Influential figure Jim Sandford fears for future of Herefordshire cricket clubs (From Hereford Times)

Influential figure Jim Sandford fears for future of Herefordshire cricket clubs

10:30am Thursday 2nd August 2012 in Sport By Richard Prime

ONE of Herefordshire cricket’s most influential figures fears for the future of some county clubs after the disastrously wet summer.

And Jim Sandford, chairman of Eastnor and the GB Liners Marches League and a board member of Herefordshire Cricket Ltd, is hoping that clubs will step forward and ask for help before things get too desperate.

“The bad weather has had a tremendous impact player- wise and financially,”

he said.

“Players will have found other things to do — you are asked to play cricket on a Monday and then on a Friday the game is off so you find something else to do.

“In seven weeks, they probably played a maximum of three or four games.

“The football season is fast approaching and that will take players away, as it always does and clubs will suffer.

“Clubs with bars have suffered very badly — at my club, Eastnor, we have certainly suffered in June and July.

“You can never get it back but we hope that it will pick up now and we can get a bit of finance back into our club.”

Sandford pointed out that money has not stopped going out just because there is none coming in.

“Clubs have rent to pay, they have expenses connected with the preparation of their grounds — we have still had to try to prepare pitches even if the games have been called off,” he said.

“Outfields have been the biggest problem but clubs have still had to try to cut them and it all costs, but 140 THE HEREFORD TIMES, Thursday, August 2, 2012 Sports Desk phone: 01432 845810 email:sport@herefordtimes.com herefordtimes.com/sport Sport 6 then, when the game is called off on a Friday, all that revenue is gone.

“Some clubs actually pay to have their grounds done and I’m really not sure how they are going to survive.”

“Some of the small clubs are going to struggle to get through the season and you really have to wonder whether they will run next season.

“Teams have already dropped out of the Marches League — Bosbury have dropped their second team out and Canon Frome withdrew their second team from the Worcestershire League.”

Now Sandford is hoping that the cricket authorities in the county will help out.

“I feel very sorry for clubs and I just wonder whether Herefordshire Cricket Ltd and the Marches League can assist clubs,” he said.

“But first of all, clubs have to come forward. I know it’s hard for clubs to ask but they are just going to have to bite the bullet.

“I am the chairman of the Marches League and a board member of Herefordshire Cricket Ltd.

“If clubs want to contact me, then I am quite happy to act on their behalf — a lot of people do not like asking for things.

“I’m not sure what we can do until everyone gets their cards on the table.”

Email Jim Sandford on winnipegj4@aol.com or call him on (01531) 633055.