Hot prospect of Indian Summer for clubs as takings surge

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It is not just in bio-secure bubbles at Southampton and Manchester that cricket is making its long-awaited comeback. Across the country clubs have been rolling the square and stocking up the bar and at Plumtree CC in Nottinghamshire it feels like an Indian summer is just around the corner.

“We knew something weird was going on when we first opened up the ground for individual nets.” Clubman Ian Smith explained. “We set up an online booking system as per the regulations and the take up was phenomenal.

“Schools were shut so children would come down with their parents and our coaches also ran one-to-one training. The field was full of kids most days. Parents just wanted to get rid of their kids for a couple of hours!”

This initial interest may have been a sign of things to come, but nobody at Plumtree could have expected the scene at the club when recreational cricket made its full return.

“It’s been amazing.” Smith said. “We arranged an intra-club 14-a-side game a couple of weeks ago and also had a friendly for our 3rd XI which involved 12 players. There were even five or six players who didn’t get a game. 100 people turned up just to watch!”

But it was the following day that proved just how important Plumtree, and club cricket, is to the local community.

“On the Sunday we held a intra-club junior festival. Over 100 kids were there and we took £3,500 behind the bar from the parents. No visiting teams just our club.

“I think we’re better off than we were last summer. We have more cricketers than we have space for. We need to arrange more friendlies so everybody can get a game.

“We are optimistic. A new invigoration has come from this and we’re looking into buying the field next to us for a second ground. There is a new optimism around the club.”

Cricket is well and truly back and clubs such as Plumtree are showing the strength of the recreational cricket community.

Covid-19 may have felt like a setback for cricket clubs but in Plumtree’s case it has strengthened the club and highlighted the game’s importance.

The Cricketer has also experienced a significant increase in advertising enquiries, with kit manufacturers and retailers in particular keen to promote to the recreational game ahead of the summer holidays.

Our team would love to see how we can drive sales for your brand. For more information, please contact: 

Jim Hindson / 07866 241241 / jim.hindson@thecricketer.com

Ed Krarup / 07751 295118 / ed.krarup@thecricketer.com

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