Salisbury’s sports starved cricket followers can enjoy the long overdue sound of the thwack of willow on ball for the first time this summer at South Wilts’ ground at Bemerton this weekend.  
The lifting of the ban on recreational cricket means that South Wilts can play a 40-over intra-club fixture on Saturday (1pm) in preparation for a full-scale t20 double header against Wiltshire’s Minor Counties team on Sunday, starting at 11 o’clock.
Spectators are welcome and ample car parking is available at Wilton Road, where social distancing regulations will apply at all times.
* Diary date: Dorset play Wiltshire in a t20 double banker at Bashley (Rydal) on Sunday week (July 26).

Hampshire’s cricket staved supporters will be able to watch the county’s Academy side in action next Saturday – but they’ll have to hop into their cars and make the trip to Alton to see them.
With the Ageas Bowl hosting international matches throughout the summer, the Academy will play all their upcoming 40-over matches in the Southern Premier League Cup away from their normal Nursery Ground headquarters.
They will play eight East group matches in the Premier/Division 1 League Cup, with matches (starting at 12.30pm) at 
Alton, Jubilee Ground, July 18
Portsmouth (St Helen’s, Southsea), July 25
Rowledge, August 1
Sarisbury Athletic, August 8
St Cross Symondians II (Green Jackets), August 15
Basingstoke & North Hants, August 22
Burridge, August 29
Havant, September 5
If the Academy top the East Division table they will face the West Division winners in the League Cup final on Saturday September 19.

The Southern Premier League has announced the format of its 37-team end-season 40-over League Cup competition, which will begin in earnest next Saturday, July 18.
The League Cup got the go ahead when the government gave the all-clear for recreational grass roots cricket to resume following its earlier suspension due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
It has been introduced to provide the county’s leading club sides with competitive cricket during the second half of the season.  It will run for a period of nine weeks until September 12, with four divisions laid out on an east/west geographical basis.
Teams from the Premier Division and SPL1 have been split into east and west divisions, and similarly those from Divisions 2 and 3.
All the SPL clubs have entered bar Hook & Newnham Basics (two teams) and Ventnor.  It means three of the four divisions will play with nine teams.
Hook & Newnham Basics’ Director of Cricket Vince Gardner explained: “Our thinking (not to participate) following a detailed player survey: after all it’s all about the players and their feelings must come first.
“In short, Hook decided to arrange an inter-club competition (The Keith Lovelock/Kevin Poulter Trophy) as we felt it gave us best use of facilities, maximised player time, minimised travel, negate C-19 risk by allowing us to control our own facility and distancing and, most important in such a tricky time, allowed us to have fun amongst friends and put a few pounds over our own bar !
 “In the survey we offered the SPL fixture option (which in fairness we knew very little about, so just assumed we would play other local SPL clubs) no matches at all or the Inter-Club option.
“85 per cent of the players voted for Inter-Club.”
 “We are mindful we may be seen to be outliers, but I wonder how many clubs did the player survey?”
Ventnor will play matches on the Isle of Wight, logistical and financial considerations dictating the probable reason for their non-participation.
The divisional make-up throws up some tasty derbies, with Havant and Portsmouth set to lock horns and Sarisbury Athletic testing themselves against the likes of the Hampshire Academy, who play alongside them in Premier/Division 1 East.
New Forest trio Bashley (Rydal), Lymington & New Milton are paired up in Premier/Division 1 West, while arch Winchester rivals Sparsholt and St Cross Symondians are in the same group.
League Cup format –
Premier/Division 1 East (nine teams)
Alton, Basingstoke & North Hants, Burridge, Hampshire Academy, Havant, Portsmouth, Rowledge, Sarisbury Athletic, St Cross Symondians II.
Premier/Division 1 West (ten teams)
Andover, Bashley (Rydal), Bournemouth, Calmore Sports, Lymington, New Milton, South Wilts, Sparsholt, St Cross Symondians, Totton & Eling.
Division 2/3 East (nine teams)
Basingstoke & North Hants II, Gosport Borough, Hambledon, Hartley Wintney, Liphook & Ripsley, Portsmouth & Southsea, Purbrook, Tichborne Park, Waterlooville.
Division 2/3 West (nine teams)
Bashley (Rydal) II, Fair Oak, Fawley, Hythe & Dibden, Langley Manor, Old Tauntonians & Romsey, Paultons, Trojans, South Wilts II.

A 40-over competition being launched in Dorset in August has attracted entries from 67 teams, split into 13 regional divisions to restrict travelling.
All but the bottom division will contain six sides, with Broadstone, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Parley, Poole Town and Wimborne & Colehill (The Leaze pictured above) locking horns in a competitive looking east Division 1.
Bere Regis, Cattistock, Dorchester, Martinstown, Portland Red Triangle and Sherborne are in the western section.
Ferndown Wayfarers, Hamworthy and Winton will tee-off in Division 2.
The Sussex Premier League have received a whopping 180 or more entries to their August Cup.

The Southern Premier League will shortly be issuing the divisional formats and fixtures for its end-season League Cup, which will commence on Saturday week, July 18 and finish on September 12.
It is expect their will be east and west divisions for each of the combined Premier/SPL1 and SPL2 and SPL3, with matches of 40-over duration starting at 12.30pm.
Under freshly announced ECB adapted play regulations, there will be ‘hygiene breaks’ every 20 minutes/six overs for ball cleaning, with groundsmen being required to paint ‘running lines’ for batsmen 2m each side of the playing area. If it rains, players are being encouraged to return to their cars.
Players have to arrive at the ground ready changed. Home clubs are required to provide hand sanitisation gel, but umpires are not required to wear PPE, including face masks.

The Hampshire Cricket Board has received a positive response from clubs wishing to play competitively during the final quarter of the season, with 90 teams from 55 separate clubs expressing an interest to participate in min-leagues.
Thirty teams are from the ‘County’ divisions and sixty from the regionals, with matches due to commence on July 25.  The HCB is now formatting the make-up of the various 'leagues'.

The England & Wales Cricket Board has announced its Guidelines relating to the return of recreational cricket this weekend.  
Cricket is the first team sport that has been granted approval by the government to return to an adapted match play programme and this is fantastic news.
This announcement brings with it a huge level of responsibility for us all. Collectively as a game we must do all we can to keep everyone involved safe at all times. It is immensely important that clubs read all of the guidelines thoroughly, as it is on the basis of these being followed that the government has approved the return of the game. 
The guidelines cover a number of areas of the game, including: 
• Pre-match adaptations regarding transport and symptom checking.
• In-game adaptations applying to social distancing measures, hygiene, match officials and the use of equipment.
• Post-game adaptations, including the potential use of club facilities.
• Advice for coaches specific to individual sessions and junior cricket.​
Guidelines include -

• hygiene breaks every 20 minutes/six overs for ball cleaning;
• running lanes for batsmen 2m each side of the playing area; 
• if rain stops play, players are encouraged to return to their vehicle; and
• don't forget to bring your own tea and a bucket of water to wash in afterwards !

​

The England & Wales Cricket Board has announced that their new guidelines will allow for competitive 11-a-side cricket, with no mandated format in terms of overs, although there will be additional adaptations to account for hygiene and social distancing.
The ECB has now communicated their cricket-specific guidance to players, see separate article.
It means Bashley (Rydal), Calmore Sports, Fair Oak, Hook & Newnham Basics, New Milton, Portsmouth, Ryde, Sarisbury Athletic, South Wilts, Sparsholt and St Cross Symondians can all play meaningful intra-club games on their respective home grounds on Saturday (July 11), subject to ECB Covid-19 stipulations.
Broadstone are due to entertain Bournemouth and Longparish entertain Compton & Chandler's Ford.  On the Isle of Wight, Shanklin play  Newport at Westhill on Saturday, with the club's second team visiting St Helen's.  Shanklin host Island Bakeries on Sunday (that's the teas sorted then ...).
At all grounds, spectators will watch at their own liability and be expected to maintain social distancing in line with government guidelines. 

On Sunday (11am), South Wilts will host a T20 double banker against Wiltshire at Bemerton, starting at 11 o'clock. The Salisbury & South Wilts Sports Club bar will be open subject to guidelines being met. Team details will be announced in the  next day or so.  

Can any other clubs planning to play a friendly match (or two) this coming weekend email vimpscricket@gmail.com so it can be listed on this website ?  

