There is a cost to tinkering with formats and selling the game to Sky – cricket’s very life is at stake
The barman at the Bat and Ball isn’t sure whether or not he likes cricket. “Never seen it,” he says, “never played it.” It’s a pity, because the game grew up by his pub. It’s a hook over the road from Broadhalfpenny Down, where they played the very first game of first-class cricket in 1772. The landlord then was Richard Nyren, captain, secretary, and star turn of the famous Hambledon team who often played and beat All-England. They used to have 20,000 here for those matches. This particular Saturday Hambledon’s third XI are playing Portsmouth’s. There are five people watching. The players are all old men and young kids, starting their first or last seasons in senior cricket.
Hambledon had a job getting a side out. A lot of the younger boys were away playing for their private schools, the older ones were already back at university, and everyone else was in Southampton watching England play Pakistan. They weren’t the only club struggling. There were eight forfeits across the league that weekend. It used to be the local rule that a side who forfeited three game in a season would be demoted, but they had to scrap it. Too many teams would have suffered.
Written by Andy Bull Photographs by Tom Jenkins
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/24/fear-and-loathing-in-english-crickets-fraying-heartland under the title “
“. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
