You will have probably seen the statement from Cricket Ireland today in respect of the forthcoming cricket season.
From a Cricket Leinster perspective, there are a number of key points in respect of club cricket as follows:
- At the outset, we will be operating under the same Covid-19 safety protocols as last year.
- As the Government/NPHET is not expected to give initial approval for longer formats at club level, the club season will need to be structured to feature T20 cricket only during the first part of the season. Needless to say, we will look to introduce longer formats as soon as it is permitted by Health Authorities and this aspect will be kept under constant review.
We are hopeful that youth training will be permitted first – likely during April – with adult training following in May however we are still waiting for confirmation on this from Sport Ireland.
Cricket Leinster will be planning on this basis and preparing centralised fixtures with support from the Open Competitions, Women’s and Youth Committees.
We will be asking clubs to commence preparatory work as per 2020 including reviewing Club Covid-19 checklists, cleaning guides and updating Club Covid-19 Risk Assessments, booking forms, contact tracing process etc. Cricket Leinster will be working with CI and the other PUs to update the safety protocols in-line with latest government guidance and advice regarding training practices that comply with social distancing - these will all be made available in the coming weeks.
Needless to say, as we did last year, CL staff will also liaise with clubs to refresh PPE/Sanitiser stocks and to schedule Covid-19 safety refresher training (where necessary).
Cricket Leinster is committed to delivering a meaningful and fulfilling club cricket season within Government guidelines and safety protocols.