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) has cleared recreational cricket for a resumption on July 11, after backtracking from his latest comments doubting the safety of the sport in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Addressing the nation in the government's daily briefing, Mr Johnson claimed that "the third umpire has been invoked" in the wake of his morning comments on LBC, in which he had played down his criticism of the cricket ball as a "natural vector of disease", but instead claimed that "teas" and "changing rooms" were among the reasons why the game could not yet be considered safe to resume.
"Having been stumped on the radio this morning … I sought scientific advice," the prime minister said. "We do want to work as fast as possible to get cricket back, and we will be publishing guidelines in the next few days, so that cricket can resume in time for next weekend".
The U-turn will come as vindication for the ECB, which instigated a further meeting between Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, and Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, in the wake of Mr Johnson's comments. The ECB subsequently confirmed the progression from Step 3 to Step 4 of the roadmap to return for the recreational game, meaning competitive cricket matches in England with adjustments to respect hygiene and social distancing would be permitted.
                                                                                    Guidelines
"We are delighted that the UK Government have given their permission for recreational cricket to return from next weekend," the ECB said on Twitter. "We will shortly be publishing our approved guidelines to help clubs and players prepare for cricket's return.
"The ECB believes that cricket is a non-contact sport, with very low risks of exposure, and that it can be played as safely as many other activities being currently permitted.
"The detailed submission we have shared with the Department For Digital, Culture, Media and Sport includes advice on how we can stage cricket safely and mitigate all potential risks.
"We believe this advice - allied with strict hygiene measures - means recreational cricket should be viewed as safe by the UK Government, which would be welcome news to our nation's recreational cricketers."
                                                                                      Sensible
Chris Whitty, the government's chief medical officer, went into further detail on the status of recreational cricket during the government briefing, saying that the principle concern was that it brought together more households than the maximum of six people who are currently permitted to socialise, even outdoors.
"It is perfectly possible to have cricket where people do keep their distance," he added, "provided people don't do things that are clearly not sensible, ranging from hugging the bowler if they've just bowled someone for a duck, to spitting on the ball.
"It should be possible to make the game itself really very safe as it is an outdoor sport at a distance. It's not a contact sport in the sense that some of the high-risk outdoor sports are.
"There are, however, risks associated … the particular ones would be people going into a crowded space afterwards, for example in the pavilion, to have tea or a beer.
"The biggest risks are when lots of people from completely different households are brought together in close proximity indoors, and whether that's in a pub or a cricket pavilion, that is a high-risk activity."
Under current regulations, socially-distanced training sessions are the only permissible form of cricket. The ECB recently announced the cancellation of a spate of national and age-group competitions in a bid to give clubs more leeway in what remains of the summer schedule. However, having been given the impression in their discussions with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that the recreational game could resume from July 4 - the same day that the government announced the reopening of bars and restaurants - the governing body has now confirmed a restart date of July 11.
                                                                                   Financial impact
Johnson's morning comments had been met with bemusement across the recreational game - not least because the ECB wrote to clubs only this week stating that, in accordance with Step 4 of their guidance for cricket's resumption, "no use of changing rooms" would be permitted, with players asked to arrive "ready to play".
A tweet from Cricket Germany, where the recreational game has already resumed, added: "If this is the case then do what we and other European countries do; 1. no changing rooms, 2. no teas (everybody brings their own tea) #notrocketscience."
In a bid to offset the massive financial impact of the pandemic to date, which has hit club subscriptions as well as existing overheads in pavilion and ground maintenance, the ECB made £20million available in grants and loans in April, with further assistance from Sport England and other local authority schemes.
"We know how difficult it has been for everyone to go without cricket this summer, and we thank you for your patience," said Harrison. "As the nation's summer sport we believe we have a role to play in getting people active across the country, especially young people, and it is heartening to know that club cricket - albeit with social distancing in place and some other adaptations - will soon be back across England."
Now the government green light has been given, the locally based Southern Premier League will be able to proceed with its 40-over League Cup competition, which by all accounts has received a favourable entry. Further details will be issued next week.

Recreational cricket has not yet been given the go-ahead for a return because of issues other than the ball, prime minister Boris Johnson has said.
The ECB has been involved in close dialogue with government over recent weeks, with attempts made to lay the foundations for the sport's return among its amateur ranks amid increasing frustration.
The game’s national governing body was taken by surprise when Johnson responded to a question in the House of Commons on June 23 by describing the cricket ball as “a vector of disease”, on the same day that he announced the reopening of bars, restaurants, outdoor gyms and cinemas on July 4.
On Friday, speaking to LBC Radio’s Nick Ferrari, he expanded on his initial comments. When asked why tennis could now be played but cricket could not, given that both use balls, Johnson said: “It’s a valid point. There are reasons. These debates have gone round and round.
“There are various other considerations. The longer answer, which I think probably Chris Whitty would give if he were here about cricket, the risk is not so much the ball, although that may be a factor.
“It’s the teas, it’s the changing rooms and so on and so forth. There are other factors involved that generate proximity which you might not get in a game of tennis.”
                                                                              Scientific evidence
In the ECB's guidance sent to clubs, it specifically states that Step 4 on its roadmap for a return to normality would include “no use of changing rooms - arrive ready to play”.
The Cricketer understands that the ECB are yet to receive scientific evidence from No.10 to support the delay to the game returning.
In May, as part of The Cricketer's wide-ranging investigation into the effect of the coronavirus on the sport, Sir Jeremy Farrar - one of the world's foremost infectious disease experts, a member of the government's special advisory group SAGE and a keen amateur cricketer - suggested August was a viable return date for the recreational game.
Internal discussions between the ECB and its stakeholders have included proposals based around six and eight-a-side matches in July, in the event that restrictions do not cater for full 11-a-side cricket.
Simon Prodger, the managing director of the National Cricket Conference, told The Telegraph last week that clubs would be ready to resume as early as July 5 if circumstances allow.
He said: “It's a reasonable expectation to believe that we might be in a position to play some form of cricket in the next three weeks.
                                                                                    Social bubbles
“There's nothing that the ECB can do about getting competitive cricket back on if the Government is not prepared to increase the size of the social bubbles that we can operate in and enable cricket to be played within the environment of the Covid pandemic.”
They may be a natural vector for release but it's unfair to bash the ECB over recreational cricket's delayed return
Many clubs are suffering substantial losses from a summer without the recreational game, with membership subscriptions, bar and venue hire revenue, and junior coaching fees making up the majority of the financial hole.
The ECB made available £20million in grants and loans in April, while Sport England, Sport Wales and local authority schemes have helped keep some clubs afloat. Nearly 250 clubs have so far claimed £700,000 from the ECB schemes, and more than 2,600 have benefited from funding in some form across all avenues.
There is a real danger that a cricket-less summer could result in many being unable to survive. Others, meanwhile, are more concerned with the repayment of debt in 2021, or how they will spread maintenance and renovation costs across two years.
                                                                                     'Utter garbage'
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Johnson's explanation was "utter garbage".
"You don't NEED dressing rooms. You don't need TEA @BorisJohnson," he said on Twitter.
"Give the recreational game the green light and stop ruining the future of many small clubs and players."
In a statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said the risks of exposure to coronavirus were "very low" while playing cricket.
"The ECB believes that cricket is a non-contact sport, with very low risks of exposure, and that it can be played as safely as many other activities being currently permitted," the governing body said.
"The detailed submission we have shared with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport includes advice on how we can stage cricket safely and mitigate all potential risks.
"We believe this advice - allied with strict hygiene measures - means recreational cricket should be viewed as safe by the UK government, which would be welcome news to our nation's recreational cricketers."

