League cricket action set for return this weekend
Cricket: With club pride at stake North Maids skipper Ashraf expects TVCL games to be well contested
Promotion and relegation may have been taken off the table as Thames Valley Cricket League (TVCL) matches return for the remainder of the summer, but North Maids captain Majid Ashraf is confident the competitive needle between sides won’t be lost.
Half of the TVCL season might have been cancelled due to COVID-19, but league action resumes this weekend with the start of a shortened ninematch season of 40 over, win/lose cricket.
There will be minor adaptations to play that teams will need to get used to and gone is the traditional afternoon tea served up by the host club, replaced with players bringing their own food and refreshments to matches.
The games have been shortened to 40 overs-a-side too, enabling breaks for hand sanitisation and for the ball – labelled a ‘vector of disease’ by the Prime Minister just a few weeks ago – to be cleaned.
But, to all intents and purposes this is competitive, 11-aside cricket, and Ashraf and his players can’t wait to get going again. Last weekend they played a friendly against Slough, getting themselves used to the modifications, and this Saturday North Maids will travel to Falkland. The league table might be 'secondary', but Ashraf says rivalries between clubs will remain.
“I’m expecting to have full availability for the Falkland game,” he said.
“I think everyone has been waiting so long they’re just keen to get out onto the pitch and to start playing.
“Thankfully cricket is a unique sport, there was a bit to get used to in terms of keeping our distance off the field, but once we were on the pitch it was ok. Once you’re out and playing you’re generally about a metre away from everyone else anyway because of the way cricket is played.
“On the pitch it was just about getting down to business, but off the pitch it took a bit of getting used to. We need to make sure we wipe the ball every six overs and we have a break every 20 minutes so the day was a bit more broken up.
“But on the whole it was ok, we’re just glad to be back out and playing and we have to accept the new reality.”
Ashraf expects the matches to be competitive, with derbies to be won and bragging rights to be claimed. He’s not too worried about where North Maids finish in the Division 1 table, but he is keen for the players to get in as much ‘good, competitive, clean cricket’ between now and the end of the season on September 12.
“We had a chat at our training session last week and we felt that, although there’s no promotion or relegation, it’s still competitive league cricket,” said Ashraf.
“We’re still going to be playing against really good sides and there’s still some pride at stake for the club.
“Anyone who’s played the game to a decent level is not accustomed to losing so we’ll be going out to win and we know these teams well and know what they’re about. So I think the matches will be just as competitive as normal.
“It’s been a frustrating, disappointing period.
“I thought back in March that we might get out of this by sometime in May.
“I don’t think anyone really envisaged that it would go on until the middle of July.
“The guys are definitely disappointed that the season has been eaten away like that but right now I think everyone is just glad to be playing again.
“We won’t look at it with regards to finishing on top of the table. We’re just going to go out there and play competitive cricket.
“The league table is secondary. It’s more about making sure we all play good, clean, competitive cricket. If you look at our division we’ve got three or four local derbies, Boyne
Hill, Cookham Dean etc.
“There’s a lot to play for in those matches, it might just be bragging rights but it’s still competitive cricket.
“All the guys will be strong and we’ll have to go out and play competitively.
Ashraf added: “Falkland will be strong. It’s always lovely to go out there and play. It won’t be easy and a few of us will feel a bit rusty, but we’re looking forward to a really tough match and getting back out there in the middle again.”
There are a number of new on field rules for players to get to grips with. The wicket keeper is no longer able to crowd the batsman at the stumps and slip fielders must stand at least one metre apart.
The batsmen will have designated running lanes to ensure they don’t get too close to the bowlers and the traditional afternoon tea, served by the home team, will be replaced by a 30-minute break with players bringing their own food and refreshments.
Contact details also have to be supplied for all players, coaches and officials so they can be ‘tracked and traced’ if someone at the ground later comes down with COVID-19.
Players must also wear their own kit and bring their own bat to matches to limit the sharing of equipment.