Less than 5 years ago, I hadn’t played cricket since being a junior. But at 21, and having just finished Uni, I dragged myself along to play for a 3rd team that my friend captained. It was a chilly Sunday and I was prepared for being the 11th man, and thinking it was 50/50 whether I’d play again after that day. After not getting a duck, although dropping a skier on the cow corner boundary, it seemed a modestly successful day... and weirdly enjoyable, so much so I decided I’d be back again the next weekend for more.
And I’ve been back for more every weekend since.
And also every midweek training session since.
And every Friday night to coach the juniors.
In fact, I’m now a Level 2 coach, the junior chairman, I’ve been the Sunday captain for a couple of years, I play every Saturday and most Sundays, I’ve organised events and fundraisers, I’ve done the social media... it’s become a huge part of my life. But why is it I enjoy club cricket so much?!
Back when I was junior, I was lost to cricket. I started playing other sports that I was admittedly better at, and I enjoyed going to watch the football, and cricket slipped down the pecking order. But since returning it has gone to the top of the pecking order and I think there are many reasons for that; reasons that I think many other club cricketers will share.
Firstly, there’s the club itself and the people that make the club. From that first Sunday to this very day, I have never felt more welcomed and a part of something. It didn’t matter I wasn’t particularly talented at anything on the pitch, I was there, I was willing to try my best and I was willing to have a laugh; and that was all that mattered to everyone there.
I made friends that first game and I’ve made numerous friends ever since, from both our club and many, many others. There’s the odd ‘muppet’ on the circuit, but there is in every walk of life. However in the main, I don’t think there is a friendlier bunch of amateur sportsmen, with a better culture, than what you will find in local club cricket. And you’re willing to turn up every week, rain or shine, because of those people. Because you want to be out on the field with thone friends, and even against those guys in the opposing side!
Of course, we all play sport because we like to be competitive and we like to win or have our moment, and there seems to be something special about club cricket in that regard. Something that means every team always has a chance to win, and every player has the chance to be the hero, no matter who they are. It might only happen once or twice in 4 or 5 years for you; but that chance makes it worth persevering through the bad days.
And the key is that, even on those bad days, it’s very rare that there isn’t something you will remember positively from a day of club cricket. It can be a funny moment in the pre-game warm-up/kick about, it might be the amazing Victoria Sponge the opposition have made for teas, it could be as simple as the after game pint with your mates. It’s moments that make the bad days, not so bad.
They are all the reasons why I love match days, but a lot of us invest our time in club cricket outside of our Saturday or Sunday matches. In fact, I personally spend plenty more time doing club cricket related activities (and that’s not including this blog!)
The majority of that extra time involves the junior section. The reason I spend my time coaching juniors and being junior chairman is simplistic, it’s a love of teaching children and making a difference to them; investing in the future of the world through these children. And if they have fun, it’s guaranteed we have fun. I don’t think there’s anything better than that. Which is why I try my very best to get as many people involved as possible; everyone involved gets something positive out of it.
But why spend time on events and fundraisers? I guess its because we think of the club as our family and community, and we want to improve it and help it grow. We want it to develop and the people we’ve befriended develop alongside it. We want the best experience for ourselves and our friends possible; and we love doing it because nothing feels better than when you make a success of an idea; whether it’s an event or fundraiser.
There’s probably a million more reasons why we love club cricket, no doubt some obvious ones we haven’t even noticed. Things like the lively, banter-filled group chats, and the bottle of Bud and cheeseburger after Friday night junior training. But we think we’ve hit the main reason we love club cricket. It’s the sense of belonging; and the fun, the laughs, the competitiveness, the successes, the memories, the chance to do something worthwhile, that all comes alongside it.
Club cricket isn’t perfect, and some may say it’s dying and needs to change, and we’re sure that there will need to be changes to keep it going successfully. But we love it, and we’re so glad we’ve rediscovered our love for it. We hope you love it too.
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Have a great New Year everyone, go well!
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