JERSEY Cricket chairman John Harris believes the island is making “good progress” but insists there can be no let-up as the organisation looks to build on a successful year.
Speaking after the association’s AGM on Tuesday evening, Mr Harris highlighted the men’s international performances, the growth of junior cricket and the emergence of the women’s game – while stressing the importance of strengthening domestic and club cricket.
“It was a very successful AGM and there’s a good feel factor around Jersey cricket at the moment,” said Mr Harris in a jubilant tone.
“The international season has gone well for the men, there are some good opportunities for the women and club cricket is generally stronger.
“But we’re not completely out of the woods yet. We need to work ever harder to make sure the domestic game is growing rather than receding.
“Jersey cricket will stand and fall on its ability to generate its own cricketers.
We’re not like other countries in Europe which have large-scale immigration and can choose players from cricket traditions elsewhere.
We have to grow our own.”
Mr Harris believes the growth in junior participation is particularly encouraging, with increasing numbers of boys and girls entering the game.
He also praised the impact of international players becoming involved in the development programme, with the likes of Asa Tribe (right) and Grace Wetherall’s success in the professional game and age group coaches including national stars Dom Blampied Blampied and Harrison Carlyon providing inspiration for the next generation.
“In a small island, success generates success,” Mr Harris continued. “If young people are playing cricket and enjoying it, more people come into the game.
“Role models are incredibly important. A young cricketer looking up to Asa Tribe or Grace Wetherall and thinking, ‘I want some of that, I want to be like that person’, is fantastic.
“If you had a magic wand, you’d replicate, triplicate, quadruple that and make it available to more people.”
Mr Harris also singled out Grace Wetherall’s progress in women’s cricket, describing her emergence as “hugely encouraging”.
Wetherall (left), still only 19 years of age, has recently been signed by the Vancouver Anchors to compete in the Canadian franchise competition, the Canada Super60.
Like Tribe in the men’s game, Wetherall is the first home-grown female to play professional cricket.
“It’s hugely encouraging that that breakthrough has been achieved with somebody indigenously generated from the Jersey cricketing base in Grace.
“You could look at somebody and say, ‘If they can do that, can I do that? What’s stopping me? What do I need? Celebrating somebody else’s success is great, but hopefully it motivates you to generate your own.”
The chairman was also pleased with the men’s summer, particularly their performances against Nepal and the UAE ahead of their final round of ICC Challenge League A fixtures next month, which have been scheduled to take place in Kenya.
In particular Mr Harris was extremely complimentary of CEO Sarah Gomersall for her role in securing those fixtures.
“We did what we needed to do in the T20 qualifiers earlier this year in Cyprus. In a way it was a clinical, almost professional performance.
“Those four games against Nepal and the UAE showed us that we’re ready to compete at that level. They’re our next-level-up competitors and that’s somewhere we want to break into and belong.
“You learn a good deal when you’re up against a top batting side where you’re not going to get cheap wickets, or a good bowling side where they’re not going to give you as much loose stuff.
“It was fantastic experience, a fantastic opportunity and it created a real buzz around our cricket scene here.”
Mr Harris also paid tribute to the work behind the scenes at Grainville’s National Cricket Centre, which he believes is becoming the centrepiece of Jersey cricket.
“There was huge recognition at the AGM of how good a quality playing surface and playing conditions we now have at Grainville. There are massive benefits from the involvement of our groundstaff in Dan Birrell and Peter Gough and how hard they work.
“But it’s about more than just the pitch and the field. It’s the new indoor cricket centre, the catering facilities and the provision for teams, umpires and scorers.
“We’re getting there. We need to do more, but we’re really pleased with what’s been achieved so far.”
The proposed indoor centre remains a major ambition, with Mr Harris hopeful planning permission can be secured soon.
The potential site for the indoor centre would be in the top right corner of the ground if looking out from the pavilion, to the right of the bowls club and before the road in between the ground and the rugby pitch.
The call for a designated cricket indoor training facility has been a debate for some time, but the plans for this proposed venture have been extremely well received throughout the cricketing community.
“It’s hugely exciting,” Mr Harris continued. “We’ve been really gratified by how not just the cricket community but other commentators in the island have got behind the project and said, ‘This is exactly what we need.’
“The hard part then is making sure we can raise sufficient money to get it built. But it will provide year-round training capability and resilience.
“At the moment we depend on a number of other venues, which for one reason or another have either low availability or low suitability. A purpose-built opportunity for us to train our cricketers through the year is gold dust.”
Importantly, Mr Harris stressed that the facility would be for the whole cricket community rather than simply the island’s elite players.
“It’s not just to consolidate elite or international-standard cricketers. It’s also to consolidate the domestic game and give clubs the opportunity for more training year-round.
“Our ethos is cricket for everybody – from recreational cricket and evening leaguers who want to play a bit of cricket and go home, right the way up to Asa Tribe, who is vying to get into the England Test team.
“And that’s male and female. Cricket for everybody is part of the ethos, so why would the indoor school be any different?”
Mr Harris believes the women’s game is another area with significant potential, particularly with a young squad having remained together over several seasons.
“The only way is up. It is a young side and it has stayed together through the last three or four years. You can see that in the way they play. Then you look at what’s coming next – the 15-year-old and 13-year-old female cricketers – it’s really exciting.
“There are more numbers, but there is also a lot of talent that potentially can come all the way through.”
He accepts, however, that while initiatives such as the HERA Legacy programme and Women’s Premier League were positive introductions this year, there is still room for improvement.
“More cricket for more girls – that’s the thinking. You’ve got to give them the opportunity to play more cricket, more matches, more experience and more development.
“I wouldn’t say it was a complete success. We’ve got work to do to strengthen it and get the balance right between good-quality cricket and fun, so people want to be part of it.
“It was a good start, but there’s more to do.”
On club cricket, Mr Harris said there was a general feeling that the season had been positive, while identifying the Channel Island League as an area requiring greater stability.
“I think generally people feel it was a good year. There were three different winners in the domestic competitions, and that’s a good thing in my opinion.
“It was great to see Walkovers make T20 Finals Day and particularly make it all the way to the final because that was new and different.
“But if the CI League is going to survive, it probably needs some dedicated sponsorship for a period of years. People enjoy that opportunity, but the logistics are difficult. Transport isn’t straightforward and the cost is an issue.”
Looking ahead, Mr Harris said the organisation’s three-year strategy would be about consolidating progress while continuing to find ways to improve.
“The mark was good progress, but as always, we can do more. The strategy is really about asking what we can do over the next three years to consolidate this good position we’ve achieved for ourselves.
“It never stops. It’s a treadmill – you can’t get off. You’ve got to keep performing, not just to develop from a cricket point of view but also to secure our funding from the ICC.”
Mr Harris also praised the current Jersey Cricket board, including new members Duncan Ellis and Ed Loader, while paying tribute to outgoing board member John Patterson after a decade of dedicated service.
“I think we have the essential ingredients you want from a federation board – stability, energy and commitment.
“Hopefully that will also be a factor in driving opportunity going forward.”