Article published by kind permission of The Cricketer : www.thecricketer.com

​Hampshire Cricket Board (HCB) has been approached by a number of clubs for help with arranging local club run open age fixtures IF/WHEN a return to cricket (under the ECB roadmap Step 4) is permitted.  
While HCB does not have the capacity to manage local competitions across the county, they can support club-run fixture groups in accordance with Government and England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) COVID19 guidance in place at the time.  There is no requirement for clubs to participate (clubs are welcome to use existing Hampshire League fixtures as friendlies) and this is in addition to the league cup for Southern Premier League clubs.   However, this approach maximises any opportunity for competitive cricket in 2020.
About these games
1. Format is to be agreed between clubs but would recommend a maximum 40 overs per side; short formats are encouraged to allow maximum participation/ground use for all cricket (open, junior, women, girls, friendlies, disability)
2. Win/lose based on ECB rules: see Generic 20 Overs Playing Conditions/Generic 40 Overs Playing Conditions
3. Matches can be played on any mutually agreeable day of the week and venue, and rained off games can be re-arranged by mutual agreement
4. Matches start from Saturday 25th July*, last date to play is Monday 31 August (*subject to date on which government permits re-start of recreational cricket)
5. Win/win by forfeit = 4 points; Tie/no result = 2 points; Loss = 1 point; Forfeit = 0 points 
6. If teams finish level on points, Net Run Rate (NRR) will determine final group placings (please click here for an NRR calculator)
 Hampshire Cricket Board is responsible for:
1. Taking club entries via google form by 9am Tuesday 7th July
2. Arranging teams into groups involving maximum 30 minutes travel wherever possible
3. Circulating contact information for teams in each group
4. Publishing draft fixtures by 9am Tuesday 14th July and generating tables on Play-Cricket
Clubs are responsible for:
Pre-match:
1. Confirming draft fixture dates/venues/start times with each other, arranging any changes and updating Play-Cricket with any changes
2. Agreeing match format and any changes to ECB Generic Rules
During the match:
1. Participating in the spirit of ECB’s Get The Game On and the MCC Spirit of Cricket
2. Resolving any rules disputes/disciplinary matters (hopefully none will arise as we will all be so pleased just to be playing)
Post-match:
1. Entering full scorecards and results on Play-Cricket within 24 hours of the end of the match
For further information or in the event of any query please contact HCB.Admin@ageasbowl.com. 

There were hopes a fortnight ago that cricket could return by the start of July.
But they were dashed two weeks ago when Boris Johnson described the ball as a ‘natural vector of disease, instantly raising more questions than answers.
Talks between the ECB and central government continue about a return for recreational and club cricket, but there is no set date yet, writes Simon Carter of The News, Portsmouth.
[It is believed an announcement could be forthcoming on Friday]
‘I don’t know why we couldn’t have played a few weeks ago,’ said Purbrook skipper Josh McCoy.    ‘I can’t see how tennis and basketball can start, but not cricket - they’re pretty similar to cricket.
‘It’s been very frustrating for all of us, we’re raring to go. We could have been playing two or three weeks ago.’
A resolution is expected soon, but England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes (who is captain his country against the West Indies in next Wednesday’s opening Test at the Ageas Bowl) has made his thoughts on the subject clear.
‘Club cricket should start,’ he said.  ‘For club cricket to be put back but pubs back open on Saturday is a bit strange to comprehend.
                                                                                     Desperate
‘I have friends who play in the leagues in the north east and Cumbria who are just dying to get back out on the field. Everybody needs something and for people who love cricket they are just desperate to get back on the field and start playing and the quicker that happens the better. ‘I just don't really see why it can't happen especially when you see the other things that are allowed to happen.’
McCoy thought Johnson’s comments about the ball were ‘a bit over the top. If you stick to the rules - wash your hands regularly, no saliva on the ball - it would all be fine.’
Purbook are happy to take part in a League Cup tournament suggested by the Southern Premier League, rather than just play a series of friendlies.  
‘The League Cup is a good idea, that will add a bit of competitiveness, and there could be a T20 tournament as well,’ said McCoy. ‘Even five or six games would be nice.
‘It would bring some revenue into the club - get the bar open and get some people down having a few beers on a Saturday evening.  A lot of our revenue comes from bar takings.’
He added: ‘The pitch is looking good, though we’ve had a bit of vandalism - we’ve had to go down and remove glass bottles and cans from the pitch.’
McCoy is in his third year as Purbrook captain.
He believes his squad have the quality to win promotion to Division 2 of the Southern Premier League.
‘In my first year we were unlucky not to go up,’ he recalled. ‘We’d have won promotion if we’d won our last game against South Wilts.
‘Last year we threw it away a bit, but the aim is to be playing in Division 2. I definitely think we’re good enough.  We’ve got a good squad, a nice young group.’

Hampshire’s players will finally come off furlough today to start preparations for the 2020 season, albeit in the unfamiliar surroundings of Arundel rather than the Ageas Bowl.
Hampshire have been unable to train since the beginning of April due to the coronavirus lockdown and furlough restrictions, writes Alex Smith.
But with the ECB announcing that men’s domestic cricket can begin on August 1, preparations will now begin for the return to action.
However, due to England making the county’s HQ their biosecure base ahead of their Test series with West Indies, Hampshire have been forced to find a new home in West Sussex.
Director of cricket Giles White explained: “We initially thought we would share the facility with the ECB but the way things have played out with the restrictions which have made the ground biosecure, safety comes first.
“We sorted out coming to Arundel within a matter of days and they’ve been fantastic – it has worked out really well.
“We’ll be there for the whole of July with the whole squad, who will be unfurloughed, ahead of games in August.
“The surfaces are outstanding at Arundel [where County Championship, Vitality Blast and Kia Super League matches have regularly been hosted] and the environment lends itself to entertaining the group regularly over this period.
“Whereas if we went to a local club, I sense the surfaces would be something we’d have to look at and the fact that hopefully local clubs will be training and playing themselves before too long.”
There have been strict routines that England’s white-ball trio James Vince, Liam Dawson and Mason Crane have been adhering to since their early return last month.
                                                                                       Temperature
A temperature test and questionnaire will be filled in before leaving the house, before another temperature gauge by is taken by physio James Clegg on arrival – with a ‘one skin, one ball’ policy to avoid cross-contamination between players.
The squad will be equally split into four groups of six and will train independently of each other under one of coaches Adi Birrell, Alfonso Thomas, Tony Middleton and Jimmy Adams.
“There won’t be any cross over within the groups so if someone was to get the virus then we could lockdown that group and the rest could continue,” White said.
From that point, the sessions will return to familiarity. White added: “We would look at having a net. There is a natural social distance in cricket, especially in practice.
“The group will then do some fielding practice together, while being wary of the ball.” 
Vince, Dawson and Crane have shown that the measures are effective and easy to follow.
White said: “Those guys are pretty much used to it now, they know what they are doing, and it runs pretty smoothly.  I wouldn’t anticipate it taking too long before the guys get to grips with it, hopefully within a week or so they’ll be used to it.
“I’m sure at the start we will have to point them in the right direction.  They will get a briefing from the physio on arrival and then it’s for the coaches, medical and support staffs to make sure that we adhere to the regulations and guidelines.
“It is human nature that once you do something for a period of time then it becomes a habit and you end up functioning in that way.
                                                                                          Absentees
“It is something we will keep an eye on but from what I’ve seen over the last two weeks, I don’t see any problem with the guys coming back to training.”
There will be four absentees from training, with Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Brad Wheal and Fidel Edwards stuck in their homelands due to restrictions on international travel.
“None of those have flights yet as there are issues with them coming over,” White said.
“We are currently working through that with the different individuals.
“They will now start to work through some back to bowling programmes.”
The make-up of the physical fixture list from August onwards is yet to be confirmed – with county chairmen due to meet next week to discuss the options.
Hampshire are still discussing what they would like to see from the resumption, but safety will be at the forefront of their decision-making.
White said: “There will be a meeting on July 7 with the chairmen and they’ll be discussing whether the T20 competition is going to be in place alongside a Championship or a 50-over competition.
“Safety comes first. We have to look at it in the context of what’s going on around us.
“I think safety and staying in hotels might be an issue with the longer form of the game.
“If there were no issues with safety or finances then we will be erring towards four-day cricket and T20 but I think we need to look at this in the context of what is going on around us and do the right thing by the player’s safety.”
But for now, there is a new season buzz around Hampshire.
“A few weeks ago, speaking to a group and it was doom and gloom; it didn’t look like we were going to get any cricket,” White revealed. “Now, things have moved and cricket is going to happen from August 1.
“There is an excitement about that. Firstly, seeing each other again, but also picking up a bat or a ball is something that these guys do pretty much every day of the year. It has been such a big gap they are raring to go.”
ends

​They may be a natural vector for release but it's unfair to bash the ECB over recreational cricket's delayed return.
We want to blame someone for our enforced idleness, and - spurred on by willing cheerleaders - the ECB make for a wonderful scapegoat: they are big, they are impossible to miss, they are the authority in the room.
The following article is a thought provoking essay by Sam Morshead, which appears in the digital columns of The Cricketer magazine, www.thecricketer.com

