Devon chief still hopeful of some play

DEVON County Cricket Club chief executive Nigel Mountford has not run up the white flag on the prospect of some competitive cricket this season.

National Counties Cricket – the new name for the Minor Counties Championship and its subsidiary white-ball competitions – remains suspended until further notice.

Although professional cricket may get under way in late June or early July, and some Saturday leagues are hoping to play in July and August, there has been little in the way of corroboration from the ECB, Mountford said, other than rumours the only definite decision made so far by the National Counties was to cancel the early-season T20 competition. And even that may be subject to revision.

“The Twenty20 competition as planned has gone, but something like may be brought back in a different guise,” said Mountford.

“There has not been anything definite from National Counties, but that is not surprising. We won’t hear anything from the National Counties until they hear from the ECB, who are waiting for the Government to tell them.

What we have been told is that one of the two one-day competitions could be postponed until late July or August, assuming the pandemic eases by then and the ECB gives approval.

“We have been asked whether the venues selected for our three-day games – that’s Sandford and Sidmouth – are still available for the dates originally set aside for us to play there.

“It is very unlikely any threeday, championship cricket will take place in 2020, but there may be scope for some regional one-day games, 50 or 20 overs, against Cornwall and Dorset. “