Hertfordshire club thinking outside the box to future-proof survival

From 10-over matches and flexible membership to marketing themselves as a pitch for hire, Bayford and Hertford Nondescripts are throwing open their doors to accommodate the changing needs and desires of club cricket

Up and down the country, recreational cricket is under threat.  

Ongar CC from Essex were just one of the many clubs to fold in 2021, a shortage of players preventing them from fulfilling several fixtures. Aigburth CC (Merseyside) were ready to shut up shop after 133 years before a last-minute deal with their landlord safeguarded their future. 2021 Voneus Village Cup winners Calmore Sports Club, meanwhile, credited their cup run with affording them vital financial stability.  

And for Bayford and Hertford Nondescripts, the struggles are no different.

Nestled in the sleepy Hertfordshire village of Bayford, the club has had to fight for its place at the table. Surrounded by larger clubs, they’ve pushed – without success – for a flexible dual registration system to increase their player pool and battled against both the loss of their colts section and relative anonymity caused by their secluded ground.  

"I lived in Bayford for eight years and had neighbours who didn’t even know there was a club," quips chairman, Jonathan Slater.  

Somewhat against the odds, they are celebrating their 60th anniversary in 2022 and continue to field two Saturday teams – the first XI playing to a high standard in Division 3 of the Hertfordshire Cricket League; the second XI competing in Division 9 – plus hosting a Sunday team and regular mid-week friendlies.  

^{The club's picturesque ground is just a 45-minute train ride from King's Cross}

And the secret to their success is flexibility and inclusivity, with no pressure on members to sacrifice every single summer weekend to matches.  

"We’ve got an incredible number of members who don’t play many games. One very talented player travels up from Kent to play when he can! We have some really high standard cricketers in our first team and proper village cricketers in our second team, but that mix is an asset," explains long-standing member, Steve Greenfield.  

"We can attract good players and recreational players and enable people who are not available every week to play. The traditional player who plays week in, week out is disappearing, and youngsters have lots of demands on their time so may only play odd weeks and we accommodate that with no politics."

However, like many clubs across recreational sport, Covid-19 has brought added difficulties. Many players have found new hobbies or just lost interest in cricket during lockdown, exacerbating the existing decline in numbers caused by a lack of time or desire to spend all day every weekend at the cricket club.  

But instead of resisting the changes, Greenfield and Slater are thinking outside the box and pushing the club’s selling points – a picturesque ground, cheap membership and a 45-minute commute time from King’s Cross – to future-proof its survival.  

"Cricket at the recreational level is on a downhill trajectory and every year, cricket grounds die and don’t come back," explains Greenfield. "Not everyone wants the traditional league cricket that lasts 12 hours from the time you leave home to the time you get back. And if you look at football, 11-a-side is struggling but 5-a-side is massive because you can play for half an hour, an hour. Cricket needs to think along those lines.

"What we're trying to do is take the best bits of cricket's history and culture and bring them into the modern environment"

"We want people to mould the club rather than we try and mould it ourselves. Our attitude is, 'what would you like to do? We want to accommodate you.' If you’ve never played before or if you’re rusty or if you want to play to a high standard, we can do that. We want to respond to demand.  

"We’re keen on 10-over cricket because anyone can have a go, and if you’re out after two balls it’s not a big deal. You don’t need all the kit either, you can just swing a bat and have a go. And it fits around things. On a Friday evening, come and have a game of 10s and then go for a drink.

"We’re happy to accommodate mixed teams, teams of colleagues, teams of golfers, school matches… we’re trying to be imaginative to get people to come and use the ground. We’re not doing this with a view to people playing the longer form of the game but just to get people to enjoy cricket, socialise and come back and use the place. It’s a shame to have such a beautiful ground not being used.

"What we’re trying to do is take the best bits of cricket’s history and culture and bring them into the modern environment."

"It’s adapt or die," adds Slater. "We want the club to be open and offer different things to different people. The traditional model has its place but it’s not the be all and end all. Cricket is a game we love dearly, and we have to look long-term."

If you are interested to find out more about Bayford & Hertford Nondescripts CC, please contact Jonathan on 07830 392876, email BHNCC@hotmail.com or visit: www.bhncc.co.uk.