Have you ever played a round of ECB-bashing ? 
It’s incredibly addictive, and sometimes the governing body makes it really quite easy: helicopters on the Nursery Ground, Floridian hip hop concerts, the relentless pursuit of pay TV, The Hundred et cetera, et cetera.
Like any habit, it can be very tricky to break.
And with that in mind, perhaps it’s not surprising that a large section of the cricket community has over the past fortnight offloaded its frustrations about the recreational game’s continued suspension on the governing body. 
We have been cooped up, stripped of many of the joys of summer, wrestling with the mixed emotions of watching friends mourn for lost relatives with one eye while nervously checking the business’s balance sheets with the other. 
We want to be able to blame someone for our enforced idleness, and - spurred on by a handful of willing cheerleaders - the ECB make for a wonderful scapegoat: they are big, they are impossible to miss, they are the authority in the room. 
As discontented citizens who cannot fathom why standing next to the friesians at deep midwicket is more dangerous than getting sozzled with friends in a pub garden, their perceived passivity presents itself as a giant, inflatable dartboard just waiting to be popped. 
A “natural vector for release”, if you will. 
                                                                                       Impasse
On this occasion, though, and fully appreciating the allegations of lickspittle and stooge that might follow, it feels important to stand in the way of the rotten fruit.
There is not one member of the cricket community revelling in the current impasse, and that includes the men and women who make the big decisions. 
Why would there be? 
Cricket’s continued absence at every level makes the sport we love poorer. It separates communities, it affects our mental and physical health, it hacks away at job security, and it deprives us of all-too-rare moments of genuine elation.
The ECB are as aware of this as the rest of us, fighting as they are against a financial hole of anywhere between £100million and £380million.
Absolutely, the governing body’s depleted reserves will have contributed to the fragility of the situation, as will their reliance on a single broadcaster and the massive contractual obligations for 2020 they’ve been desperately trying to claw back.
But is it really reasonable to criticise an organisation for looking to minimise damage during an unprecedented catastrophe which has killed half a million people and wiped trillions off the global economy?
The vast majority of business owners across the country have been looking at spreadsheets and wondering how to achieve a best-case scenario, where “best-case” has become a byword for survival. And the ECB is no different. 

We are starting to see the medium-term effects of the coronavirus on other sports.
The Football Association, a deeper and arguably more robust organisation which presides over a sport of immense wealth, on Monday announced Covid-19 losses of £300million. In the same memo, it was confirmed that 124 jobs would go as a result, including 82 which are currently filled. 
UK Active and Community Leisure UK, two of the bodies which oversee the leisure centre, gym and swimming pool sector - a much wider participation base than cricket’s, have suggested as many as 58,000 jobs are at risk, with a £800million funding shortfall as a result of lockdown given as the reason.
What would the real-terms impact of a £300million deficit be on cricket? The dagger wouldn’t just stab away at the professional game, it would protrude through the counties, through the development structure, through the projects aimed at inclusivity and gender equality. It would hurt.
So it makes sense that, initially, the ECB prioritised the international men’s game - not out of disrespect to amateur, female or youth cricketers but because financially there was no alternative. 
                                                                               Poorly informed
If you’ve been told that there has been total inaction from your governing body when it comes to the recreational game during three months of lockdown, you’ve been poorly informed.
Lobbying has been taking place for more than 10 weeks, including meetings between the sports minister Nigel Huddleston and Harrison. The all-sports advisory group on the return of team sport is led by the ECB and its chief medical officer Nick Peirce. Constructive discussions have taken place with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to such a point that, a week ago, everything was in place to announce the game’s comeback on July 4. Then the prime minister got up in the House of Commons.
The ECB has been involved in conversations with government for more than 10 weeks
You might wonder why other sports have returned - golf, tennis and basketball in particular - but cricket has not. Some commentators might have told you that cricket’s administrators haven’t done enough to convince the government that our game is no less risky than foursomes, mixed doubles or one-on-one.
It would be a pertinent point, was it not for the fact the ECB involved at least three members of the government’s own scientific advisory group in planning the recreational game’s return, and several of the experts who sit on SAGE are as unconvinced as many of us by Boris Johnson’s now infamous description of a five-and-three-quarter ounce lump of leather. 
In recent days, the more proactive members of the cricket community have drawn up their own, detailed proposals for ensuring cricket’s safe return. 
It has been well documented that South Wilts have created a 31-point plan which covers every element of a matchday, from travel to teas, which has been sent to the ECB, so far without response. 
The Leading Edge, a collective of former professional cricketers, on Monday presented a five-a-side format including no-go areas around umpires and zones for fielders.
                                                                                    Positive reception
And in club and league committee meetings around the country, discussions have been taking place for weeks about how best to implement Covid-secure measures. 
It’s all worthwhile work, but many of these ideas - or the sentiment around those ideas - have already been explored by the ECB’s working party and presented to DCMS, largely - according to multiple sources - to a positive reception.
Ultimately, and it is a critical point which seems to be missed routinely by many, the ECB cannot in good faith issue guidance which contradicts the government, even if from July 4 the PM has declared ‘common sense’ will take over from legislation. 
It is the government, not the ECB, which sets the rules on the maximum gatherings of people from separate households - this currently stands at six and for matchplay cricket to take place it either needs to be increased or No.10 needs to give the sport special dispensation. Team sports are still technically banned, including short-sided basketball, for example, but doubles tennis has been given a free pass.
Government guidance relating to the return of professional sport has no bearing on recreational sport, too - a fact which appears to be deliberately overlooked by profile picture-less Twitter users bemoaning “footballers cuddling each other”. 
Could the ECB have been more publicly vocal during the lobbying process? Definitely. In a world where immediacy is often more attractive than thoroughness, the communications department would have won over plenty more dissenters by making brash remarks about Downing Street’s handling of their particular case.

Given the incumbent’s tolerance for criticism, however, it wouldn’t have been unreasonable for the governing body to have decided against taking on No.10 at its one core strength: manipulation of the public message. 
Could the ECB have done more to help clubs through the first half of the summer? Possibly. Although £20million in loans and grants were made available in April via the Emergency Loan Scheme and Return To Cricket Grant Scheme, anecdotal evidence suggests some clubs which needed the money the most have been unable to access it - either because of the weight of paperwork required or the low threshold for qualification for grants (annual turnover of less than £15,000) and a reluctance to take on loan repayments in 2021. So far, around £700,000 has been allocated, and the programmes have received 238 applications.
                                                                              Government support
Yet, the ECB has clearly signposted other avenues for clubs to receive support, most notably Sport England which has so far allocated more than £20million to the amateur game during the crisis, and around 2,600 clubs have now claimed financial support from government, local authorities or the governing body.
Could the ECB have communicated better with the clubs? Perhaps. But a scroll through some of the detailed messages which have dripped down from leagues and county boards to their members - concise, considered and full of important information - suggest that the chain has been pretty resolute.  
Have updates really been too few and far between? Or have you expected far more than is practical? 
Recreational cricket is still very much on course to return in July, though not as early as had previously been hoped. In all likelihood, its comeback will be presented as a development of government policy, rather than an about-face in the fallout from Johnson’s appearance in the Commons a week ago.
The ECB, one would imagine, will happily take that on the chin if it means tens of thousands of men, women and children being able to crack leather on willow - in one form or another - for a couple of months.
But it must not be repackaged as a gift from government. The ECB have worked for it, the circumstances demanded it. Nothing more. 

