The Liverpool & District Cricket Competition season has been delayed because of the recent poor weather conditions.
Many clubs have been unable to begin preparations due to constant rain leaving the outfield too soft and wet to begin working on.
Originally, the Comp was due to begin on Saturday, April 20. However, the season will now start one week late on Saturday, April 27, but only if clubs can get their grounds ready in time.
Postponed fixtures from April 20 are to be rearranged for Saturday, May 18, which had originally been pencilled in for the Comp’s cup fixtures.
Clubs in the area voted for this alternative arrangement after a meeting last night (April 9), with it being a more desirable option than simply cancelling the fixtures like many other leagues are doing across the country.
Many teams in the Comp have tight schedules, and with the window for playing cricket already limited, rearranging games for Sundays would be a difficult task.
Cricket is unfortunately often impacted by the rain, but many are saying this is the worst weather they have seen in the run-up to the season.
Tom Evans from Merseyside Cricket Online, said: “I started running Merseyside Cricket Online in 2018, and in that year, there was also a delayed start as it had been a particularly wet March.
“The problem is this year, it was already wet and then we had a really wet March. By all accounts, it’s worse than it was then.”
Unless a spell of dry days comes soon, clubs in the area will continue to struggle preparing for the season, and further delays may yet be seen.
Comments from club represenatives
Phil O’Brien, Wavertree Cricket Club
“Preparation is going great apart from the grass. All the work on the edge is going great, but we’ve not been able to get any machines out because the ground is too wet.
“We’re a long way behind in terms of getting a cricket ground prepared. It’s been terrible weather, really bad.
I do think that as bad as it’s been, it won’t need a long dry spell to turn it around. I think three or four days of decent weather and we’ll be alright to get on the ground.
“My gut feeling is we need seven-to-ten days of dry weather after we’ve started the work.”
Matty Jackson, Liverpool Cricket Club
“We’re quite lucky at Liverpool, we dry out really quickly, but the groundsman has had absolutely no chance to get out and do the necessary prep work for the pitch.
“Whilst in theory, we only need three dry days and we’d be good to go, it’s not that simple because it’s all the prep work we would have usually done in March, so as far as I know we’re not close.
I still imagine we’ll need a couple of weeks. So yeah, we need as much time as anyone needs. I don’t recall any other years where we haven’t even managed to get a friendly in.”
Mark Doyle, Old Xaverians Cricket Club
“Once we realised from the Comp itself that the 20th won’t go ahead, which is understandable, it made it a little bit tricky to plan the training and keep the momentum going from indoors into the outdoors.
“At the moment we are finding a little bit difficult, but the main reason for that is of course the weather.
“On the 27th our second team are at home. At the moment, we do hope to be able to play a game of cricket at our ground, but the rain has been particularly awful again this week.
“It’s pretty fair to say we wouldn’t be able to play on the 20th but we still hope to be able to play on the 27th.”
