Allott defends taking Red Rose to Cumbria
PAUL ALLOTT has defended Lancashire’s choice of Sedbergh School as an outground, and revealed the club are looking to build a new ‘second home’ for the Red Rose.
And the club’s cricket director says outside of Emirates Old Trafford and Liverpool, there is no venue in Lancashire fit to host first-class cricket.
Some members have criticised the surprise decision to overlook Southport and select the Cumbrian venue for the County Championship match against Durham in June.
With Old Trafford out of bounds for a chunk of the summer as a host ground for the World Cup, as well as an Ashes Test being played there in September, Lancashire have to take two Championship matches to outgrounds this summer.
Liverpool was already confirmed for the Leicestershire match when the fixtures came out in November, but the second game – against Durham – was left without a venue, although Southport was thought to be the first option.
However, Lancashire announced last week that Sedbergh, in the Yorkshire Dales, would be their first new outground since Lythm in 1985.
“Liverpool has always been our go-to place in terms of when we need to be away from Old Trafford and we are going to use that as a practice base as well this summer when we can’t get in to Old Trafford,” Allott told M.E.N. Sport.
“We have had issues with Southport over the last 12 months. We had a second XI game abandoned there last summer after one day, a Kia Super League match received the worst marks in the country for the pitch there, and there were significant issues as regards the ground and pitch preparation for the Worcestershire game last year. The real hard work for that game was done by our assistant groundsmen.
“Southport do not have, although they will tell you differently, a permanent groundsman.
“Given the immediate past record of Southport, I didn’t think it was the right decision to go there. They accept that, and we are going to work hard with them in the coming months to make sure we can stage games there in the future.
“Blackpool has its own challenges in terms of drainage, which is poor at the moment, and we are not sure we can get a pitch there that will last four days. The infrastructure, dressing rooms etc, are not up to firstclass standard.
“The option then was to go to Liverpool for a second game or to find another venue. We thought Sedbergh fitted the bill. We thought it was an adventure. It is incumbent on us to spread the game around the north west of England.
“There is nowhere else in Lancashire where there is a decent four-day pitch that is capable of staging a first-class game. You could probably go to Crosby or Chester Boughton Hall, but they aren’t big enough and don’t have the infrastructure to host a first-class match so are a no-go on that front. And I don’t know anywhere else.”
The club have been keen to try to create a ‘second home’ which would be the base for their second team and the go-to option as an outground.
And Allott says they have been exploring sites where they could create a ground to fulfill that purpose.
He said: “There are a number of sites we are looking at, whether they are existing cricket sites or greenfield sites. We are trying to work in conjunction with various partners, councils and development companies to find the right site.
“My research tells me there is probably only Liverpool that would facilitate a second home for us. We dabbled with Westhoughton but access is a problem there.
“Any project we enter now will take between three and five years to complete. We can’t just click our fingers and create a cricket ground. And the cost to create a new ground, and the infrastructure surrounding it to facilitate first-class cricket is phenomenal. We are talking about £4m-£5m minimum. We are determined to look at and develop a site, but that is a medium-term project.
“You are talking three to five years for the square to develop at a new site, and that has to be the No.1 criteria.
“Even if you went to an existing cricket club, it wouldn’t have the pitch capabilities for professional cricket. So you will have to relay the square and that would take at least three years to come to fruition.” Allott, who confirmed Sedbergh had not paid to host the match, acknowledges the venue provides some transport issues. However, he says the clubs are looking at solutions. “They have really good infrastructure there,” he said. “They have permanent groundstaff, Cumberland play three-day Championship cricket there and the pitches have been fine, so I haven’t got a problem with it.
“Yes, it’s a departure from the norm and yes people will wonder why. But we have an awful lot of supporters who live in the north of Lancashire, not everyone lives within 10 miles of Old Trafford and it will give them an opportunity to watch some cricket.
“There was no conscious political decision to say ‘we must go to Cumbria or Cheshire to spread the game around the north west.’
“I appreciate it isn’t ideal for public transport. We are looking at offering a coach service from Old Trafford and looking at shuttle services from Oxenholme Station or Kendal. We are fully aware it might be a challenge for some people to get there and we will try to accommodate them the best we can.
“It is without doubt the most picturesque ground in the country. I just hope the weather is good and we can enjoy some good cricket there.”
There is nowhere else in Lancashire capable of staging a first-class game Paul Allott