Article reproduced by kind permission of The Cricketer magazine www.thecricketer.com

​An unbeaten century by Havant opener Dominic Carson, a six-wicket haul by BAT Sports left-armer Dan Goldstraw a maiden ECB Southern Electric Premier Division victory by Cove and an astonishing collapse by South Wilts were the highspots of the Round 7 programme.
Carson hit an undefeated 124 and with Hampshire’s Jason Laney (66) guided Havant to a sizeable 273-4, but visitors Hungerford battled hard to force a creditable draw, closing at 216-9.
Goldstraw (Ieft) took the first three Bashley (Rydal) wickets for only two runs and had the New Forest club rocking at 45-5 before Luke Ronchi (37), Andy Neal (31) and Ian Hilsum (35) improved their lot.  But, with Goldstraw finishing with 6-72, Bashley could only manage 160 – a total BAT polished off through Richard Kenway (64) and Chris Thomason (41).
Paul Draper came within two runs of his second century of the season in Calmore Sports’ drawn match with Burridge.  He featured in a 122-run partnership with Jez Goode (62), but an ambitious two to third man (off his favoured ‘runner’ shot) saw him run out for 98.  Calmore made 247-7 before Burridge (94-1 at one stage) closed at 166-8, Neil Cunningham making 59.
Cove’s six-week wait for a win ended with an emphatic 121-run victory over South Wilts – Hampshire’s Chris Benham hitting 88 of their 252-9 (Roger Sillence 5-79).  South Wilts prospered at 71-0 through Jamie Glasson (47) and Russell Rowe (34) and were still okay at 130-4.  Incredibly, they lost their last six wickets for one run – Joe Ashton (6-25) taking all six !
One-time Kent left-arm spinner Andy Hooper took 5-34 as Andover celebrated a seven-wicket win over early pacemakers Bournemouth, who began on a promising note through Tom Webley (35) and Dave Kidner (33). The lions were eventually dismissed for 160. Roger Miller, 3-35 with the ball, completed a fine day with an unbeaten 63, his century stand with Jeremy Hayward (57) sealing the victory.
Ben Craft cracked a boundary strewn 122 as Lymington continued their improvement after an unconvincing start in Division 2 with an emphatic 93-run win over visiting Old Tauntonians & Romsey.
The powerful right-hand all-rounder peppered the Sports Ground boundary with straight hits, contributing virtually half of Lymington’s 250-5 before Phil Pineo (brother of Havant’s Richard) took 5-41 as OTs tumbled to 154 all out (Stuart Tulk 45).
Liphook & Ripsley chalked up the day’s largest total, making 260-6 against Alton, with George Tyler scoring 81, supported by Jez Bulled (48) and Chris Wright (39). Richie Morgan made 73 of Alton’s 167 all out.
An unbroken fourth wicket stand of 141 between Matt Keech (84) and Damian Carson (79) swept United Services to victory over Trojans, who posted 209, despite the efforts of Sky TV’s angling reporter Andy Ford, who fished out a 5-32 return with his left-arm bait. US netted a maximum point haul.
Chris Tremlett (4-37) made early inroads as Portsmouth wobbled at 23-3, only to be rescued by Chris Moon’s unbeaten 63. A modest total of 159-7 proved too many for Hursley Park, despite Iain Brunnschweiler (51). They were dismissed for 132.
Batsmen dominated the eight Division 3 matches, with nine teams scoring over 200 and three players hitting centuries. 

​Shaun Green (left) was the highest individual scorer, with an unbeaten 120 for Easton & Martyr Worthy chased down Hook & Newnham Basics’ 200-7 (Colin Hall 57, Pierre Puren 53) to win by six wickets.
Sam Miller, now with Overton, led the way with 119 as Old Basing’s 232-5 proved a shade too many for Waterlooville, who replied with a creditable 222-7 (Neil Wootton 64), having threatened at 179-2.
The third centurion was Nick Wolstenholme, with 111 as St Cross Symondians ran up a formidable 268-6 (Jim Snape 58) before reducing Paultons to 58-5. Tony Richman’s 79 improved matters.
Bill Gunyon (86) and Ian Stuart (63*) underpinned 232-5 by leaders Sparsholt, who went on to restrict New Milton to 202-7, while opening pair Scott Croker (96) and Tony Stares (65) were undefeated as Gosport Borough strode past Eastleigh’s 180 (Colin Day 77).
The promising Ricky Yates (4-22) and Aussie Glen Tisdale (3-13) did the damage as Rowledge dismissed Purbrook for 124 before running out five-wicket winners.
Celebrations ran long into the night at the Sports Ground, where Lymington seconds toasted their first Division 3 win of the season, a tight seven-run victory over Forest rivals Bashley (Rydal) II.
​Peter Tapper (80) and Guy Hayward (78) added 166 for Lymington’s second wicket, their stand helping the visitors reach 248-4.  Led by the exciting Gower-like stroke play of Iain Britton (80), Bashley gave chase, but a maiden nap hand haul by the pacey Trevor Phillips (5-52) proved key as the Bash eventually fell for 241.

BACK in 2008 it cost around £1.7m to build Newclose on the outskirts of Newport — a magnificent ground adopted by Hampshire and one which has put the Isle of Wight firmly on the cricketing map.
The man who has quietly gone about his business, nurturing and transforming what was nothing more than a field into a ‘gold’ standard cricket ground, is Andy Butler, pictured left painting the batting crease, writes Jon Moreno, Sports Editor of the Isle of Wight County Press.
Andy, 51, deservedly received all the plaudits from Hampshire Cricket when they selected Newclose for last year’s historic County Championship match between Hampshire and Nottinghamshire.
The match, the first county game to be held on the Island in 57 years, was a huge success, watched by record crowds, with the standard of the playing surface praised highly by the players themselves.
Andy, of Northwood, is an Islander through and through — educated at Grange Road Primary and Osborne Middle School, both in East Cowes, followed by Cowes High School and Sparsholt College, near Winchester.
He also has an impressive background in local sports, having played football for the Island’s ‘big three’ — Cowes Sports, Newport and his home town club, East Cowes Vics.
Turning the Newclose square into one of the south’s best outgrounds is a far cry from the muddy heaps he used to play soccer on.
“I can’t believe it has been a year since Newclose became a first class county outground,” said Andy.

​“I prepared what was my first of hopefully many Hampshire first team pitches. It was a proud moment.  What I find particularly satisfying about what I do is preparing a sports turf surface to the best standard, with the resources available, and seeing the finished product.”
Newclose, positioned alongside the busy Blackwater Road, south of Newport and overlooked by St George’s Down, is in a stunning setting for cricket, with rolling fields on one side and countless oak trees all along the other.
It was the Island dream of Newclose benefactor and patron, Brian Gardener, which was born out of seeing the magnificent Wormsley Park complex built for the late Sir John Paul Getty, in Buckinghamshire.
                                                                                   Frustrating
Much more exciting cricket was expected at Newclose this summer — until coronavirus struck.
“After one of the wettest winters we’ve had, my only concern for Newclose, during early February, was regarding the early season fixtures — asking myself: will the ground be dry enough for the early to mid-April fixtures to take place,” said Andy.
“At that time, I was obviously unaware of the current situation we are all experiencing.  Frustrating, would be an understatement.
“The biggest challenge at Newclose has always been with the drainage. I have installed a drainage system around the perimeter of the square, which has improved this area, alongside ongoing deep aeration on the outfield.
“But with the very dry, warm March we had, the ground dried up quickly, which enabled us to carry out essential spring maintenance, so by early April the ground was looking in good shape for a resumption.

“Unfortunately, apart from practice net pitches on the square, the ground is eerily quiet. With the IW Cricket Board starting training on the square, I very much look forward to preparing pitches for play as soon as the ECB gives the go ahead.
“Newclose has been very supportive of the work we need to continue to carry out — even if little or no cricket is played this year — to ensure the ground is in great condition for 2021.”
Andy leads a team of six who work on different sports surfaces across the Isle of Wight and for clubs along the south coast.
Although they may only be used from April to September, summer sports surfaces require maintenance all year round, with regular mowing, aeration, scarification, rolling and applications of fertilisers, herbicides and soil conditioners — just a few of the routine maintenance tasks that need to be carried out on a regular basis.
                                                                                       Restrictions
The Island’s bowls clubs come under Andy’s care too, but with most of them unable to fork out the £6,000 cost of maintaining their greens, because of coronavirus restrictions hitting them hard, it has seen his business take a financial hit.
“I have been maintaining bowling greens on the Island and along the south coast for 20 years,” Andy explains.   “Some of these clubs understand the work we carry out needs to continue, even with their greens being closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“Unfortunately, due to financial reasons, some clubs have had to reduce the maintenance we carry out on their greens.   “This will obviously have an effect on the playing surface in the short and longer term, as well as having a financial impact on my business.  But my hope is to see some summer sport played. I can then think about September and October when the 2021 season begins for me.”

* Article reproduced by kind permission of the Isle of Wight County Press

Portsmouth are getting ready for the eagerly awaited reopening of their club bar at St Helen’s on Southsea seafront this Saturday, July 4. Social Distanced tables have been laid out with the members bar operating a one-way system and contactless payment. Visit website www. portsmouth.hitscricket.com to book space. Club president Arthur Shaw will preside and will be happy to provide tips for the Epsom Derby and talk about the highspots of his cricket career with South Hants Touring Club.

