Confidence that Old Buckenham Cricket Club will survive the coronavirus pandemic

There might be some tough times ahead, but Old Buckenham Cricket Club will survive the coronavirus pandemic.

That is the opinion of cricket committee chairman Terry Perry, who remains hopeful that some play will be possible before 2020 is out.

“Like all clubs we will come under some big financial pressure,” said Perry, who was once captain of the first team.

“We always spend our money during the winter on things like machine repairs and ground work, and then we bring our income in during the summer months.

“We would normally get subs, have fund-raisers and bar takings, but obviously none of those things will be happening for the foreseeable future.

“The club has had to pull together and thanks to some generous donations from some ex-players and clubs members, we hope to be on a decent financial footing.

“It is going to be tough but I really hope that no club ends up going under during this – we won’t be one of those.

“The cricket authorities have been really helpful and there are some financial packages out there. Hopefully everyone comes through it.”

One of the major concerns across the cricketing board during the lockdown is the impact it will have on younger players.

Cricket was on a high after England’s World Cup victory last summer, but the fear is that juniors will now pursue other avenues with clubs shut.

However, Perry believes it could have the opposite effect, with more youngsters taking up the game.

“All sports are in the same boat at the moment. It is not like young cricketers can run off to play another sport,” he added.

“It is a real shame that the juniors could miss out on a year of development and enjoying their cricket, but on the flip side this is a sport they can play in their own gardens.

“You cannot do that with every sport and so you might find there is a real uptake over the coming weeks and months – fingers crossed.”