Trafalgar Rd hopes high of hosting Lancs
LANCASHIRE’S cricketers might yet be using Trafalgar Road this summer should they need an alternative venue for their games during what will be a severely truncated domestic season.
Paul Allott, the county’s director of cricket, was accompanied by a safety officer charged with carrying out Covid-19 assessments when he visited Southport & Birkdale’s ground on Tuesday morning and both men were favourably impressed with all they saw.
In normal circumstances that might merely increase the chances of S&B hosting a game in 2021 but since Emirates Old Trafford must be a completely biosecure environment when it hosts three Test matches against West Indies and Pakistan in July and August, Lancashire could have immediate need of their outgrounds.
Head coach Glen Chapple and his players are already training at Chester Boughton Hall, where the provision of two large cricket fields allows a lot of cricketers to practise while still keeping their social distance, but it remains possible the county may need to play one or more matches at Liverpool, Southport or Blackpool once the revised fixture-list for this extraordinary season is confirmed.
However, it can hardly be stated more strongly that nothing is certain.
For one thing it has not yet been decided whether the 18 counties will play four-day cricket, 50-over matches or T20 games this season.
Until that and other issues are resolved, Lancashire will not know precisely what they require.
But the positive comments from Allott will still come as a boost to S&B and in particular to the new groundsman, Colin Maxwell, and to Adam and Steve Phillips, all of whom have worked immensely hard on Trafalgar Road this summer, even though there remains a possibility the old place will see no cricket at all for the first time in its history.
“Paul was very complimentary about the state of the ground and the square,” said S&BCC chairman, Andrew Carney.
“But Lancashire still have over six weeks to look at all the details before the possible start of domestic cricket in early August and there are a lot of issues that need to be resolved.
“Nevertheless from our point of view the ground got a big tick and we had a really good conversation about what might be involved.
“We are happy to help Lancashire in any case but especially if it leads to us hosting a game either this season or next.”
Liverpool Competition officials are also hopeful that a season of sorts will be possible in August and September.
And with that delicious prospect in view, S&B’s cricketers will be holding two strictly controlled net sessions this evening.
Complying with ECB’s guidelines, numbers will be limited to six persons per net and all players will maintain a strict social distance.