Gearing up for action in the Competition

EVERY cricketer knows the damage that can be caused by indecision – the long walk back to the pavilion, with the whoops of the fielders barely drowning out the echoes of your batting partner’s hapless calls of “yes… no… maybe… sorry”.

So the clarity in the Government’s message last week was a breath of fresh air: All being well, outdoor team sports can be played from March 29.

For John Williams, chairman of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition, which is due to begin on April 24, it was an unexpected bonus.

“All of us feel a lot more positive about starting – if not on time, then around on time, towards the end of April,” he said.

“There’s no doubt that we’re in a much better position for the restart of a full cricket season than we were on Sunday.”

The plan all along was for an April 24 start, and Competition clubs have been advised to behave as if it’s a certainty. Now, the message is even more clear: Return to your clubs, and prepare for cricket.

“Get your grounds ready, even if you were in any doubt,” urged Mr Williams. “Get your club infrastructure ready. Paint your fences at 6ft intervals, that kind of thing.

“There’s now a real chance that we’ll be starting hopefully on the 24th, but if not then exceptionally quickly afterwards.”

The next hurdle comes when the ECB produces its cricketspecific guidance, after consultation with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Last year’s circumstances saw a shortened season begin in August with no use of changing rooms, no teas and no spitting on the ball.

“There is an expectation that changing rooms, in some form or another, will be available,” Mr Williams added.

“That, and the issue about teas, will come out in the guidance from the ECB and the DCMS.”

Whether or not promotion and relegation are active this year is another issue that remains to be ironed out – some captains believe the playing field may not be level enough yet to allow clubs’ futures to be impacted by what happens on the field.

But the competition’s beloved timed cricket – after last year’s minileagues were played to limited overs rules – will be back, according to Mr Williams.

He said: “Although we played cup cricket last year, if we can we’ll just go back to timed cricket unless there’s anything in the guidance that makes that not possible.

“We may have to make one or two amendments to the time regulations, depending on the guidance, but the aim is to revert to timed cricket.”

What is clear is that everyone involved wants a full season. It may not look quite the same – and depending on local variations in the restrictions, the Competition’s three Welsh clubs may struggle to get fully involved.

But with the exception of things well out of anyone’s control, Mr Williams feels positive that a full season will go ahead.

“If we get the go-ahead on March 29 and the guidance from the ECB comes out not a lot different from last year, there doesn’t seem any reason why we can’t start on April 24,” he said.

“I’ll be very disappointed now if we don’t start.

“It’s going to take a lot of work from the clubs, and they’re going to have to be patient – at the same time we have to get the junior leagues, and the women and girls. And people need to train, and people might test positive. It’s not going to be easy.

“No-one’s even registered a player yet – it’s going to be a really busy period for clubs. But it’s all going in the right direction.”