Carlisle
FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/CRICKETCLUBMAG
Carlisle
CRICKET CLUB
Carlisle CC suffered a major setback in 2015 when storm Desmond
flooded their ground but the club has fought back from this and
is now looking forwards to a bright future. Cricket Club Magazine
recently caught up with their Secretary Mark Davidson to find out
more.
Mark told us, “I have been
involved at Carlisle Cricket Club for
around fifteen years and am now in
my 6th as Club Secretary, although
I have watched and enjoyed cricket
at Edenside for many years. Both my
sons are members of the current 1st
XI and came through the outstanding
Junior section, which at the time
was led by former club secretary
Dick Scott. Dick has just about done
everything at Carlisle, a true legend
who is still involved with our junior
section.”
“As club secretary I get involved
in most aspects of life at Edenside
which is a challenging and
rewarding experience. Following
the devastating flooding created by
storm Desmond in December 2015
we are in the process of developing
a new pavilion on the east side of the
ground.
“The discovery of the site of a
Roman Bath House during one of
the searches has added another
dimension to proceedings, and there
is much excitement and enthusiasm
within the city to incorporate this
likely visitor attraction into the
developments on that side of the
ground. Timescales are somewhat
ambiguous as the archaeological
process is ongoing, though clearly
we would like phase one, the
pavilion project to be in situ as soon
as possible.
46 Issue 49
“We have a dedicated and
hardworking committee at Edenside,
admirably led by Club Chairman
Mike Rayson, who, along with
assistant secretary Bryan Laidlow
has done much to move forward
the £1m pavilion project. Committee
work is ongoing throughout the
year, though the recent couple of
months have been particularly busy
as we prepared for the new season.
“Certainly, the structure is in
place for ongoing development -
Four senior weekend teams (The 1st
XI in the Cumbria Cricket League
Premier Division, 2s, 3s and 4s in
the Eden Valley Cricket League), six
junior teams, an U19 side plus several
mid-week teams. There is squad
training and coaching for All Stars,
U9,11,13 and 15s. Six team managers
and over a dozen ECB coaches work
under the supervision of Junior
Coordinator James Bell. Upwards of
200 juniors attend coaching sessions
on a weekly basis. It’s a formidable
and impressive feat and bodes well
for the future of the club.
“Our ambition has always been
for our teams to play at the highest
level they can and to have the
best facilities in Cumbria for our
membership to enjoy.
“During the off-season we have
signed local lad Michael Slack as
club professional on a two-year deal.
Slacky is an outstanding all-round
cricketer who came through our