Ross County say Castle Leod open to cricket clubs if needed
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Ross County Cricket Club’s doors will be open if hub grounds are needed for matches later this year.
County returned to training on Wednesday as government restrictions continue to ease, and the North of Scotland Cricket Association are tentatively targeting Saturday, August 1 for a return to action.
The season had not started before lockdown commenced, and with the league and cup campaigns already cancelled it would likely be shorter tournaments if there is to be any play in 2020.
Logistics would then become the issue, and with hub grounds being suggested as a possible solution in other sports, County’s covid monitor Chris Blake says they would happily welcome other clubs to Castle Leod.
“Hub grounds would work in Nosca,” Blake said.
“Our two closest clubs in Inverness, Highland and Northern Counties, both rely on High Life Highland for their pitches.
“We’ve discussed briefly the principle of hosting clubs at our place to play matches, maybe in organised small tournaments.
“We would welcome clubs, we would make sure we had everything in place to do that safely.”
There would be no pressure on clubs to compete if they do not want to, with Buckie already deciding to take no part in any games throughout the rest of 2020.
It would require some quick planning if and when cricket does get the green light to resume, but one roadblock has already been cleared.
While Ross County have a private lease in Strathpeffer, most other clubs are dependent on council facilities, but with so many other events cancelled it could make last-minute scheduling much simpler.
Blake added: “There have been clashes in the past with Highland Games, Northern Counties have had clashes with concerts, but they have all been cancelled.
“That might actually help matters for us.”
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