COVERED WINTER 2020

35 @TRENTBRIDGE COMMUNITY & DEVELOPMENT “It’s forced everyone to work together, and I think it’s shown the value of working more collaboratively.” As Community and Development Manager,Wright has led the county’s response to the pandemic from the perspective of the recreational game. With many of her colleagues spending time furloughed, and with changes to restrictions, regulations and guidelines coming thick and fast, she has had to remain alert and surefooted. But she is quick to praise club cricket as a whole for the determination shown across the summer. “The individual recreational leagues and clubs are the ones who have made the most changes,” she says. “There was so much work going on in the background as we waited for the green light, with leagues going ‘here’s plan A, plan B and plan C’, but knowing all the time that the guidelines might not allow them to actually do anything. “Every single day there was something new to react to, but the collaborative working we established was an absolute godsend. “The leagues across the county – both at junior and senior level – came together to put out joint statements, and the clubs worked tirelessly to adopt new safety measures. “It was only the time and effort they put in – as volunteers, don’t forget – that meant Joe Bloggs could go out and play cricket again.” But bringing Nottinghamshire’s cricket fields back to life required more than just a strong work ethic. At times, what was needed was cold, hard cash. In a year which has seen so many tradi- tional revenue streams run dry,Wright is proud of the proactivity she’s seen. “Almost £600,000 was brought into the game through grants from the govern- ment, Sport England and the ECB – and without that, clubs would have really struggled,” she says. “But it’s not just been about government and governing bodies helping cricket – it’s been cricket helping cricket. “The crowdfunding pages which some clubs have set up, with rewards for donors or sponsored activities, have been really creative. “We’ve not lost a single club to Covid across the county, which is a huge achievement.” That proactive spirit will be no less vital in peacetime – and, with the Board and Club’s merger now ratified, should be easier to harness. “A lot of people probably thought that the club delivered recreational cricket already, so from the outside it might not look like much has changed,” says Wright. “But what it will do is remove any duplication, and make sure we have one countywide plan for all cricket in the county – from the grassroots to the pros. “We’ve always worked hard to bring the professional and recreational games closer together, but it can be challenging when you are working across two separate entities. “Now, there will be a recreational cricket advisory group which will sit beneath the re-established cricket committee. “Below that we’ll have four sub-groups, each making sure we’re doing everything we can for clubs and leagues, young people and those with disabilities, women and girls and the cricketing workforce. “Those sub-groups will check and challenge our plans and objectives in a way which probably hasn’t happened before. “It will make us all more accountable, and it will give people within the recrea- tional game more of a voice. “On a practical level, it will also make it easier to involve coaches and players from the first team in things like coach education or supporting club cricket events. “Those are the sort of things we’ve always done on an ad-hoc basis, but this will make sure it is our bread and butter.” Even before the scale of this summer’s disruption became clear, 2020 was destined to be a year of change for the recreational game. The Cricket Board’s plans centred around utilising the feelgood factor generated by England’sWorld Cup win. Then came coronavirus. But, as the grassroots game finds its feet as part of the club setup, a steadfast determination to maintain that momen- tum remains. “This should have been the year we rode the wave of theWorld Cup, but we’ve still got to do everything we can, despite the pandemic,” saysWright. “We’re hoping to run some indoor junior leagues over the winter, which we’ve never done before, and we’ll do everything we can to support participation through the colder months. “We’ve always said we want to be a year- round sport; this is our chance to do just that.”