SA Churches and Community Cricket Association 2009-10

[Phantom Gossiper]

Goat Herder - I agree with your observations about the numbers in ALL cricket leagues are dwindling. This being the case, a fall in numbers of players and teams and clubs participating in our league cannot be attributed purely to the name of the league and the relevant facilities clubs in that league can offer.

Why are all cricket leagues suffering? The answer is that priorities have changed. People can no longer spare many hours to play on Saturday. The typical working week has changed. Stay-at-home mums are a thing of the past. Time on Saturday afternoons now come at a premium. Coupled with that, humans are so entertainment-driven these days, we want to be entertained instantly, and quickly. Indoor cricket centres all over the country are brimming with social teams on weeknights, the Twenty20 phenomenon continues to roll-on, and digital tv's are beaming images of all sports in high quality to our loungerooms, so we don't have to move an inch on Saturday afternoon for our sporting fill.

This forum has discussed it before - and I hate to cover that same ground - but the league needs to look at re-formatting it's games, and it's season, to cater for the lifestyles of busy people.

pretty well written i must say 'writer

[bloodybouncer]

Hey writer/herder. I agree, its not 100% name change that is the issue here. This wasn’t my point at all, and is by no means the only solution to the issue at hand here, which is the longevity of the competition. All I am doing is asking questions.

The issue at hand is the connotations of the “churches” name. I can tell you that as an ex-non-churcher, the impression of the league was whimsical to say the least. Now that I am within the ranks, so to speak, that is just obsviously not the case, yet the impression continues in all grades of cricket. The impression is even there in social discussion amongst non-cricketers........people still jest that we are all church goers, and pray before every game. How the hell we meant to sign up people with this first impression? I think a name change, as one of several possible changes, may alleviate the impressions currently out there, and may facilitate the acquisition of new people and teams. Its not the only solution, I know this. But I don’t think we should dismiss this as an option is all im saying. If it precludes us from the National Championships, that this cannot be an option, I agree.

Apart from banning PS3/xbox/iphones/internet and us all working too hard (all of which we cannot change), lets thinks about things we can change. I think this is all healthy discussion. What if the name of our competition was to reflect one of the most influential/prominent church volunteers.........

[Goat Herder]

Like the 'Andrew Balding Cup'..???

[auto]

Hey writer/herder. I agree, its not 100% name change that is the issue here. This wasn’t my point at all, and is by no means the only solution to the issue at hand here, which is the longevity of the competition. All I am doing is asking questions.

The issue at hand is the connotations of the “churches” name. I can tell you that as an ex-non-churcher, the impression of the league was whimsical to say the least. Now that I am within the ranks, so to speak, that is just obsviously not the case, yet the impression continues in all grades of cricket. The impression is even there in social discussion amongst non-cricketers........people still jest that we are all church goers, and pray before every game. How the hell we meant to sign up people with this first impression? I think a name change, as one of several possible changes, may alleviate the impressions currently out there, and may facilitate the acquisition of new people and teams. Its not the only solution, I know this. But I don’t think we should dismiss this as an option is all im saying. If it precludes us from the National Championships, that this cannot be an option, I agree.

Apart from banning PS3/xbox/iphones/internet and us all working too hard (all of which we cannot change), lets thinks about things we can change. I think this is all healthy discussion. What if the name of our competition was to reflect one of the most influential/prominent church volunteers.........

Your working hard... but on safooty ???

[dark & stormy]

i think the ;baldo cup ; has a better ring to it
on a serious note i too thought it was all church groups when i first
started in this comp. but soon found out how wrong i was .
i too think a name change would be good , but what about past players
do we just say sorry and change name anyway ? i dont think so .
so lets have a good long and hard think about solutions and maybe we can all come up with some good ideas. i know i dont have a say in any outcome but maybe if a few more people got involved to help out more we might do alot of good for OUR league. we have alot of talent in our comp (except for plucca ) lets not waste it . get together and lets work on improving our game and maybe just maybe we might start getting some new talent and some juniors involved.
well thats enough dribble from me for now it gave me a headache thinking this much . bowlers dont think they just bowl

