How strong has our domestic cricket been

[sloandog]

I was being a bore, and read that Charles Coventry made his FC debut when he was 15, and faced Paul Strang, Bliggy and Eddo Brandes, and said it was as tough a test as he'd ever faced, and it remains so. Now I'm curious, when do we think our domestic cricket was at its peak ? I'm talking since we were granted test status, when there was a ot of serious talent knocking about in the FC system

[Googly]

Probably the Proctor era and immediately after. Club rivalries were intense beyond belief. Inter provincial was even worse (better!!).
Late 80's saw a concerted effort to fast track black players into cricket that resulted in club cricket (and rugby, hockey and tennis) falling apart.
They were usually made to feel unwelcome and subjected to racial bias. In fact this was when Takashinga was started I think? Was it necessary to level the playing field? Absolutely, but the way it was done means we will never recover. The fact is that they were often not good enough but felt they had been overlooked on racial grounds (as I said, sometimes the case). Club sport was the cornerstone of our success in sport in this country. Once dismantled, the powers that be have never offered a successful alternative or attempted to rekindle it.
These days there are around 8 black clubs with no grounds when there are many lying idle. They don't want grounds because they would have to pay to play (often they simply can't afford it), that's the short of it. There are only enough good players to have 4-5 strong club sides in Harare, one in Mutare (maybe), one in Midlands (maybe) and one in Bulawayo. Instead we have too many and the overall standard is now weak. If a player can't make a side he tries another homeless club, if he can't make that he gets together with a bunch of second rate players and just forms another club. It's probably our major problem. It's been partially addressed by franchise cricket but we need the stepping stone. Unfortunately the players at this first league level feel they need to be paid professionals instead of amateurs paying their way and aspiring to become professional cricketers. It's all messed up. The league came to a halt because ZC weren't paying these guys $10 appearance money. They should be paying subs to maintain decent grounds and nets and running their own league independently of those crooks at ZC, much like was done in the past, not being paid to play. It's a joke.
Back in my day if you were a St George's boy you played sport after school at Old Georgians, if you were Prince Edward you went to Old Hararians.
I remember a couple of guys who jumped ship and they had a mega tough time when they played their old club. Those days are gone. No more long standing rivalries and grudge matches, no more pride and loyalty in your club.
Had the powers that be kept the strong base, as unpalatable as it was, and tried more subtle means of integrating players, we would be a lot stronger than we are. Boozer's league is a joke as well. They should play club seconds and thirds and keep the system going if they want to play social cricket.

[Googly]

Grass roots cricket is a 20 year plan, we've had 30 years of independence and it still hasn't worked. I'm doubting it will ever, but of course we have to try. We need to strengthen the small strong base we have. It's like that speech comparing capitalism and communism, if you tear down and redistribute it's not likely to work. You watch and learn from what works and aspire to be like them, not dismantle it because it wasn't fair. You coerce, wheedle, lobby and keep it going whilst you build, learn and strengthen the larger base until you are on an equal footing. The quota system in SA is a good example. If you made a public announcement that your franchise had to have 5 white players you would be prosecuted, ridiculed and ostracized. If you make a policy that you have to have 6 players of color you are a rock star? You are correcting the injustices of the past by perpetuating them, not sure how this works?? They have lost so many good players it's scary. Watch SA national cricket weaken, already their top order lack technical skills. It's the same as their franchises, their batting has definitely got weaker. All in the name of racial equality. I'm all for it, absolutely, but I'm merit based and there has to be another way. If there are 12 white players in the SA side or 12 black makes no odds, as long as they are the best. Same as here in Zim. We are long past that though. Not sure what got me started? Same should apply to the administrators and coaches, but particularly the administrators. If you can run a big corporation you qualify, in my opinion. If you have never run a thing in your life or failed at what you have tried to administer, step down or be fired. Oh.. and return the money!

[sloandog]

Thanks Googly. As usual, you've provided us with fantastic insight. One of the most valuable members of the forum

[eugene]

What is the other club league like in Harare with many former players and many white players in it? Mostly just a beer league? Or some serious cricket being played?

[Googly]

it's mostly social, a few really good ex cricketers. The odd game has a bit of needle and it gets a bit more serious towards knock out stages. Any meeting of more than 10 whites is probably unconstitutional. Might not be long before they introduce a quota system for who you can drink with.

[eugene]

it's mostly social, a few really good ex cricketers. The odd game has a bit of needle and it gets a bit more serious towards knock out stages. Any meeting of more than 10 whites is probably unconstitutional. Might not be long before they introduce a quota system for who you can drink with.

Sadly enough this doesn't sound too far fetched.

[ZIMDOGGY]

thats the thing,
everywhere around the world, anything that whites like or are filled with whites are deemed to have something wrong with it. Even CA are moaning the games too white!

Zimbabwe cricket was NEVER racist in my opinion.There was always a concerted push for blacks. It was just white filled. It was english people liking an english game foreign to the masses. like how the asians gather for mahjong around sydney. Same thing.

Anything 'too white' is deemed wrong, and needs to be more diverse, which is just a code word for anti white. Kids are growing up to hate their race. Zimbabwean whites just dont have the numbers we do and therefore get trounced in society. Imagine the reverse... IT IS REALLY REALLY WRONG.

[eugene]

The constant drive for diversity above all else has certainly had some negative side effects. Still if the game had stayed only within the white community we wouldn't have much of a team now or much of a player base, what with whites numbering about 40,000.