Mid Season Review : Matches, Teams and Players

Although it may feel as if we have just left the winter behind, the cricket season is already at its half way point. Over 400 matches have been completed to date in the Open Competitions broken down between

Leagues          294

Cups                69

20/20               44

Of the nearly 300 league matches played, it is probably worth noting that despite the poor weather only 25 matches have been abandoned to the conditions [8.5%]. Only one team [out of 108 league teams at the start of the season] has been forced to drop out of the competition.

In terms of player numbers, so far this year 1725 players have participated in open league or cup matches. The participation rates for individual players are as follows:

Active [10 or more matches]              110

Regular [5 – 9 matches]                     509

Occasional [3/4]                                 570

Infrequent  [1/2]                                536

The teams strength of clubs is not just determined by the number of teams and players but by the ratio of players to teams. A balance is needed as too many players per team may indicate that there are difficulties in getting players to turn out. While the figures themselves need to be interpreted carefully they will provide over a number of years a useful indicator of the strength of Leinster cricket and of individual clubs.