The ECB Southern Premier League is planning to launch a two-part 40-over red ball regionalized League Cup competition next month – if the Government does a U-turn on its lockdown policy and gives the green light for recreational cricket to resume.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is coming under increasing pressure to back down after his astonishing announcement in Parliament on June 23 when he declared a cricket ball a ‘natural vector for disease’ and insisted the game had to stay under lockdown.
In the hope that the decision is reversed some time soon, the SPL has asked its 35 clubs whether they would be interested in playing competitive Saturday afternoon cricket, provisionally starting on July 18, thereby allowing clubs two weeks to prepare their grounds, some of which have been neglected during two months of inactivity.
Plans are to play Covid-secure 40-over 11-a-side matches on a regionalised league structure to reduce the need to travel, using only a home scorer and applying the existing points system.
The SPL plans to set up two leagues, combining the Premier Division and Division 1, and a separate competition for teams in Divisions 2 and 3.
Clubs have until Wednesday (July 1) to let the Southern Premier League know if they are interested in participating in the League Cup.
But if there’s no change in government policy fairly soon, then the prospects of any recreational cricket this summer are slim indeed.

South Wilts chairman Rob Wade is awaiting a response from Downing Street to his letter to Boris Johnson appealing for recreational cricket to be lifted from lockdown and providing the Prime Minister with a 31-point list detailing the steps the ECB Southern Premier League club would take to ensure games were played in a covid-safe environment.
Wade hit the keyboards soon after the PM dashed the hopes of clubs and leagues to start the season in early July.
In an announcement in Parliament on June 23, which shocked many involved in the sport, he declared a cricket ball a ‘natural vector for disease’ and insisted the game had to stay under lockdown.
Wade, the chairman of five-times SPL winners South Wilts, promptly wrote to Johnson with a 31-point ‘get the game on’ list and telling the PM: “I find it extraordinary that after 13 weeks of lockdown, the ECB have failed to persuade you that cricket is playable in this country with some sensible precautions and extra measures.
‘Quite apart from the fact that the current nationwide ban ignores any element of infection rates geographically or demographically, we find this surprising. 
‘We are not blaming you or the scientists, but we do wonder what the ECB have been discussing with you. We have heard messages of 'adapted play' and received glossy graphics from the ECB, all dealing with reduced numbers and focussing on social distancing. 
“The ball has barely been an issue and so we listened in horror to it being described as a 'natural vector for disease'.
                                                                                        Contributing factor
Wade continued: ‘An important factor to consider is the mental health of those in the country locked down for so long.
‘No doubt this is a contributing factor to the scale of riots and murders we have seen of late. 
‘The cricketing experience is an important summer activity for players, officials, spectators and many other people involved with the elements of our great game. 
‘I hope you will find the time to grant cricket a 'reprieve'. It seems incongruous that people can go to pubs but not play cricket - the most socially distanced sport there could be - note our boundaries are virtually in different postcodes! 
‘There has been more danger in going to the shops during early lockdown than playing cricket: people constantly pick goods up and put them down again. 
‘Please allow cricket clubs themselves to be practical, to put their own procedures in place and above all, as you said yourself, use common sense. 
‘It is vital for clubs of all sizes that the great way of British life that is cricket is not dealt the mortal blow that any more unnecessary delay will serve.’
                                                                                          The 31 points
Among South Wilts’ 31 points are:
• No more than five players in a changing rooms at any one time.
• When using changing rooms, players stick to their dedicated area and maintain a 2m rule at all stages.
• The use of showers is not advised. However if being used, no more than two people in the shower area at any time – maintaining a 2m distance.
• Players must provide their own refreshments.
• Drinks breaks will be taken but the players will leave the field and use their own water bottles, which are clearly labelled.
• All players and officials who are unable to get to the ground under their own steam will not be selected.
• Any outside area for players to watch the game will be sectioned off to prevent teams from encroachment.
• Any player or official who shows covid-19 symptoms during the game will be removed from the game.
• All players pushing the covers on or off will sanitise their hands immediately afterwards, and the same with sightscreens.
• All players, after touching the ball, will sanitise their hands.
• To avoid the risk of the ball carrying disease, the bowler will be allowed – and encouraged – to clean the ball with anti-bacterial wipes.
• The wicketkeeper will pass the ball directly back to the bowler in the air or on the floor.
• Sanitiser bottles will be positioned on the ground strategically – including behind the stumps at each end and in the irrigation box.
• Stumps and bails will be regularly wiped with sanitising wipes.
• Discussions between the batsmen should be restricted to between overs and at the fall of a wicket and will adhere to the guidelines.
• Umpires will be encouraged to wear a mask and, like the players, must carry anti-bacterial wipes.
Wade insists with these new rules in place cricket could stay as an 11-a-side sport.
‘The number of players could be reduced but we regard this as not an issue.’ he told Johnson. 
‘Whether the team is 11, eight or even three, the areas of concern will always be the same – bowler, batsmen, wicketkeeper (plus umpire) and these have been covered by the other solutions.
‘Eleven players in a team is cricket and we should maintain the integrity of the game at all times.’
Wade - whose club won the SPL title four years running between 2012-2015 inclusive - is also convinced that games, when they are allowed, shouldn’t have to be restricted to 20 overs a side.
‘The number of overs could be reduced but we regard this as not an issue,’ he said. ‘If
there was a risk, it would have been exposed in the three hours of a T20 and, with the solutions we will have applied, playing for a longer period is not an issue.
‘Longer format cricket should be preserved for the future of the game.’

​The Labour Party has formally thrown its weight behind Telegraph Sport's campaign to save grass-roots cricket this summer amid mounting calls for an immediate lifting of the ban on it being played.​
The shadow sports minister, Alison McGovern, accused the Prime Minister of having “really messed this up” after he blocked the sport’s return, warning an abandoned recreational season could be “catastrophic for clubs”.
A petition calling for Boris Johnson to reverse his decision was also launched on Friday, its author railing against a naturally socially-distanced sport remaining prohibited while the public flouted coronavirus lockdown rules by flocking to beaches and other beauty spots.
The Government, which has noted the Telegraph’s campaign, has promised to “deliver the safe return of cricket as soon as possible” and said it hoped teams would be able to enjoy “a great cricketing summer”.
Announcing Labour’s support for the campaign, McGovern said: “The Government has really messed this up for millions who love their sport. A summer without recreational cricket could be catastrophic for clubs who have already lost so much revenue.
“If they are to stay closed, they deserve a full explanation about why fitness facilities are secondary to pubs in a public health crisis.
“Most important, we need a clear path for when grass-roots sports can get up and running again to enable everyone to plan for the future.”
A petition posted on change.org by recreational cricketer Jamie Andrew, entitled ‘Urge the Government to Allow Recreational Cricket to begin playing’, read: “All Cricket lovers sign now!! The cricket issue really is getting silly now. Hand sanitiser and hand-washing breaks would surely mitigate any risk from the ball. The recreational sport could die in this country if it lost an entire summer. 
"Given the easing of lockdown from 4th July, surely this should now mean recreational cricket can resume albeit with some sensible restrictions in place. Im [sic] fed up of seeing packed beaches , shops , gardens etc....flocks of people up to thousands but hearing cricket is unsafe!
“The ECB [England & Wales Cricket Board] has been very clear in its guidance of how to get the game on and how they wish to. The only delay now is clearance from the UK government! Lets [sic] get the game restarted now!”
                                                                                         Support
England captain Joe Root on Thursday became the biggest name to throw his support behind the Telegraph’s campaign, which is also backed by columnists and former skippers Michael Vaughan and Sir Geoffrey Boycott.
They were joined by former England fast bowler Phil DeFreitas, who is now head coach at London Schools Cricket Association.
“I just feel that we’ve had mixed messages – and that’s why people are getting annoyed and angry,” he said, questioning Johnson’s description of a cricket ball as a “vector of disease”.
“What frustrates everyone, especially cricket players and cricket lovers, is that you’re allowed tennis, you’re allowed basketball. Why should cricket be different? Why is cricket different? Explain yourself.
“I know you’ve explained about the cricket ball, but explain the other dangers, the other issues – why you’re not allowing it.”
Five former sports ministers have also joined forces to demand Johnson reverse his decision and the current holder of the role, Nigel Huddleston, said he was doing everything he could to make that happen.
“I have held a number of positive meetings with the ECB on plans to deliver the safe return of club cricket as soon as possible,” he said.
“I understand the desire for local teams to get back on the field and we are working with the sport and medical experts on a plan that can minimise the risks. I hope to make further progress on this soon so that teams can enjoy a great cricketing summer.”

