Club Week: Cannock find new home, storage shed burnt down and club cricketers to cover Hundred stars

The Cricketer rounds up some of the more unusual stories of the past week from across local cricket scenes around the UK...

Relief for Cannock who finally find new home

After a protracted saga in which Cannock Cricket Club in Staffordshire have had their Chase Park ground and facilities taken away from them, and then see a takeover bid fall through, there is finally some good news for the club.

Cannock are due to take over the ground of neighbouring cricket club C&R Hawks – who themselves are vacating their ground in Littleworth Road, Rawnsley.

C&R Hawks will move to their second ground at Hawkins Sports & Social Club, in Cheslyn Hay, with Cannock now occupying Littleworth Road after members voted unanimously to take over the lease of the ground.

"It's a massive weight off our minds," club secretary Mr Machin told Express & Star.

"Obviously the move is very good news for us but we also understand it will be a huge wrench for some members of C&R Hawks to move from their home.

"We will be contacting parents of junior members to offer them the chance to keep playing cricket with us at Littleworth Road.

"We'd love to welcome them, it's been their club for a long time and the most important thing is to keep people, especially youngsters, playing cricket."

Cuckfield Cricket Club fire treated as 'deliberate'

A fire that broke out on Thursday September 5 at a Sussex cricket club is being treated as 'deliberate'.

Officers were made aware of the blaze at the pavilion of Cuckfield Cricket Club in South Street, Cuckfield, at around 9.40pm.

A fire service spokesman told Mid Sussex Times a wooden building measuring eight metres by five metres was completely destroyed.

Crews used two breathing apparatus, two hose reels and a jet to extinguish the flames.

Somerset club appeal for help after storage shed burnt down

Watchet Cricket Club in Somerset have been left devastated after losing valuable equipment in a fire during the evening on Thursday, September 5.

Avon and Somerset Police arrived at the scene in the eraly hours of Friday morning and confirmed the incident is being treated as criminal damage.

The police are also appealing for anyone who may have any knowledge of "suspicious activity" in the area at the time of the fire, which destroyed items including a couple of sets of spring back stumps and a training mat, to come forward.

A spokesman for Watchet Cricket Club told Somerset County Gazette: "There is quite a bit of anger from the committee, the players and the local community as it is thought the fire was started deliberately."

Stockport club given go-ahead to move home

A cricket club in Stockport is to move home after getting the go ahead by members of Stockport Council's planning committee.

Bredbury St Mark's is set to relocate to what has been described as a 'bigger and better' site in an 'ideal location' off Dark Lane in Bredbury.

The new cricket ground will include a full-size adult pitch, a smaller junior playing area, practice nets and a pavillion.

Councillor Christine Corris told Manchester Evening News: "I think we all realise it's going to be a facility that's going to be a plus for the people of Stockport.

"I think even residents unhappy about the impact appreciated the fact that this would definitely be something that would be good for the wider borough."

Counties planning to bring in club players to cover for Hundred stars

Counties across the country are said to be considering recruiting club cricketers on short-term contracts that will not pay the sport's minimum wage due to concerns about losing players to The Hundred next summer, according to The Daily Mail.

With a vast array of players expected to enter next month's auction for the inaugural competition next year, the leading counties fear they could be without as many as eight or nine players when it takes place next July and August, leaving them short of players for the One-Day Cup, which will run at the same time.

Consequently, many counties are pondering bringing in club cricketers alongside youngsters for what the ECB have admitted will become a 'development competition'. 

However, they are reluctant to pay any short-term recruits the minimum wage, given that appearances in One-Day Cup matches are not part of the PCA agreement of performance-based criteria used to determine if players receive the minimum £27,500 salary. 

Arson attack puts future of County Tyrone club in doubt

The future of a cricket club in Northern Ireland which hosted Ireland's famous 1969 victory over West Indies is in doubt after an arson attack on Monday night.

Extensive damage was caused at Sion Mills Cricket Club in County Tyrone after vandals broke into an equipment store and set it on fire.

Lawnmowers and other machinery used to maintain the cricket ground were destroyed in the overnight blaze.

Club secretary Simon Galloway told Derry Journal: "We don't have the money to replace it. It could be a final nail in the coffin for Sion Mills Cricket Club after 155 years.

"I've been with Sion Mills for years now, it's my home club. I've been there for 20-plus years.

"That's where we grew up, that's what we done. We didn't know anything else. From what it used to be to what's been left now is devastating."