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Hampshire League surveying clubs on banishing foreign imports
Mike Vimpany (as published in Daily Echo) - 3 July 2002
The Hampshire Cricket League is asking clubs if they want a ban on imported overseas players and professional cricketers turning out on Saturday afternoons next season.
They are proposing that the 28-year old competition, which embraces 184 clubs and 314 teams, reverts to being a recreational league, primarily for English players.
The League, in a forthright newsletter just issued to clubs, expresses concern at the ever increasing number of overseas players turning out every Saturday afternoon.
Currently a record number of 26 foreigners are playing in the Hampshire League this summer, seven of them for teams who play in the regional divisions.
However, before formulating the final details, the HCL management committee is canvassing clubs on whether they will back a "no foreign imports" policy at the next annual meeting due in February 2003.
Clubs have been told that the league "does not believe it is any longer appropriate for clubs in a recreational league to be spending either their - or their sponsors - money on players who are generally being used to move a club to a position in the league its playing strength does not justify.
"In the HL's opinion, this money would be better used on facilities (eg ground improvements) that benefit all club members."
In many cases, clubs - mainly through generous sponsors and benefactors - fork out substantial fares to fly players in and then fix them up with jobs.
Some coach team-mates and youngsters, and some prepare the pitches. But the league believes that an increasing number are brought in to score runs, take wickets ... and ultimately secure quick-fix promotions.
These clubs would argue that it is upto them how they spend their money and not up to the league.
Some clubs argue that the presence of overseas players lifts the overall standard of HL cricket - a competition which many participants consider to be a largely enjoyable summer weekend recreational pursuit.
Others disagree, claiming it creates an uneven playing field, particularly for the clubs who either cannot afford to recruit overseas or who simply don't want one at all.
Ten clubs with overseas players aboard won promotions in the Hampshire League last summer, with a host of the visiting players finishing high in the divisional averages.
Acting Hampshire League chairman Chris James agreed that "There is no doubt about it, a large number of these overseas players are playing below their ability level and they are having a significant effect on games."
"You only have to glance at the results in the Daily Echo each week to see that."
New Zealander Daniel Barclay, who has already scored two centuries for County Division 4 club Compton & Chandler's Ford, Hythe & Dibden's South African ace Eugene Burzler, and Cape Town-based pace bowler Derek Manning, who has taken a hatful of wickets for Fair Oak - are among the overseas players influencing lower division matches this season.
Roughly half the Hampshire League clubs backed Fareham & Crofton's proposal at last February's annual general meeting to place a ban on all foreign nationals, but which failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority.
Concerns were expressed about school-age foreign nationals, genuine overseas visitors in the country on business and those coming to this country having lived and been born abroad.
"The management committee has discussed these concerns and, insofar as the youngsters are concerned, is proposing that no foreign national under the age of 17 years on August 31 of the relevant season - and possibly all those in full-time education here - should be barred from playing," Mr James explained.
"We've also examined the situation as regards the genuine overseas visitor, the individual who comes to the UK on business, for example."
The management committee's plan is to give the working visitor permission to play but only if he arrives in the country by March 1, plans to remain in the UK for a minimum of one year and has a valid work permit.
"We think this is a fair deal and covers the concerns some clubs expressed to us in February.
Mr James added "it is important that everyone appreciates that these are only proposals and that the league wants to hear from clubs on how they want this difficult issue resolved.
"There are a variety of different ways of solving the problems, but finding one that suits everyone is clearly going to be difficult," he said.
© SPCL / Daily Echo / Mike Vimpany
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