Club debate letters: Are there too many cricket clubs? – Readers’ views
In issue 12 of Wisden Cricket Monthly, the Club Debate asked whether the demands of cricket clubs now outweigh the supply chain. Our readers have had their say below.
READ THE DEBATE: Club debate: Are there too many cricket clubs?
“In south-east London and north-west Kent there are probably too many clubs. There are plenty of youngsters playing age-group cricket but not stepping up into regular adult cricket, with fewer cricket-orientated families. Many teens aspire to be in the county age-group rather than their club’s first XI. Also, you can have a very successful junior section but you need teams and adult players to help the juniors with their transition into senior cricket.”
Barry Hainsworth – via Twitter
“There are definitely too many cricket clubs in my local area. In a five-mile radius there are five rugby clubs and 10 cricket clubs.”
Bryan Greenway – via Twitter
“That is looking at the problem backwards. It’s not that there are too many clubs – the problem is that there are too few young players. Mergers are bad news: if two 30-player clubs become one 50-player club, then we now have one fewer clubs and 10 fewer club cricketers than before.”
Adam Brown – via Twitter
“I wouldn’t say there are too many clubs, but too many teams within those clubs. Some third teams call off five or six games a year. They should have two teams and let the surplus play elsewhere.”
Chris Wookey – via Facebook
Mark Sugden – via Twitter
“Schools are the key – you have a captive market and it’s a pathway into the club game. The problem is limited government resources being put into school sport and playing fields being sold.”
Chris Morgan – via Twitter
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