Its been a funny old close season, and at one stage it looked like we might not have any cricket this season. Then the day after the Cornwall league was cancelled Boris Johnson had a change of heart and announced recreational cricket could resume. Probably very sensible as one of his reasons for not allowing cricket was the fact that cricket teas are communal. No-one seemed to have told him ECB guidelines already said please arrive changed and bring your own food and refreshments….
And so some frantic calling around, sheep thrown off the ground (we did invite our Richard our landlord to bring them in), and four weekends of hard work and we are ready to start a shortened season. This is going to be a series of friendlies, although we have already made a fleeting appearance in the Isaac Foot Cup, losing to Werrington, who played a combined 3rd and 4th team. Please note that many of the fixtures will be on a Sunday.
But to wind back the clock a bit, we were close to the ground drying out enough for pre-season preparation when the lockdown hit. The lovely setting next to the Tamar River does have its downside: rather soggy in the winter! Richard’s sheep did help, but reports from Mike Murray (playing an unofficial round of golf) were that the ground was incredibly rough and unlikely to be playable this year. Nevertheless, with loads of hard work from Cliff, some sage advice on the square from Ian, and two work parties we appear to have made it to the starting line.
One major piece of news in the last month has been the sward of a substantial grant from the ECB, just over £3,000, intended to cover our losses from the Covid situation. This was a very welcome boost, for which we are grateful, as with no bar or social club our finances are always extremely tight. Working in partnership with Callington (providing games for their youngsters) and having our ground used by Yelverton’s third team also helped our case. Thanks to Brian for his work on that front.
We also met with Calstock Parish Council over the winter and sought support from them. The Council did offer to include mowing of our outfield within their regular grounds maintenance team’s schedule, with the first trial year free of charge. With Covid-19 we have delayed this partnership, but hope to have that service in 2021. The support of the Council is very welcome as we seek to steer our way through these difficult times.
Meanwhile, I have not forgotten that I still have two individual medals that were not presented at the end of season do. Medals for bowling (George Jefferis) and batting (Adam Emmerson) remain with me and ready to hand out.
Provisional fixtures have just been published, but we hope to fill in the blank spaces in the next few days. Keep an eye on Facebook for updates.
Stephen Lees
