MOORFIELD - KEEPING IT LOCAL

Date: 7th September 2010

A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.

Anyone wishing to debate the almost permanently vexed topic of overseas players in the recreational game could do far worse than speak to Michael Drane. As chairman of Moorfield C.C. Drane plays a major role in running a club most of whose members come from its immediate environs on the eastern side of Widnes.

Out of Steve Dean's young first team squad, only John Eccleshall and Mark Reynolds are not local lads. However, Drane argues that the pleasure of Moorfield's cricketers at playing their first season in the Bridging Finance Solutions Liverpool Competition has been spoilt a little by the domination of games by overseas professionals, many of whom, as he puts it, "bowl twenty overs from one end and/or score 150 runs and then don't shake your hand or have a beer with you afterwards."

Moorfield's first year in the Competition has been tough, although the players have met the challenges they have faced with some courage. The first team is currently tenth in the 12-team Second Division having won six of its 20 games and Drane finds it relatively easy to explain that record. "We've lost to teams who have professionals and we've beaten teams who don't have them," he said. "Our players don't get down but they do get bitter about it, and they take great delight from the occasions when they've beaten teams with paid players in them. The pragmatic solution to Moorfield's situation is to hire a professional of their own, but Drane's response to that suggestion is both cogent and passionate. "We never have done that and we never will do it," he said. "It's not in our culture and we refuse to compromise our principles of fostering youth developmentand facility improvement in order to spend money on overseas players who simply take the cash out of the game. We've had this debate and unless we find a way into the Premier League, we wouldn't consider it and even then, I don't think we'd do it,"

Drane continued. "I find it disgraceful what other clubs in our division do. How would second team players respond if they turn out good performances only to find the way into their local club's first team blocked by an overseas cricketer,?" he asked, before answering his own question. "I think they'd walk."

It is not as if Moorfield lack funds. The club's three-lane net facility, its electronic scoreboard, the new covers and a bowling machine all bear witness to the willingness of officials to spend carefully husbanded resources and create a better ambience for members and visitors alike. And one young member Drane hopes will benefit from all this is 20-year-old Matthew Carder, who took eight for 29 playing for Moorfield seconds against Southport Trinity last Saturday. Carder was born and bred in Widnes and the chairman of his club refuses to obstruct his progress.