News

Cricketers shine despite being on the back foot

Paul Dawson on the challenges facing Newham’s talented young players

Young cricketers pose for a team photo
Paul Dawson with the U15s players

Newham Cricket Club is a volunteer run charity that was formed in 2008 and which provides a pathway to top flight recognition for young players. 

It aims to nurture talent and provide a gateway to success that has been denied to youngsters in the past, such as Ravi Bopara, born in Forest Gate and a pupil at Brampton Manor School in East Ham, but who had to travel outside the Borough to find the support and coaching that set him on the road to international stardom. 

The cricket club is very much the poor relation to other local clubs like Wanstead, Loughton or Woodford with rich sponsors. It doesn’t have the facilities and support that can provide an easier route to Essex County and international recognition for local talent. 

A retired barrister, Richard Henchley, who died last year, was the inspiration for Newham Cricket Club’s aim to become an elite county team and we have upset the expectations several times with trophies won against the grain. 

We have been involved in competition since 2010. And have won a number of Essex Competitions, and while not yet one of the big clubs, we are well known for being in contention for the available titles. 

Today the adult section has become full members of the prestigious Hambro League, with three teams competing every Saturday, and a fourth team in the Essex league. This allows outstanding young players a chance to stake a pathway to the Essex development squad. 

The raw talent is rich in our Borough, with the passion for the game high among the South Asian communities, but we need the facilities, coaches and the competition that will realise the potential of young players. 

When I first moved here 51 years ago at the age of 18, there were at least 12 grass cricket squares maintained and in use around the Borough. Now there is only Flanders Fields, ably run and maintained by Bonny Downs Community Association.

But the pitches at Flanders are used almost to destruction, with adults from outside the Borough travelling to play there. Our young players sometimes have to play on synthetic pitches for financial reasons and we cannot expand the youth section for lack of facilities. 

The same goes for indoor cricket facilities. Newham Leisure Centre is the only municipal cricket facility suitable for winter training. This year rental costs doubled and we complained over poor lighting. The day after I complained about the lack of facilities for cricket in Newham at a GLA event in Docklands, we were told that Newham Leisure was no longer available for cricket use – because of poor lighting! 

So now we go into our upcoming cup matches with no pre-season preparations. That is the reality of sport in Newham. 

But all is not lost. On the plus side we have a £20k LBN grant from the Council’s People Powered Places programme, sourced from building developers with Newham projects. 

It’s the first significant financial help we’ve had in our 15 years and very welcome, but this support will only allow us to renew our ageing equipment and give us a temporary boost. 

For the long term we need to find a new model of sustainability. We still lose our best players to richer Essex clubs, and we develop coaches only to see them move on, which we understand. We are valuable to the game as a feeder club, but Newham deserves better than this and we will continue to strive to deliver.


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