New Buckie Cricket Club president looks to the future
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TAKING over at the top is always a challenge, but for Buckie Cricket Club’s new president the impact of the coronavirus has lent a whole new meaning to the term.
Former club captain Andy Ballantyne took over the reins from stalwart Eadie Walls earlier this year but was to find the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown herald the suspension of the season before it would have begun in April and of normal club activities, such as fund-raisers.
One of his first acts as president was to indicate to the North of Scotland Cricket Association (Nosca) that, due to a wide range of concerns primarily revolving around player safety during the pandemic, BCC would not be participating in competitive cricket for the duration of this season.
“Buckie set their stall out clearly over the issue of playing this season and it was good to see the club taking the lead in that,” Ballantyne said.
“We as a club think it was a very worthwhile thing to do as we were sitting in limbo before.
“Now we can look forward and focus on next season rather than sitting on the edge of our chairs wondering what’s going to happen.
"The uncertainty was getting wearing and to be honest I’m a little bit surprised we’re the only Nosca club to do something like that.
“This was a decision we took as a club; we canvassed the members for their thoughts and took all their comments on board before coming to a final decision.
"It was a step we took with some trepidation, I have to say, but the feedback we’ve had, especially from the club’s elder statesmen, has been a vindication of the stance we took.
“Cricket Scotland have said there won’t be any league or regional cup competitions this season but there has been talk of a Nosca cup competition over August and September.
"Buckie Cricket Club are not necessarily against changing our minds on the subject of playing but until we’re convinced that all of the concerns we detailed in our statement are mitigated then what we said stands.”
Ballantyne went on to praise his players for their responsible attitude to the current shape of things and the crystal clear line the club has taken with regard to playing, adding that while there were players who on the one hand were “itching to play” they nevertheless “understood and accepted the situation”.
A statement by Cricket Scotland last month stated that the start of domestic competitive cricket would not be before July 1, in practice meaning no cricket taking place until the beginning of August.
He also went on to hail the support BCC has received from a variety of sources with season 2020 – in which Buckie would have been striving to regain their league title, among other honours – a write-off.
“The club is doing quite well financially, mainly due to the good work done in previous years which has left us in a stable position.
“We’re also very grateful to our patrons who have continued to be very generous with their contributions.
"Many thanks go to our sponsor, Black Dog Financial services, for their continued support.
"We offered to repay the money for this season but George [Chappell, the firm’s owner and club member] insisted the club kept it and this has made a big difference.
“Another reason for us drawing a clear line in the sand where we stood in terms of this season was so we could look at getting things in place for resuming fund-raising in the future.
"Our normal means of income, including the 200 Club and the quiz night, have all been cancelled due to the pandemic.
“Until things change, it’s a case of surviving until next season and hopefully we’ll be better set up than ever.
"However, the support we’ve received has been very heartening.”
Ballantyne is something of a late-comer to cricket, initially being coaxed into coming along to the club by his wife's cousin Anthony Wilson, one of the playing squad, when he moved up to Buckie 2007. He started playing in 2011 and has gone on to find a niche as a wicket keeper and, latterly as a promising offspinner.
Looking to the future, Ballantyne added: "It's the first time I've held this post; I said to Eadie at the end of last year I'd be willing to help in any way possible with the club and I got voted in as president, with Johnny Corsie as secretary and Kevin Fraser as treasurer.
"We're all similarly minded, we want to build and improve the club as much as we can. To do this I think we have to embrace change as much as possible.
"Cricket sport is dwindling in the north-east as an amateur sport so we want to make it as easy for players and non-playing members to come along to Buckie Cricket Club and enjoy themselves. Buckie isn't struggling as such but we're often just a couple of players away from not having a team some matchdays. Last season we had to cancel some games because we couldn't raise a team, the first time we've ever had to do that.
"Cricket is a sport steeped in tradition and this can make people a bit averse to change. We have to try something different and get people playing cricket."
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