Cricket will be stumped if it ignores its roots
i WAS surprised that Colin Graves, chairman of the england & Wales Cricket Board (eCB), says youngsters are no longer excited by the sport and only wish to play shortened versions. i believe the eCB’s policies over many years have led to the decline in players. When i began playing cricket, it was based on village teams playing friendly matches against each other. Virtually every village had its own team and many players were in their 30s and 40s. They brought their children to the matches and their wives made the teas. The result was family involvement and the youngsters later took up the game. i started playing cricket at grammar school and played senior cricket from the age of 14 until 60. i am chairman of a club i established in Oxfordshire. nowadays, the eCB places great emphasis on clubs playing matches of 50 overs a side and T20 games in hundreds of leagues all over the UK. A lot of travel is involved, on top of a match lasting anything up to seven hours. Points mean everything and losing is to be avoided at all costs. This has led to a lowering of behaviour on and off the pitch, a drop in the quality of play and a decrease in the age of 1st Xi players. it is now a young man’s game. There are far fewer village teams, despite clubs making strenuous efforts to attract young players. instead of the eCB’s single-minded approach to Premier League cricket, it should encourage the grass roots game.
PHIL MIST, Tamworth, Staffs.