Minor Cricket Associations One Day games enjoyable ???

[mal]

Is it enjoyable playing o/d 35-40 over games ?
I say not
65-75 over games or whatever overs are required these days are short enough[in my opinion]
What does 35-40 over games mean for some ?
Middle order to late order batsman can sometimes bat at the death and only get to bat a few overs
Tailenders at times dont get a hit
Captains reluctant to bowl spinners or young developing bowlers

Sometimes players will not get a bat or bowl, and yet with some clubs have to pay ball fees

In the latter stages of the 90s playing for the iconic WDCC in the Independant Cricket Association there was a proliferation of these o/d games
Several players didnt enjoy playing them
I detested them
I batted at 4 in those 35 over games
NFG
If the top 3 batted well, I had a few overs to bat in
Only if the team was 2 for little could I have a decent hit
I was also a spinner who would bowl several overs in the longer games
As skipper I rarely bowled myself in the o/d games
2/30 in 4 overs in o/d games is sometimes no good but in longer games it was mostly ok

The volume of o/d games in the ICCA was the main reason why I chose to switch to playing in the Church Comps in the early 2000s
I recall a dozen or so cricketers who left for the same reasons

I do however understand that the o/d format is liked by some
Employment on Saturdays stops some from playing the 2 day games, but can play 1 week
Some veterans who struggle to field all day enjoy the shorter formats
Some players enjoy the slogathons

I ask
O/D 35-40 games enjoyable or unenjoyable ?

As a younger player an emphatic NO
As an older player OK

[Booney]

mal, I put this tothe Assosciation Exec, via the WYC Committe. Unfortunately it did not get passed. I would have lved it. It now appears I am retired.....


I propose that Div 7 ( we are now back to 6 Divisions I know, and this could be done in 6 or have 7 created once more ) be used in this manner and why.

- One day game limited to 40 overs

- Played every second week on week 2 of the 2 day comp. This will encourage people from all grades to attend presentations at each clubs facilities.

- Therefore with 12 teams each side would still play 11 games.

This is a brief over view of the proposal and I best summarise why I think this could work.

Many recently retired players would attest to the fact the reasons they have retired could be confined to three major factors. Work,Family,Age. Lets look at them closely.

Family - As players reach a more mature age and find themselves with a young family the ability to take several hours out of every Saturday begins to put an unhealthy balance

into peoples lives. Understandably cricket is often the loser in this equation and children and spouse's are held in much higher regard. Rightly so. This then causes players to

retire from the game.

Age - Just as above,many players find a full days cricket leaves them too 'sore' to be 100% for a return to work on Monday morning. As not many of us ( I wish it was nobody ) gets paid

to play our level of cricket invariably cricket is the loser again.

Work - Many people now find themselves in a position that entails weekend work and not all employers are flexible enough to allow people to 'skip' Saturday's just to play cricket.

Also, players in higher grades who have 1 off commitments ( wedding etc ) could fit in and play in this division. Also, juniors from each club could 'test the water' as it were into senior

cricket giving clubs a look at those 14 or 15 year olds who are nearly ready to take the next step.

I feel many people who are on the cusp of retirement along with many recenlty retired players could find playing every second week suitable to thier lifestyle. Family still gets quality time

and the body only has to recover every two weeks from a game. If work commitments are an issue people may have the ability to work every other Saturday.

After speaking with several past players from my club,along with the thoughts of players still playing at mine and other clubs I think the interest in this competition would be strong.

Please take the time to discuss this with the Presidents of each club as I believe the interest will be strong and the feedback positive.

After all,our assosciation is all about encouraging people to play the game and what better way than to keep people involved longer and get them involved earlier.

[Lightning McQueen]

We have a club rule no matter what grade, you cant bat bottom 3 unless you bowl in the first 4. There is the odd game that a middle order player can end up not playing much of a part, but that's cricket. At least in the extreme heat you aren't stuck in the field for the whole day.
At the end of the day the captain does what is best for the team to win, the beer tastes better after a win no matter what contribution you made on a personal level. What goes around comes around, a good captain will mix it up a bit to keep everyone interested.
I enjoy both forms, I enjoy getting out there and playing no matter what, even if my highlight for the day is fielding a few balls.

[Grahaml]

One great aspect of our club in recent times has been how many of the older generation have hung around. It's pretty normal to have had over 50s and we've had plenty of blokes in their mid to late 40s. I've heard them all say how hard 2 day games are to get through, either being in the field those extra 20 or so overs, or batting longer than they might just hurts for the rest of the week. The one day games, especially as they are played in the hottest time gives them a break and allows them to play out the year. I think we all prefer 2 day games as they are more meaningful and give better cricketers the chance to show their skills but without them many people would give the game away earlier than they might.