[reggie]

With respect to the association and clubs delegates ect what we are currently doing to our comp is not working , we continue to lose teams each year. I believe it is time to consider a move to one day games exclusively. This will not only allow the association to maintain the current level of participation (clubs and teams) but as it provides a point of difference to rival competitions will allow the association to increase it’s numbers over the coming years.
Let’s face it a new club is not going to come to CC in it’s current state for a variety of reason (the name being one C&C Hard wicket One Day Comp?). Currently the carnival is the only selling point we have and as good as this lure is (the goat and others do a fantastic job even if the goat has put a line through my name) . I don’t think this attracts teams to our comp - individuals perhaps but not teams.
The benefits of a one day comp:
• Retain older players (like spintwin)- all clubs loose players who still have a lot to offer their clubs because they have young families, work /study commitments or don’t think they can physically manage 65 over’s in the field. The move to one day cricket makes it more attractive to play 2 out of three weeks for example.
• Retain younger players- The association is aging, the back bone of all teams is the same faces year after year. We need to provide an option for the younger players to move into our competition. Generation can’t be f’d are not interested in standing in the sun for 65 over’s waiting to field a ball.
• Attract new players- By providing a point of difference to rival competitions. Other comps have lower grades committed to one day cricket- my experience is these are largely drinking comps. By having all grades as one day cricket players can find a level that suits them.
• Conditions players for the association / carnival games by batting and bowling on the same day.
The only negative i see is player participation: There have been and will be instances where players can go several weeks without getting a bat due to the outcome of one day games. The increase in games should mean there a double the amount of times players can get a hit and a good captain would rotate the batting order.
Most of the posters on here i am sure love the 65 over game as it is the greater challenge ect. But we need to look past what would suit us best individually as we all want a comp that is healthy and progressive rather than slowly reducing and ultimately being absorbed by another comp.
Back to work now........

[auto]

Yep, good points.
Just off the top of my head, could our association be the one that plays one day games with a sprinkling of 20/20's during the year. Seems to be the way the youth are heading. Could play 2 or 3 or 4 20/20 double headers each season eg 11:00am Fitzies B v Vi$ta B followed by 3:00pm Fitzies A v Vi$ta A. Be a good day out and the home club could make some money off BBQ's and Drinks. That would give our Association a difference, would get good one day exposure for championships, would give those time poor people an option and would put some money into the home clubs coffers.

[auto]

Yep, good points.
Just off the top of my head, could our association be the one that plays one day games with a sprinkling of 20/20's during the year. Seems to be the way the youth are heading. Could play 2 or 3 or 4 20/20 double headers each season eg 11:00am Fitzies B v Vi$ta B followed by 3:00pm Fitzies A v Vi$ta A. Be a good day out and the home club could make some money off BBQ's and Drinks. That would give our Association a difference, would get good one day exposure for championships, would give those time poor people an option and would put some money into the home clubs coffers.

And they would limit the amount of damage Baldo could do batting at 9.

[george]

With respect to the association and clubs delegates ect what we are currently doing to our comp is not working , we continue to lose teams each year. I believe it is time to consider a move to one day games exclusively. This will not only allow the association to maintain the current level of participation (clubs and teams) but as it provides a point of difference to rival competitions will allow the association to increase it’s numbers over the coming years.
Let’s face it a new club is not going to come to CC in it’s current state for a variety of reason (the name being one C&C Hard wicket One Day Comp?). Currently the carnival is the only selling point we have and as good as this lure is (the goat and others do a fantastic job even if the goat has put a line through my name) . I don’t think this attracts teams to our comp - individuals perhaps but not teams.
The benefits of a one day comp:
• Retain older players (like spintwin)- all clubs loose players who still have a lot to offer their clubs because they have young families, work /study commitments or don’t think they can physically manage 65 over’s in the field. The move to one day cricket makes it more attractive to play 2 out of three weeks for example.
• Retain younger players- The association is aging, the back bone of all teams is the same faces year after year. We need to provide an option for the younger players to move into our competition. Generation can’t be f’d are not interested in standing in the sun for 65 over’s waiting to field a ball.
• Attract new players- By providing a point of difference to rival competitions. Other comps have lower grades committed to one day cricket- my experience is these are largely drinking comps. By having all grades as one day cricket players can find a level that suits them.
• Conditions players for the association / carnival games by batting and bowling on the same day.
The only negative i see is player participation: There have been and will be instances where players can go several weeks without getting a bat due to the outcome of one day games. The increase in games should mean there a double the amount of times players can get a hit and a good captain would rotate the batting order.
Most of the posters on here i am sure love the 65 over game as it is the greater challenge ect. But we need to look past what would suit us best individually as we all want a comp that is healthy and progressive rather than slowly reducing and ultimately being absorbed by another comp.
Back to work now........

