Chance for Shropshire cricketers to give views on the sport

Hundreds of cricketers across the county donned their whites this weekend for games, with thousands more involved in the sport.

A recent survey by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) revealed that Shropshire has the second highest participation rate in the country with over 15,000 people young and old regularly playing the game.

Now cricketers aged 14 and above are being urged to have their say in a national survey to influence the future of the game in the county.

So far, more than 360 cricketers in Shropshire have filled in the survey, but Board officials have an ambitious target of more than doubling that.

Spokesman Chris Dirkin said: "Lots of players have received details of the survey and web link but have not got round to filling it in on line yet.

"It really is easy to complete and takes around 10 minutes.

"There is a Shropshire link on the survey so local people's opinions are really important.

"We are targeting all involved in cricket aged 14 and over.

"That means those who play regularly, those who play occasionally, and those who turn out when teams are short.

"We also want to hear from those who have lapsed due to work and family commitments plus retired players and cricket followers, so the spectrum is broad."

And he was keen to point out that the results of the survey will have a major influence on the future of the sport in the county.

The survey was carried out for the first time last year with more than 300 Shropshire cricketers getting involved.

Shropshire Cricket Board has already acted on the comprehensive and wide-ranging feedback received from the last survey.

As a result clubs and leagues have introduced new formats, rule changes, different start times, and looked to reduce travelling times.

The Shropshire Cricket League, one of the largest in the country, has introduced a division where all the clubs play on a Sunday as opposed to the traditional Saturday league cricket.

There are also greater opportunities for women, girls and people with a disability to play the game.

Chris added: "We had a great response in 2013 and would like to build on that and get a further insight into the current landscape of cricket in the county.

"We have already implemented some programmes which are running now such as the Broseley Bash T20 Midweek Cluster League, A Women's Club Hardball League and a Four County Disability T20 Festival.

"There are also other programmes which will be introduced in the autumn such as a Colts Club Indoor League and a Women's Indoor League as a result of feedback from players in Shropshire."

The aim of the survey is to get even more people involved in the sport in Shropshire and generate new ideas to encourage others to join in.

The advance of the women's game in the county has seen some of the leading players from the England Women's team dropping in to help with coaching sessions.

Last year Ashes winning captain Charlotte Edwards was in the county, while recently Jenny Gunn attended coaching sessions in Whitchurch and a Kwik Cricket tournament in Wellington.

• To have your say and continue to make a difference to cricket in Shropshire visit www.ecb.co.uk/playingsurvey2014 or for further information contact Chris Dirkin at chrisdirkin.scb@icloud.com

Alberbury's Katie Green is on the England Under 15 girls programme and Ludlow's Courtney Cooper, Alberbury's Lara Jones, Worfield's Grace Smith and Shifnal's Milly Home are all pushing hard for England Girls Development Programme places.

Disability cricket is growing too with a steady rise in players at county level under the guidance of Dave Hassell, Graham Furber and Jonathan Caldecott.

Callum Rigby from Madeley remains a prominent member of the England Learning Disability Team and was national disability cricketer of the year in 2012 whilst Frankton's Edward Bridge has also been identified as a future international disability cricketer by the ECB.

Shropshire Cricket Board has also developed links with both Worcestershire and Warwickshire in recent years and there is a clear pathway for junior cricketers right through to the First Class game.

Former Shrewsbury School student James Taylor has played for England and is a regular with Nottinghamshire.

Former Shrewsbury left-arm seamer Jack Shantry is a key member of the Worcestershire squad which is currently performing well in the T20 Blast and is pushing for promotion in the County Championship.

Shropshire captain Richard Oliver, who has played for Audlem, Whitchurch and Shifnal, has just won a contract with Worcestershire after his hard-hitting performances in the T20 Blast. Oswestry wicketkeeper Joe Clarke and Shrewsbury's Ed Barnard were both members of the England Under 19s team which played in the recent World Cup and both have contracts at Worcestershire.

Shifnal's Charlie Home is on the Northamptonshire Academy and George Hargrave is a regular at Warwickshire's Emerging Player Programme together with Wellington's Rachel Howells.

The Board has also been instrumental in winning large grants for clubs in the county to develop their grounds to meet the demands of modern cricket.

There has been major investment thanks to grants secured from the ECB at the likes of Shifnal, Quatt, Worfield and Frankton which have seen impressive new pavilions and nets built.

Quatt have also just received a further grant to develop a second team pitch next to their main ground.

Other recent grant recipients include Shrewsbury who have been awarded cash from the ECB for a triple bay practice net, while Ludlow and Broseley have been awarded funding for non-turf match pitches to support their midweek cluster leagues as well as improvement grants to their changing rooms and showers.

Alberbury and Cound also have been successful with small grants bids for additional covers and 'Super Soppers'.

There have been many other successful projects in recent years. The Board has also been instrumental in reintroducing cricket to primary and secondary schools across the county through its Chance To Shine programme.

By Dave Ballinger