Seaham Harbour CC

I think for Seaham Harbour it's asking too much off them with both Seaham Park and Dawdon little more than a stone throw away to put three teams out to play all afternoon.

In my experience I think third team cricket should be on a night over a short format who don't take it too seriously and want to enjoy the game.

Asking third team cricketers to give up a whole afternoon is too much imo and the longevity won't last.
I have said this for years that Seaham cannot sustain 3 cricket clubs. Just up the road, in the same postcode, is Murton CC. 8 teams to put out on Saturdays, plus scorers, officials, committee personnel, provision of teas, etc; etc.
Leagues, and clubs, will have to be more flexible. Allow clubs to compete with one team. Allow clubs to "loan" players.
Sundays are, generally, less of a problem. South Hetton, for example could not put out 2 teams on a Saturday, but had no problem putting out a Sunday team and a midweek 3rd team.
Saturdays are the problem for some clubs.
The only alternatives are clubs "merging" or clubs folding !
 


Not sure anyone can blame the league. To say it is dictatorial is just bollocks. The premier league are great in allowing players to be loaned elsewhere, it’s actually been other leagues I have seen putting the blockers on it happening. No team is forced to be in the NEPL and by no means should being in the NEPL be seen as the be all and end all for a club. Hopefully thy can survive this and make a go of it at a lower level in the future.
 
Playing two teams in a Saturday isn't just an NEPL requirement hence the reason why South Hetton didnt go to their next league down

I totally disagree with merging clubs. This means less facilities and to me is an acceptance that the numbers won't ever increase. If some miracle happens and numbers grow in a few years then all those grounds that have gone won't be available.

We somehow need all clubs to survive any maybe this is time for some leagues to consider 1 Saturday team only.

Clubs aren't potentially folding because of finance, it's due to numbers and that can only be addressed in the short term with teams able to play with 1 team
 
Not sure anyone can blame the league. To say it is dictatorial is just bollocks. The premier league are great in allowing players to be loaned elsewhere, it’s actually been other leagues I have seen putting the blockers on it happening. No team is forced to be in the NEPL and by no means should being in the NEPL be seen as the be all and end all for a club. Hopefully thy can survive this and make a go of it at a lower level in the future.


The premier league very rightly stepped in when other leagues in the past where blocking teams progressing,yet now have criteria that actually puts barriers in the way of a team actually doing exactly that!!!

Playing two teams in a Saturday isn't just an NEPL requirement hence the reason why South Hetton didnt go to their next league down

I totally disagree with merging clubs. This means less facilities and to me is an acceptance that the numbers won't ever increase. If some miracle happens and numbers grow in a few years then all those grounds that have gone won't be available.

We somehow need all clubs to survive any maybe this is time for some leagues to consider 1 Saturday team only.

Clubs aren't potentially folding because of finance, it's due to numbers and that can only be addressed in the short term with teams able to play with 1 team


Numbers will never grow in a few years the complete opposite is going to happen hence the need for greater flexibility and less strict criteria.
 
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So should league's allow teams to field first teams only to allow clubs with lack of numbers to compete at a higher level?.

The 3rd team debate is irrelevant as that's not the struggle. It's Saturday's that clubs are struggling to field 2 teams.
 
Playing two teams in a Saturday isn't just an NEPL requirement hence the reason why South Hetton didnt go to their next league down

I totally disagree with merging clubs. This means less facilities and to me is an acceptance that the numbers won't ever increase. If some miracle happens and numbers grow in a few years then all those grounds that have gone won't be available.

We somehow need all clubs to survive any maybe this is time for some leagues to consider 1 Saturday team only.

Clubs aren't potentially folding because of finance, it's due to numbers and that can only be addressed in the short term with teams able to play with 1 team
"Merging" is a very loose term. For example, South Hetton's ground is used every other Saturday.
Why couldn't a club like Hetton Lyons support South Hetton by "loaning" players to play as South Hetton seconds ?
Some of the bigger clubs e.g South Northumberland, Benwell Hill and Tynemouth have a "Saturday 3rd team" who play at another ground.
South North play at Matfen, Benwell Hill play in the West Tyne League at a village ground in the Tyne Valley, Tynemouth have another ground near to their home ground.
 
So should league's allow teams to field first teams only to allow clubs with lack of numbers to compete at a higher level?.

The 3rd team debate is irrelevant as that's not the struggle. It's Saturday's that clubs are struggling to field 2 teams.

Its the fact that in this ever decreasing numbers of participation there should actually be less of a criteria to be in the league not more.

I have said several times there is too many barriers put in front of clubs you must have this you must have that for what is essentially just a local cricket league.

The criteria should be how well you have performed on the field not that you ground is 2 yards short or your dressing room does not have enough pegs!!!

Its a question of when not if when teams are required to just have one team.
 
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Playing two teams in a Saturday isn't just an NEPL requirement hence the reason why South Hetton didnt go to their next league down

I totally disagree with merging clubs. This means less facilities and to me is an acceptance that the numbers won't ever increase. If some miracle happens and numbers grow in a few years then all those grounds that have gone won't be available.

We somehow need all clubs to survive any maybe this is time for some leagues to consider 1 Saturday team only.

Clubs aren't potentially folding because of finance, it's due to numbers and that can only be addressed in the short term with teams able to play with 1 team

I think cricket could potentially kickstart again in 2020 with more juniors attracted. That will take 5-10 years s to flow through to senior level though.