Reggie your comments make a lot of sense. As a div one team we also believe this is the way to go. As Smasha said a name change we believe would help the competition but this is not the main problem. We need to make our competition different from others. I hope the Exec listen to the clubs. I cant wait for the season to begin.

[dark & stormy]

some good ideas on this site , i for one agree that it would be nice to play alot more one dayers and 20/20 games. not just because it suits my style but would attract more spectators as well as players.
due to work and family commitments we lose alot of people , but if you shorten the game it would free alot of people to do what they love . play cricket and still have family time . maybe it is a pipe dream but food for thought i reackon . and then maybe i can bat at 5 hahahahahahahaha , see you soon gentlemen

[reggie]

Yep, good points.
Just off the top of my head, could our association be the one that plays one day games with a sprinkling of 20/20's during the year. Seems to be the way the youth are heading. Could play 2 or 3 or 4 20/20 double headers each season eg 11:00am Fitzies B v Vi$ta B followed by 3:00pm Fitzies A v Vi$ta A. Be a good day out and the home club could make some money off BBQ's and Drinks. That would give our Association a difference, would get good one day exposure for championships, would give those time poor people an option and would put some money into the home clubs coffers.

Just to be a bit more radical what about incorporating a 20/20 comp into the one day calendar. All games to occur on a Saturday during the season to ensure optimum numbers. 6 Team grades would see 5 rounds of 20/20 scattered through the season in place of our ‘new one day comp’. Play two 20/20’s games back to back ( same amount of overs as one One day game). End result all teams play 10 games of 20/20’s. Finals could be played for the top 4 (3&4 in a playoff) and then the GF a week before or after the one day GF. Make it a bit of a carnival atmosphere four teams playing at the one ground would see good number and potential fundraiser for host clubs or association. If nothing else would be a way of attracting new / old returning players to clubs.

[Goat Herder]

The Goat likes reggie's style..

I wouldn't like to see the 2 day format completely disappear, purely for these reasons..

When I go around to the grounds these days, I rarely see a batsman play a 'real' innings. It's just 99% dirty, filthy slappers having a tonk at just about everything (like spintwin for example.. ), which hardly improves batsman's abilities. Then there's the old chestnut of the same players dominating with bat & ball for their respective teams week in, week out in the 40 over format. Players who are 'bit' players and don't necessarily get much of a go, will walk - and why wouldn't they? Despite the convenience of it, the 40 over one day format is not a true test of cricketing skill, nor is it the format in which National Championships are played (50 overs).

For these reasons, I'd like to see at least 2 regular season 65 over matches and the finals to be retained in this format. I think interspersing the regular season program with 65 & 40 over matches & 20/20's would be a great blend, and one that would be unique to our Association. Premierships on offer for regular season and also for the 20/20 format. Plus we also have the attraction of Carnival cricket for those who want/need the challenge of greater competition. Now we just need a name change to complete the attraction factor.. The South Australian Suburban/Community Cricket Association??

Some great ideas guys!

[auto]

Hopefully Ecky reads all these great ideas and passses on the thoughts of the brains trust of the competition to the executive.

