Time to reflect on how things have improved

WHILE continuing to badly miss my cricket like many during this lockdown, it has given me time to reflect how far Leicestershire CCC have come in the past five years.

The mid-2000s bought a fair amount of on-the-field success, but bad off the field management meant there always seemed to be a crisis looming, with many great players leaving the club – Phillip DeFreitas, Darren Maddy and Darren Stevens to name three – and not by the usual temptations of moving on to bigger counties.

The 2011 20/20 cup-winning season was marked by more top players like Josh Cobb,Greg Smith and Shiv Thakor leaving, making what at best could be described as sideways moves to similar sized counties.

In 2015 Wasim Khan was appointment as chief executive which saw players like Mark Cosgrove and Clint McKay arrive.

They both played a big part in the on-field revival, as did the likes of Paul Horton Neil Dexter, Dieter Klein and Gavin Griffiths. There was also the big appointment of head coach Paul Nixon.

The ground has had a total facelift in that time, too with the addition of floodlights and the new Milligan Road-side development, as well as the catering, probably among the best on the county circuit now.

Roy Bent and Karen Rothery continued the trend during their stints as chief executive and no doubt Sean Jarvis will play a big part in the next stage of the club’s revival as he takes up the role of chief executive.

The new board, recently put in place, has big ambition in all areas of the club as Leicestershire bid to become one of the game’s elite once again.

So, while I am obviously frustrated at not having any cricket at present, the prospects of success have not looked as rosy as they do now in more than 20 years. Here’s to a successful future.

Oliver Hawke, Great Glen