YP Letters: Cricket's decline down to lack of TV coverage

From: Gerald Hodgson, Spennithore, Leyburn.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Sep 2016, 17:53 BST
Updated 7th Sep 2016, 14:48 BST
Sessay supporters at Lord's.Sessay supporters at Lord's.
Sessay supporters at Lord's.

THE article “Cricket’s dead 
ball game” on Sessay’s participation in the final of the national village competition at Lord’s, and editorial comment (The Yorkshire Post, September 2), mentions some reasons for the decline in cricket, but omits what I believe to be the most important.

Since the cricket authorities sold their soul to Sky, live cricket has been entirely absent from free to view TV and we are left with only (the admirable) Channel 5 Test match highlights.

Limited overs cricket is not covered at all.

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Until cricket changes its policy so that the majority of young people can see the game on TV, the decline will continue.

Sky may pay gold untold for the TV rights but it is not in the long term interests of the game.

From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Holgate, York.

YOUR article about the number of struggling local cricket clubs is very accurate. I belong to Acomb CC in York and we have three Saturday League sides and several junior teams from age nine to 17 and on a Friday evening can have between 40 and 75 youngsters down at the club playing in the nets. Yet, on some Saturdays, we really struggle to put out a full 3rd XI.

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