Harry Broderick turns 17 today and, in an ideal world, would have been looking to celebrate his birthday with an eye-catching performance for the Hampshire Academy against Hook & Newnham Basics in the Southern Premier League.
But as we all know, these are not ideal times, far from it in fact, and, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic lockdown, the talented Hartley Wintney teenager hasn’t hit or bowled a cricket ball in anger since last August, ten months ago.
All-rounder Broderick is among a clutch of aspiring young cricketers in the Ageas Bowl academy who have been effectively mothballed since lockdown was imposed in late March.
But, like the rest of his Academy team-mates, Broderick hasn’t been putting his feet up during the past 14 weeks.
He explained: “Academically, I’ve just completed the first year of my NCFE Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport and Physical Activity course at the Hampshire Cricket College, which is based at the Ageas Bowl, so enables me to train and work alongside the pro’s.                                                                                  
“Insofar as the Academy is concerned, we have been given fitness programmes to follow to ensure we are fit and ready to return, strong and injury free, alongside psychology presentations to ensure our mental health is looked after in this strange times. 
“We’ve all been doing weights training. I’ve done a lot of cycling and running in and around Fleet in North Hampshire, where I live, and feel I’m in pretty good shape.
                                                                                        Banter
“Hampshire’s first team analyst Joe Maiden has put together a "race to 1000" of fielding challenges for the group which we have taken turns in making fielding challenges to try and beat our fellow team-mates at. 
“This has enabled us to stay in touch with each other and have some banter at the same time, whilst also keeping the fielding skills sharp!
“Every few weeks we have had team meetings to stay updated on any changes the ECB have made and also to stay in touch with coaches and players.”
Broderick also let on that he’s been making himself useful around the house.
“My elder brother and I have been learning to cook and take it in turn to prepare dinner in the evenings, which I’m sure will come in useful later in life.  I make a good spag-boll,” he laughed.
This summer was due to have been Broderick’s first as an established Academy cricketer, though he’s been making rapid progress through the county age groups.
“I first played for Hartley Wintney as a seven-year old and often played two years up. I was initially a medium-pace bowler, but in recent seasons my batting has matured to the extent that I now bat in the top six of most teams I play for,” he smiled.
A Hampshire age group regular since Under-14s, Broderick underlined his growing batting potential last summer, hitting 97 for Hartley Wintney against Langley Manor (who chased down 331-5 to win with a six off the last ball) and a maiden Premier Division fifty in the final Academy game of the season, a victory over Havant.
                                                                                 Structured
He also featured regularly as an all-rounder in the Hampshire Under-17 side which reached the semi-final of the ECB County Championships.
“In a normal season I would have played a lot of games by late June, but this summer is anything but normal and, in addition to the fitness training,  I’ve just had to be content with net sessions with George Metzger at the nearby police college or at Basingstoke & North Hants,” he added.
“But they have been structured and enjoyable, which is the main thing.”
There will be no net practice on Harry’s 17th birthday – instead the chance to look forward to another new dimension in his life … learning to drive !
“That’s my birthday present from mum and dad. I would like to be on the road by the autumn so I can drive down from Fleet to college at the Ageas Bowl, so I’m keen to start learning as soon as I can. Hopefully, we’ll get some cricket in before then.”

The Hampshire Cricket Board, in conjunction with the Southern Premier and Hampshire Leagues, has issued a further joint statement providing an update as to their planning for the return of cricket in the area
While recreational cricket still remains suspended and despite the recent comments from the Prime Minister, the ECB has released confirmation that they remain confident that cricket can move toward Stage 4 on the previously released roadmap to cricket, meaning that adapted game play should be possible together with COVID secure guidelines.
At the time of writing there is no indication as to when the next update will come from either the Department of Culture, Media and Sport or the ECB. In the meantime, we believe it to be prudent to continue to plan in a positive way.
In recent discussions, both leagues in Hampshire have agreed what their approach to games will be in the hope that we will still have cricket during the 2020 season.
Hampshire League
• The competitive League Season is to be abandoned, but using the existing fixture structure to provide friendly cricket for those clubs who would like it. The format will be entirely up to the teams on the day, although the HCL recommend 30/40 over matches. 
• If there are clubs that are not able to take part in their originally published fixtures, they will be invited to arrange their own friendly or contact the HCL for guidance.
• The HCL have no objections to teams playing local matches subject to their ground availability, as long as they know in advance that clubs are not using the 2020 fixtures and they know their original opponents are without a game.
• The HCL encourages all members to “Get The Game On” whether playing Saturdays, Sundays and in September, making up for lost time.
Southern Premier League
• Providing 11 a side cricket is allowed in due course, the SPL will be combining the Premier Division with Division 1 and combining Division 2 and 3 to provide a competitive league cup. Entry into the competition will be completely optional and clubs will be contacted in due course
• The existing fixture structure will be used, but the league will work with clubs who still would like to enter but do not have access to their normal ground.
• Dependent on anticipated COVID secure guidelines, game format will start at 40 overs but will drop no lower than 20.
All three organisations remain committed to working with clubs to try and facilitate as much cricket as possible and will provide further ECB COVID guidance when it is available.   Please continue to refer to these joint COVID-19 FAQs which is updated on a regular basis.

Telegraph Sport’s campaign to bring back club cricket this season has given a voice to the forgotten majority who keep the sport going below the professional level.
The England & Wales Cricket Board has done detailed, impressive work to provide biosecure environments that will allow the Test series against West Indies to start on July 8, writes Nick Hoult, Chief Cricket Writer of the Daily Telegraph.
There is a meeting of county chairmen next week to finalise the return of the Championship and Vitality Blast Twenty20 competition. Surrey even announced on Wednesday they will play Middlesex in a two-day game from July 26 and stream it on Facebook, giving their members some cricket content to consume. 
But at club level it is a different story. Those people who give up many hours of their lives to keep clubs alive in a time of dwindling participation numbers fear for the future. Many feel left behind as cricket concentrates on saving its £280 million broadcast deal and providing work for professional county cricketers.
                                                                                        Abandoned
Hard work has gone on in the background by those at the ECB who look after and love grass-roots cricket but their efforts have been drowned out by the resumption of international and county cricket.  Instead many clubs have contacted Telegraph Sport to say they feel abandoned.
Boris Johnson’s off the cuff remark about the ball being a vector for disease caught out not just the ECB but the clubs too who were rolling pitches, painting sight screens and mowing outfields in preparation for a return on July 4. The ECB had dropped enough hints to the leagues that they were expecting the green light too.
Now they will see pub gardens full on July 4 but their cricket grounds will be empty, with the days of summer ticking by.
On Thursday, the ECB cancelled 14 national tournaments from the three day National Counties Championship to boys and girls festivals at under-18 to under-15 level. 
Many leagues have already been cancelled and unless restrictions are lifted soon those who are netting in hope will give up and perhaps go and play golf instead. Will they come back ?
                                                                                        Rob Wades in
Luckily for most finances are not an issue. It is estimated around £15 million has been pumped into recreational cricket through the Government’s Covid small business grants, for which many qualify if they have assets worth more than £10,000. It is numbers in the form of players they worry about.
Many clubs have copied businesses by producing manuals for a return to work. One, South Wilts Cricket Club, sent me their detailed Return to Cricket document this week. It includes 31 action points from players not travelling together to being told to sanitise their hands after moving sightscreens. Wicket-keepers must throw the ball directly back to the bowler (expect plenty of grumpy bowlers trudging after wayward throws) and players bringing their own drinks bottles and food.
The club’s chairman, Rob Wade, wrote to the prime minister this week. “We have heard messages of 'adapted play' and received glossy graphics from the ECB, all dealing with reduced numbers and focussing on social distancing. The ball has barely been an issue and so we listened in horror to it being described as a 'natural vector for disease'.
“We have performed due diligence at every phase of the lockdown to ensure that our members, both young and old, know that we are treating this situation safely and responsibly. It seems incongruous that people can go to pubs but not play cricket — the most socially distanced sport there could be — note our boundaries are virtually in different postcodes.”
He ends with: “Please allow cricket clubs themselves to be practical, to put their own procedures in place and above all, as you said yourself, use common sense. It is vital for clubs of all sizes that the great way of British life that is cricket is not dealt the mortal blow that any more unnecessary delay will serve.”
Time is running out. 

