Ashton Cricket Club chairman Lee Hewitt has criticised the Government’s decision to further postpone the season and has questioned how football can get the nod of approval in the same circumstances.
Lee, who has been associated with the club for 15 years and is currently the second team captain, has been left frustrated by the issue and feels there is an imbalance in the handling of both sports.
As part of the Government’s relaxation of lockdown measures, cricket clubs in England have been allowed to re-open their netting facilities, as long as they abide by the current rules which stipulate a maximum of six people per group.
Ashton, who compete in the Greater Manchester Cricket League, opened their nets to members last week and are now hoping that numbers will continue to grow over the coming month.
However, although he’s happy to be back at Reyner Lane, Lee believes the season should commence and would be happy to play in any format of the game.
Speaking to Reporter Sport about the current guidance on English cricket and the way the club has survived during lockdown, Lee said: “I’m frustrated, the club’s frustrated, and I’m sure others are as well.
WATCH: Football returns to England on June 17th as the Premier League recommences. However, cricket is still to get the nod of approval, leaving clubs and players frustrated by the decision. We went down to Rayner Lane this evening, home of Ashton Cricket Club, to get the views of chairman Lee Hewitt. He also spoke to us about the club's financial situation, how important juniors will be to Ashton's future prosperity, and what he believes will be the best scenario if the season does begin.
Posted by Tameside Reporter on Thursday, June 4, 2020
“I’m a football fan and I’m delighted to have that back, but I can’t understand why other sports can’t take place as well. Cricket is a non-contact sport, whereas footballers are in close proximity.
“We’re normally used to playing a 40-50 over game, but we’re happy to play 20 over matches, or just cricket in any format really.
“Hopefully on the back of that we can open the bar up and get the revenue going as well.
“At first there was a big panic when we went into lockdown, and the same can be said for a lot of other clubs.
“Our revenue comes from the bar and there were no bar takings. We applied for grants like a lot of other clubs have done, including a small business grant from the Government and a Sport England grant as well. We were really fortunate to get those and at the moment, we’re ok.
“The problem is, if you don’t know where to look then it can be difficult. The Greater Manchester Cricket League have been good in terms of getting all the clubs together and sharing ideas.
“There is money out there, but you just have to know where to get it from, but if you don’t that’s where your problems start.”
Before lockdown took effect, Ashton were training at West Hill School in preparation for their third season in the Greater Manchester Cricket League.
The club was affiliated with the Central Lancashire League for many years until a shake-up in regional cricket in 2016 forced the club to pursue a new adventure in the Pennine Cricket League.
However, that was short-lived and ended after just one season, which left club officials with another decision to make about their future.
Following a series of discussions, Ashton opted to join the GMCL and have since played in that competition since 2018.
Of the GMCL, Lee said: “It’s taken a bit of getting used to, as we were in the Central Lancashire League for a long time. We also had a short stint in the Pennine League as well.
“The GMCL is looking to expand and getting Premiership status, so they have big ambitions. With that aim, clubs have to operate in a certain way to help the league achieve that.
“For a lot of clubs it’s good, but it’s a big league and it takes a lot of managing and the communication is key moving forward.”
Ashton’s junior section is also affiliated with the GMCL and there are hopes that the youngsters will one day represent the club at senior level.
According to Lee, cultivating a strong junior section will lay the foundations for a promising future - although he admits it’s not that easy to do.
He said: “Our main aim is to bring the juniors through, as the juniors are the future of any club.
“It’s about maintaining a strong junior contingent who will then progress to play senior cricket for the first, second and third teams. We have juniors here from the age of seven, eight and nine, right the way through until they finish playing.
“We’re a big family club, always have been and always will be, and we want to be successful in any team that we put out, but that said it’s hard work keeping the same players together.
“People have different commitments, such as university, jobs and family life, so it can be difficult to maintain a squad and that’s why we have to attract new players to fill the void.”
Players wishing to join the club ahead of the upcoming season are welcome to attend training sessions at Reyner Lane.
Juniors sessions take place on Monday and Tuesday, while senior training is on a Thursday.
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