CLUBS facing an uncertain future due to a player shortage have been urged to turn to the Durham Cricket Board (DCB) for help before deciding whether to carry on or not.
At the annual meeting of the Teesdale Cricket Development Group (TCDG), it was noted with some sadness that Lands CC had resigned from the Darlington and District League and folded due to lack of numbers.
However, Darren Brown, DCB development officer, said the first he had heard of Lands’ plight was after the club’s demise.
“Nobody from the cricket club approached us for any support,” he said.
“We could have sat down and helped to try to do things.
“Our job is to support clubs and get clubs to play cricket on a weekend.”
Carrol Simpson, Lands’ representative on the TCDG, explained that despite a number of meetings, only seven players could commit for the coming cricket season.
Mr Simpson asked whether the DCB could have helped the club find four or five senior players so that fixtures could be fulfilled, Mr Brown said no.
Mr Simpson said the decision to fold the club was taken in time to allow the Darlington and District Cricket League to alter its fixture lists for the season, which starts on April 21.
As the result of Lands’ withdrawal, Middleton-in-Teesdale, who were relegated at the end of last season, have been reinstated in the A division.
Mr Simpson said the club – which holds a 999-year lease on its ground – would continue to exist and facilities would be maintained.
“We are still going to do the wicket.
“After Easter, the square will be reseeded,” he said.
The roadside verge outside the ground will be kept tidy and the plan is to cut the outfield once, or perhaps twice during the summer.
Middleton-in-Teesdale’s Anthony Coatsworth asked whether friendly games or social cricket could be organised to keep the ground in use.
The experience of Etherley CC was cited as proof clubs could come back after a period of closure. However, Mr Simpson said compared to Etherley, one of the difficulties for Lands was that players were drawn from a number of far-flung communities and did not have a town or sizeable village to call on.
Mr Brown suggested embracing the ECB All Stars scheme, which aims to get children aged five to eight years and their parents involved in cricket.
Mr Coatsworth added: “You have got to start with the young ones. You never know who might pitch up as far as parents are concerned.”
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
