are slaves to structure and competition in their working lives don’t always seek it out on a Saturday. Maybe too much emphasis on bonus points and league tables prevents us from truly enjoying the journey. This is not a disparagement of league cricket – I love it, despite its ills – rather a rallying cry for its ailing sibling. If choice is so critical, the game needs both league matches and friendlies to remain viable options, even if the revival of the latter could reduce the ECB’s dominion in the grassroots game. Friendly village cricket has largely perished in both body and spirit. It’s time for a resurgence.

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https://www.wisden.com/stories/your-game/club-cricket/club-debate-letters-good-club-cricket-captain

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