[Goat Herder]

It's all about taking it to the Exec ourselves mate. It's great to put ideas out there, like in this forum, but unless we take it to the Exec in numbers, they'll just continue being pipe dreams. It's time the Clubs banded together to act on issues like these, instead of individual clubs going to meetings & driving their own agendas. Maybe it's time for a Player's Association to unify us & heighten our credibility with people power??

[reggie]

The Goat likes reggie's style..

I wouldn't like to see the 2 day format completely disappear, purely for these reasons..

When I go around to the grounds these days, I rarely see a batsman play a 'real' innings. It's just 99% dirty, filthy slappers having a tonk at just about everything (like spintwin for example.. ), which hardly improves batsman's abilities. Then there's the old chestnut of the same players dominating with bat & ball for their respective teams week in, week out in the 40 over format. Players who are 'bit' players and don't necessarily get much of a go, will walk - and why wouldn't they? Despite the convenience of it, the 40 over one day format is not a true test of cricketing skill, nor is it the format in which National Championships are played (50 overs).

For these reasons, I'd like to see at least 2 regular season 65 over matches and the finals to be retained in this format. I think interspersing the regular season program with 65 & 40 over matches & 20/20's would be a great blend, and one that would be unique to our Association. Premierships on offer for regular season and also for the 20/20 format. Plus we also have the attraction of Carnival cricket for those who want/need the challenge of greater competition. Now we just need a name change to complete the attraction factor.. The South Australian Suburban/Community Cricket Association??

Some great ideas guys!

How about you watch other teams bat other than Para Vi$ta Coach and besides Ace hardly played all year!!

[auto]

It's all about taking it to the Exec ourselves mate. It's great to put ideas out there, like in this forum, but unless we take it to the Exec in numbers, they'll just continue being pipe dreams. It's time the Clubs banded together to act on issues like these, instead of individual clubs going to meetings & driving their own agendas. Maybe it's time for a Player's Association to unify us & heighten our credibility with people power??

Personally if i had the time id nominate for the exec...But i dont...probably wont even be able to train for the first half of the year (sorry BB)... Anyway a gang sounds good. If we need a sergeant at arms i know some people.

[Goat Herder]

I hear ya auto. I'm the same. Not enough spare time to dedicate to doing a thorough job on the Exec between work, home and my other interests, and I'm not into doing things half-arsed. But until a serious proposal is drawn up and submitted by a group of dedicated individuals, the Assoc will just continue to roll on as it is. Not sure what the answer is to the conundrum to be honest. Perhaps a proposal be drawn up and emailed to Club reps to endorse and present as a unified front at an Exec Meeting..?? Dunno really, just chucking it out there..

[Simmo152]

I'm considering being a full-time player in season 2010/11 after playing a few in 09/10.

The greatest draw card for me is to play along side all the greats of the competition... the likes of Ace (when he gets the call up for his sponsors game), Richo and Reggie. Autowicky a great bloke to.

As on outsider coming in if you can retain great blokes as mentioned above..and Ace for talent, the competition will head in the right direction!

Stevo

[auto]

I'm considering being a full-time player in season 2010/11 after playing a few in 09/10.

The greatest draw card for me is to play along side all the greats of the competition... the likes of Ace (when he gets the call up for his sponsors game), Richo and Reggie. Autowicky a great bloke to.

As on outsider coming in if you can retain great blokes as mentioned above..and Ace for talent, the competition will head in the right direction!

Stevo

it's just a pity that one of those three players will be playing at salisbury west this season.

I wanna see a signed clearance form before ill take that bait.

[spintwin]

I'm considering being a full-time player in season 2010/11 after playing a few in 09/10.

The greatest draw card for me is to play along side all the greats of the competition... the likes of Ace (when he gets the call up for his sponsors game), Richo and Reggie. Autowicky a great bloke to.

As on outsider coming in if you can retain great blokes as mentioned above..and Ace for talent, the competition will head in the right direction!

Stevo

it's just a pity that one of those three players will be playing at salisbury west this season.

I wanna see a signed clearance form before ill take that bait.

It is a sad day Auto. Not sure why. Maybe he is sick or carrying all of us.

I would Attach the Clearance but i dont know how to. It wont take word Documents