Club Week: Finding the next Ben Stokes and Cricket Australia admits grassroots decline

The Cricketer rounds up some of the more unusual stories of the past seven days from across local cricket scenes around the world...

Second time lucky for Scarborough club?

A cricket club in Scarborough has encountered plenty of obstacles on its way to attempt to replace an ageing pavilion.

Brompton Cricket Club's latest attempts to do so involve a resubmission of plans, with the previous terms facing an objection from the Health and Safety Executive about a gas pipe classed as a "major hazard" in the vicinity of the new pavilion, according to The Gazette Herald.

The plans were withdrawn soon after and have now been resubmitted with the pavilion moved away from the area of concern.

The club's current ground in Ings Lane in Brompton by Sawdon was built in the 1950s by members for £250.

The pavilion though has no disabled access, no showers and a kitchen that is too small for its current use.

Will their fortune be any better second time round?

Woman furious after mother hit by cricket ball

Buying a house next to a cricket ground can have its advantages of getting to watch some live action without having to move.

But it can have its dangers as well, as Julie Brodribb in Bristol found out when she was struck by a ball while sitting in her own back garden.

Daughter Anitra Salthouse saw the incident and said that the ball smashed into the patio, bounced into a planter, and ricocheted into her mother's leg.

She also claims the impact of the ball, which was being used in a match between Downend Club and Bedminster Cricket Club, completely smashed the garden feature, and left her 60-year-old mum with a large bruise on her leg.

"She was so lucky it didn't hit her first," Anitra told the Bristol Post.

"It could have been a whole other story - the fact it hit two other places first and still left a bruise like that is really scary, anything could have happened really."

Initiative to find next Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer

One of the many positives to come from England's World Cup win is the apparent inspiration it has provided at grassroots level, and this club in Witney, Oxfordshire is certainly taking advantage of the added buzz.

Witney Mills Cricket Club has launched a new scheme called "Team Witney 2035" will see the club hold free sessions for seven to 11-year-olds every Wednesday throughout August and September.

Junior coach Richard Tilley, who thought up the idea alongside club captain Mike Dove, told The Oxford Mail: "I used to play at the same golf club as world top 40 player Eddie Pepperell [from Abingdon] and his dad, Ron.

"Ron very occasionally said very wise things and I remember he used to tell Eddie 'there is a young boy out there who is going to be world No 1 in 15 years' time, and there's no reason it can't be you if you work hard'.

"We are giving kids the same message – there are 16 kids out there who are going to be in that England squad in 2035 and you could be one of them if you have the talent and commit yourself to the sport."

Australian grassroots cricket in decline

The Ashes may not have begun in the best way possible for Australia, but there is another immediate concern in Australian cricket that has been highlighted recently.

Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has conceded that club cricket is in "gradual decline" and admitted that there is widespread disaffection at grassroots level.

Roberts conceded on Tuesday that club cricket in Australia was struggling due to a loss in member clubs, but denied claims that the organisation had over-estimated its participation statistics for the 2018-19 season.

In an open letter to all registered club players and volunteers around the country, Roberts said: "We acknowledge that the number of registered players in traditional club environments has experienced a gradual decline over the past few years, even though total cricket participation continues to grow at a healthy rate.

"Cricket clubs, like all club sport, face retention challenges in an increasingly time-poor society. As a volunteer, I also appreciate that leading a cricket club is becoming harder and new volunteers are not always lining up to help the club stalwarts.

"The commitment to supporting volunteers and making sure the game has a successful and sustainable future is one of Australian cricket's top priorities under my leadership."

Cricket restored in Conception Bay, Canada after nearly 100 years

It’s been almost a century since the last competitive cricket match was played in Harbour Grace, Canada.

But the sport is set to return to the Conception Bay North community on Sunday, according to The Telegram.

The Town of Harbour Grace, in partnership with Cricket Newfoundland and Labrador, will stage a 10-over match between two teams from Cricket NL, followed by an opportunity for locals to try their hand at the game.

The last known cricket match in Harbour Grace was in 1924 following a decline in the sport’s popularity after World War One. However, it was considered the major summer sport in the area during the 19th century.

Harbour Grace also produced the person considered Newfoundland’s greatest ever cricketer, John Shannon Munn, who played at the highest levels of the game while attending Oxford University in 1901 and 1902.

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