This website is backing the Daily Telegraph 'bring back club cricket' campaign to the hilt and says: Well done Rob Wade and South Wilts on their initiative.  As you've got no cricket this weekend and your local football team isn't on TV, why not support South Wilts and let the Prime Minister know your feelings ?
Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, 10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA is the person to write to - if you don't do anything and just mumble and grumble nothing will get done !   Time is running out !

​Frustrated or concerned at the reluctance to bring back club cricket ?
As you're not going to play cricket this weekend, why not spend 30 minutes away from the garden and/or painting the kitchen and pen a letter to the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Boris Johnson at 10 Downing Street, London, SW1A 2AA - and tell him what you think ! 

Read former England captain Michael Vaughan in his column in the Daily Telegraph.  

​It was crackers for Boris Johnson to say the cricket ball is a “vector of disease”; the decision to block the sport returning at club level is a real hammer blow. 
​After the Prime Minister’s announcement I had a very honest and open conversation with Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, and he shares my frustration.
He is a cricketer himself and he wants to play again. Hopefully over the next week or so the situation can change and we can at least get the kids playing but I worry our sport is not doing enough to help itself. 
The England & Wales Cricket Board has done a great job in ensuring international matches will be played this season.
But I worry that grassroots cricket has been neglected. Professional sportsmen are paid to play for England. It is their job. But thousands of people give up their time to organise junior and club cricket. They are the true lovers of the game and they deserve to be looked after.
Golf reacted and adapted to the Covid situation for both the recreational and professional side of the game to great success and is thriving, possibly at the expense of cricket.
                                                                                    Political game
There have to be hard questions asked of the ECB. Have they done enough to get the recreational game being played again? I think they have tried. You have to understand they must play a political game when dealing with government. But, ultimately, have they made enough noise? I know they have proposed different ideas to the Government about six or eight-a-side cricket, but it has not worked.
There are steps cricket can take to make it safer and I would start with junior cricket. In many ways, that is the most important level of the game. 
I would start with 8-a-side pairs cricket. You can play with a hand sanitizer in your pocket, all socially distanced, and bowlers could even use their own ball if necessary. 
Look at golf. For the first few weeks you could only play in two-ball groups. You had to book online, play only nine holes and there were marshals on the first tee to make sure people were not interacting. You could not play through another pair in front, and there were 10 minutes between each tee-off time. Everyone accepted it because they were just happy to play again.
Cricket has to think imaginatively too. The ball is not a threat. It is nonsense to think it is a spreader of disease once you ban putting saliva on it. Any small threat can be nullified easily. Cricket can be made Covid safe more than most other sports. Coaches and umpires, who are desperate to get the game back on, would happily police it. Once you touch the ball, squirt some sanitizer on your hands.
                                                                                           Wear gloves
Passing the ball around the field back to the bowler will go. Just throw it straight back to the bowler. And how often do you touch the ball in the field anyway? When batting you wear gloves. The keeper wears gloves. The umpires can wear gloves as well. Do not share kit, turn up ready to play and bring your own food. 
On July 4, I can take my son’s cricket team to a restaurant but they can’t play a game of cricket. That cannot be right. 
If the game does not start soon then we can rule out the rest of the summer. If that happens we can say goodbye to a lot of players who have now taken up golf or other sports. 
The game needs people playing the sport at the weekend. You do not want kids to suddenly turn their attention to golf. I know a lot of my friends’ kids are playing golf now. Will they want to come back to cricket? They might not if they do not get to play this summer.
There are a number of enthusiastic die-hard cricket lovers who are desperate to see a game played. They thought they would get the green light on Tuesday. Today a lot of them are telling me they feel like it has been ripped away from them. 
The old saying goes, ‘look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves’. At the moment it feels like cricket is looking after the pounds and forgetting about the pennies by working hard for the England team but not doing enough for club or junior cricketer.
I realise this is a very hard time and some very tough decisions have to be made by governments and governing bodies. But this is an easy one, compared to other life-and-death calls they make every day. Get cricket back on. Give thousands of people, tired after months of lockdown, their summer sport back before it is too late.

This article appears by kind permission of the Daily Telegraph.

​England captain Joe Root has thrown his support behind The Daily Telegraph’s campaign to save grassroots cricket this summer, saying he wants to see “common sense prevail” and club cricketers return to action.
Root, who is at the Ageas Bowl preparing for the Test series against West Indies, was joined by his predecessor and double Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss, as well as women’s captain Heather Knight, in calling on the Government to lift its ban on recreational cricket. 
“Recreational cricket needs to return sooner rather than later,” Root told Telegraph Sport. “We are all hopeful from an England team perspective that it will return in July. The next generation of players look up to the likes of myself, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler, but not being able to play themselves is a real challenge.
“When I look out my window at home and see my local club, Sheffield Collegiate, I can see it is tough for club cricketers who cannot play as they do normally. Hopefully common sense will prevail and we will get recreational cricket back on. I know the ECB is working hard to make sure this happens next month.”
                                                                                     Low risk 
Strauss worries that cricket could lose club players forever if the whole 2020 summer is wiped out. Strauss, who is chairman of the ECB’s cricket committee, believes enough work has been done to prove the sport can be made relatively safe.
“The medical community have been pretty consistent and while there is no such thing as no risk, the actual risk of being out there on the pitch and playing the game is low,” he said. “When you add hand-sanitizing the ball it is very hard to construct an argument to say that playing cricket is a heightened risk as opposed to anything else we will be doing in life.
“The other areas of concern around dressing rooms, sharing kit and teas and stuff, well people just need to use their common sense and not do something that could allow the virus to transfer. That is very doable because that is what is going on in our lives anyway so I think in that sense I really do feel it is safe for cricket to go ahead on a recreational basis with those caveats in place. 
                                                                                    Supportive
The people who are hardcore cricket fans are desperate to get out there and it is important they have something to look forward to but there are other people who can take or leave cricket. If we don’t play cricket soon then they are probably going to leave it. I am very supportive of cricket being played and we have got to a stage now where we can be confident it is safe for it to go ahead. “
Zak Crawley, preparing alongside Root for the West Indies series, said the players share the concerns of club cricketers and cannot understand why the sport is unable to resume when other areas of life such as pubs and restaurants are reopening from July 4.
“We're well aware of it, we have friends who want to play,” he said. “I feel like it's time to bring it back. You can social distance easily in cricket, you can't put saliva on the ball at international level and you could easily do that at community level, so I'd like to see that decision reserved and get community cricket back on.”
Lobbying of the Government continues and the ECB remains hopeful of a return to play in July with nationwide instructions to clubs about how to handle the ball and social distancing. Three members of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) have advised the board, as it looks to move along its own roadmap to return from stage three, a limit of six people from different households taking part in practice sessions, to stage four which would allow “adapted gameplay”. Stage five is a return to normality and requires a relaxation of social-distancing rules which is unlikely to happen until 2021. It is understood the board still believes a form of 11-a-side cricket can happen at stage four, as do many clubs, as long as Covid precautions are in place.
                                                                                   Complexity
Some clubs may decide to give up on the season altogether given the complexity of Covid regulations they will have to follow.
The ECB has cancelled several national competitions this week and its new junior initiative - Dynamos Cricket. The Bunbury Under-15 Festival at Eastbourne, which has featured many England stars of the future, has also been cancelled as the summer slips away from the game.
The Government’s small business grant has helped some navigate the immediate financial challenge but many are worried about 2021 when handouts could end and loans need repaying. 
The ECB have been conscious not to lobby the Government publicly because they may need financial support later in the year. Tom Harrison, the board’s chief executive, has warned cricket is facing its greatest financial crisis even if the full international programme takes place to fulfil the Sky contract. 
The board has made around £20m available in funding to grassroots organisations and has pledged to continue its Inspiring Generations strategy that aims to plough millions into the recreational game. 
But with counties feeling the strain of a summer without paying spectators, and many worried about bills mounting up for 2021, the club game faces strong competition for future funding. 

This article is published by kind permission of the Daily Telegraph.