Hopefully the number of clubs folding during that time will be minimal.
 
I think cricket could potentially kickstart again in 2020 with more juniors attracted. That will take 5-10 years s to flow through to senior level though.

Hopefully the number of clubs folding during that time will be minimal.

Hope your right for the future of local cricket but personally I don't see it happening,
Saturday cricket is the biggest problem for loads of clubs, just have to look in the last two years at the number of games conceded or teams fielding 9 players. 2nd team cricket should be optional for clubs and should also be flexibily played on either a Saturday or a Sunday to help clubs field teams,
For me 3rd team cricket should then be a midweek game.
 
"Merging" is a very loose term. For example, South Hetton's ground is used every other Saturday.
Why couldn't a club like Hetton Lyons support South Hetton by "loaning" players to play as South Hetton seconds ?
Some of the bigger clubs e.g South Northumberland, Benwell Hill and Tynemouth have a "Saturday 3rd team" who play at another ground.
South North play at Matfen, Benwell Hill play in the West Tyne League at a village ground in the Tyne Valley, Tynemouth have another ground near to their home ground.
Hetton Lyons themselves struggle for seniors players, particularly at 2nd team level, there 2nds are mostly kids and got relegated last season.
 
Just been told that Newcastle CC will have a Saturday 3rd team, playing at Medicals ground, as Medicals CC.
Canny ground that.

Here's a thought, if lads want a couple of weeks away from the cricket to placate the wife/kids or go away for a weekend, why not have Leagues of 11? 2 free weeks to plan ahead for. Might save a few clubs.
 
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Two points.

Durham CCC Academy only field one team, so why can’t a club in trouble.

Seaham Harbour were always just getting by in their DSL days, bottom every year and awful facilities. It’s amazing that they were allowed in NEPL2, when clubs that are far better organised didn’t apply ... bells should have rang then.
 
Hope your right for the future of local cricket but personally I don't see it happening,
Saturday cricket is the biggest problem for loads of clubs, just have to look in the last two years at the number of games conceded or teams fielding 9 players. 2nd team cricket should be optional for clubs and should also be flexibily played on either a Saturday or a Sunday to help clubs field teams,
For me 3rd team cricket should then be a midweek game.

I disagree mate. I think numerous clubs are struggling to put out two teams at present but the current rules force them to take the tougher option and scrape together a second XI (or IX at times!). Take away that criteria and a few more will take the 'easy' option and go down to one, driving down participation again.

While the NEDL is there as a safety net for clubs surely the 'two sides' thing shouldn't be forcing clubs to fold?
 
I disagree mate. I think numerous clubs are struggling to put out two teams at present but the current rules force them to take the tougher option and scrape together a second XI (or IX at times!). Take away that criteria and a few more will take the 'easy' option and go down to one, driving down participation again.

While the NEDL is there as a safety net for clubs surely the 'two sides' thing shouldn't be forcing clubs to fold?

Understand what you mean mate, but at the same time, what happens if for example Seaham Harbour were to say we can only put out 1 team, they drop to the NEDL but keep 90% of the first team? They would walk the NEDL and then be stuck.
Leagues have to realise that participation in cricket is on the decline, and to keep clubs alive they need to change the old time views and be more flexible.
 
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Understand what you mean mate, but at the same time, what happens if for example Seaham Harbour were to say we can only put out 1 team, they drop to the NEDL but keep 90% of the first team? They would walk the NEDL and then be stuck.
Leagues have to realise that participation in cricket is on the decline, and to keep clubs alive they need to change the old time views and be more flexible.

Spot on, they need to more with the times.
 
Some of the various league meetings I have attended were full of people who hadn't played for years and on this particular topic, that is a stumbling block. I know surveys are done but we need to look 5-10 years ahead and see that (slightly) less cricket needs to be played and games need to be (again, slightly) shorter. I hate to propose this but clubs will continue to fold/struggle otherwise. There are just too many distractions.
 
Not sure anyone can blame the league. To say it is dictatorial is just bollocks. The premier league are great in allowing players to be loaned elsewhere, it’s actually been other leagues I have seen putting the blockers on it happening. No team is forced to be in the NEPL and by no means should being in the NEPL be seen as the be all and end all for a club. Hopefully thy can survive this and make a go of it at a lower level in the future.
I can't see a logical cricket reason why there is an insistence on a club having to field 3 senior teams at a weekend. Hence the accusation of being dictatorial. Why put obstacles to a club's progression without good reason?
 
Would be a disaster if teams could play only 1 team. The 2nd teams would become a joke and miss weeks here or there. Where would those players go??

Need to have a mixture of leagues where are easy to access for teams who want to field 1 or 2 teams. I personally think 2nd team format needs to change with the times but we can't have the best leagues in the region filled with clubs who only have 1 team. Could 2nd teams not play on a Saturday and make 3rd team play midweek.
 
Two points.

Durham CCC Academy only field one team, so why can’t a club in trouble.

Seaham Harbour were always just getting by in their DSL days, bottom every year and awful facilities. It’s amazing that they were allowed in NEPL2, when clubs that are far better organised didn’t apply ... bells should have rang then.
Facilities have always been spot on and better than most clubs whilst in the NEPL.
 

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