It’s that time of year when the clocks go forward and cricketers start gearing up for the new season.
But, as April beckons, leading figures in the north-east have warned about the steep decline in the number of players and clubs across the region.
At the end of a week which saw Scotland’s cricketers eliminated from next year’s World Cup in the cruellest of fashions – denied by a mixture of bad umpiring decisions and the Duckworth-Lewis method in Zimbabwe – the summer sport finds itself at a crossroads, both at elite and grassroots level.
Bob Buchan, the former cricket convener at Aberdeenshire CC, believes there is no room for complacency in addressing the problems facing the game.
He said: “No organised cricket in primary and secondary state schools for the last 30 years has meant children are not being introduced to the sport at an early age. For too long, local clubs have not engaged with attracting youngsters. The impact is now being keenly felt.”
It’s a far cry from the days when the competition formerly drew upwards of 50 or 60 participants.
As one Grades representative explained: “The situation has gone downhill to a worrying degree in recent years. In 2011, there were 38 teams spread over four leagues. Now there are just 29 clubs in three leagues.
“It’s difficult getting youngsters to spend whole days playing cricket.”
Buchan doesn’t believe the problems are insurmountable. He cited the burgeoning development of Allstars cricket, an ECB programme for five to eight-year-olds which encourages parents and children to participate together.
He added: “I’m involved with the Redball Primary School programme, which is supported by Drum Property Group, and has allowed Aberdeenshire to provide cricket coaching sessions during curriculum time to 15 schools in the city. There is also the Northern Lights scheme, which is a new initiative just being launched in the Aberdeen area with the aim of getting local girls involved in the sport.”
Nonetheless, the omens are not auspicious for 2018 and beyond, given the lack of high-profile fixtures across the country.
One former Scotland star told the Press and Journal: “The ICC has pulled the rug from under our feet and it’s ridiculous there are just 10 teams in next year’s World Cup.”
