Bears chief welcomes cash boost
CRICKET is in line to receive a significant chunk of a £300 million summer sports recovery package the Chancellor is expected to announce in today’s Budget.
The England and Wales Cricket Board, which revealed last September the coronavirus pandemic had already cost the sport more than £100m – with the overall financial impact likely to be double that amount – welcomed the support, describing it as “a lifeline for parts of the game”.
Warwickshire chief executive Stuart Cain said: “Like most sports, cricket has taken a huge hit over the last 12 months and it’s only prudent financial measures and generous support from our club members that have seen us through.
“The devil is in the detail so we look forward to more information on how to access the emergency funding.
“We’re also working with the ECB and Government on testing larger crowds at the England versus New Zealand Test in early June. Using protocols such as testing, masks and vaccine certificates, along with other socialdistancing measures, we’re confident we can get a sizeable crowd into the game safely, setting sport up for when full crowds could potentially return after June 21.
“The professional game has been played behind closed doors and cricket clubs across the county have struggled with bars closed and restrictions stopping the game being played in the way we love. Warwickshire Cricket Board have been excellent in the way they have helped the recreational game through the pandemic.”
An ECB spokesperson added: “Playing behind closed doors for all of last season has already had a severe financial impact on cricket and that will continue this year until full crowds are able to return, while the recreational game has also suffered financially.
“This support could be a lifeline for parts of the game and we look forward to seeing the full details of how this funding will be distributed and how organisations can apply.”
Other support sports like tennis and horse racing are also set to benefit.
DIRECTOR of Coventry Rugby Rowland Winter has congratulated Tom Emery for his call-up to the initial Team GB Rugby Sevens training squad for the Tokyo Olympics.
Cov star Emery was one of 21 male players selected for the squad, which includes five players who won silver in Rio de Janeiro five years ago and players from across England, Wales and Scotland.
A 19-person women’s squad has also been chosen and both groups will be initially based at Loughborough University for their first training camps.
Pre-olympic tournaments will follow before the big trip to Japan itself.
“When Tom left Northampton two or three years ago he looked to go down the Sevens route and he’s progressed well into that GB group,” Winter said.
Cov boss Rowland Winter
“He’s still got a bit of work to do and hurdles to jump but Tom’s a talented player who can play in a number of positions in the Sevens world.
“We’ve been clear all the way through that we’d be supporting Tom with his journey.
“Obviously we had hoped that the Olympics would have been last summer, which would have given us two years with him in fifteens, but we support that.
“We’ve now got our fingers crossed that Coventry Rugby will have its first Olympian and we support Tom all the way.
“He’s got an important four or five months ahead of him – it’s a great opportunity for him and we’re proud of him.”
Winter insists that Cov will be well set in the back three positions for the upcoming Greene King IPA Championship campaign.
“We knew about Tom a few months ago,” he added.
“We moved quickly to bring Callum Sirker in from Wasps and Louis James has stepped up.”
MERCEDES have unveiled the car Sir Lewis Hamilton hopes will take him to a recordbreaking eighth Formula One world championship.
The sport’s all-conquering team have carried over their anti-racism black paint job from last season, updated with a flick of silver to Sir Lewis Hamilton represent the constructors’ traditional colours.
Hamilton is bidding to move one title clear of Michael Schumacher in what could be the his final campaign in F1.
The 36-year-old, who last month signed only a one-year extension, will be partnered by Valtteri Bottas for a fifth season.
Regarding his new deal, Hamilton said: “I am in the fortunate position where I have achieved most of the stuff I wanted to achieve up to this point. So there is no real need to plan too far into the future.
“We are living in an unusual period of time, so I just wanted one year, then we can talk about if we do more, and keep adding it by one if we have to.
“In the past it was just about winning world championships. Last year, there was a lot of discussion about equality, inclusion and there was a lot of talk.
“This year, it is all about pushing for diversity and really making sure action is taken. That is at the core of the drive for me, but we exist to win and that is what we are working towards and it is also my goal to deliver that.”
Testing for the new season gets under way in Bahrain a week on Friday before Hamilton opens his bid for an unprecedented eighth championship in the Gulf Kingdom a fortnight later.
With few changes to the rulebook over the winter, Mercedes will start as the favourites to complete a remarkable eighth drivers’ and constructors’ double.
Team principal Toto Wolff said: “Every winter, there are always indications someone else might have done a better job, so we must keep pushing.”