Cricket: More than a minor role to play

Stephen Brenkley hears the recreational players will not be taken for granted

It might have been some Elysian field on the way to paradise but it was Finchampstead in Berkshire, only 14 miles down the road from Reading. Trees lined the cricket ground but not so that they obstructed the view of the lush, rolling countryside beyond.

Flower beds adorned the area outside the boundary rope, the perfectly formed wooden scorebox at midwicket looked as though it ought to have been a listed building. In the middle, watched longingly by a few score of chaps who had played cover drives when the top hand on the bat was the one that mattered, Berkshire were playing Cheshire in the Western Division of the Minor Counties Championship.

It was a highly competitive but ever so gentlemanly contest in which the bad ball was being dispatched disdainfully over the flat, green outfield. The ascendancy of the bottom hand apart, the scene could have been timeless. But this was the morning after the MacLaurin Report, and this sort of cricket, the apex of the recreational game in England, was never going to be the same again.

"Minor Counties is already a bloody good standard, a lot better than the powers that be at Lord's sometimes give it credit for," Ian Cockbain said as he sat on one of the perimeter benches, waiting to go into bat. "We have an important role to play."

Cockbain is in a prime position to judge the MacLaurin proposals for sweeping changes in the upper tiers of the recreational game. He played 46 first-class matches in four seasons with Lancashire, he is captain of both the Minor Counties representative side and Cheshire and plays for his hometown club of Bootle.

Raising the Standard recommends a national network of Premier League sides and a restructuring which will see the merging of the Minor Counties Championship and the County Second XI Championship, placing 38 teams in one competition. The intention is that this will lead to a seamless progression from club to first-class cricket.

"I agree that the gap above the clubs had to be closed and virtually all the players thought so," Cockbain said. "But I can also envisage problems. I'm in favour of the Premier League system but can't fully appreciate the point about it making players more competitive. Up north, believe me we're competitive.

"As for playing these club matches over two days, I can't see that happening at all. You're asking lads to give up their entire weekends all summer. I just can't see that going down too well at home for a lot of them."

The England and Wales Cricket Board may surmount that obstacle by giving the top clubs cash grants and hoping that money, as ever, proves to be a persuasive debating point in the kitchens of club cricketers. While Cockbain was disturbed about the effects of the new world on individuals he was also doubtful about some of the existing northern leagues' willingness to participate in the Premier leagues.

"They have long histories. They are very parochial, especially in Lancashire and Yorkshire. They'll probably not budge, though some of the players might." The silence of league officials since the unveiling of MacLaurin's plans on Tuesday suggests that Cockbain's pessimism is not misplaced. He is less concerned about the proposals for the 38-team county competition but still had cautionary words.

"Whether it's going to raise the standard may be open to doubt. First- class county staffs are being reduced, which is fine but the ones in the squad and not in the team might not be playing in this new competition. We could be playing what amount to third teams and believe me we can already easily match most second teams. I'm not sure about making all two-day matches one innings just so people can bat longer. The two-innings game can be entertaining and suits our sponsors."

Cockbain, like many others, was slightly miffed about the intended stipulation to give some guaranteed places to under-25s. The Minor Counties are already well aware of their responsibilities in that area - and in the age of the cult of youth the benefit of experience is not to be forgotten.

With that a wicket fell and the 39-year-old captain of Cheshire went to the crease. He struck an attractive unbeaten 66 (with plenty of bottom hand) to add to his first five-wicket haul in 129 Minor Counties Championship matches. A prolonged thunderstorm ended the prospect of a thrilling finish. It lashed down and lakes formed on the ground so that it no longer resembled an Elysian field. Still, the MacLaurin Report may have a more devastating effect.