“I’d like our 2nd XI to obviously win as many games as possible, but the main aim is just to give people opportunities to play cricket. We’ll put a 2nd XI fixture on as many weeks as numbers and availability allow. What would make me happiest is to continue to build a core squad who want to play week in week out, so that there is enough demand to get as many Jewish cricketers on the field as possible every week.”
LMV captain Alex Haffner says: “Our club is all about creating a pathway between the junior and senior sides. We’ve put a lot of time and effort into the junior section and created an “Elite Squad” of our most promising junior players who get specialist coaching to help them get prepared for adult cricket, to then be the backbone of those sides in the future. We want to keep feeding that pipeline and seeing the benefits of that pathway.”
London Maccabi Vale players at their club day last season.[Missing Credit]
While offering all of the above, Morris says winning isn’t the ‘be all and end all’ at BECC. “Our aims are perhaps more tailored towards the culture and the social environment and getting people on the pitch to enjoy their Sundays, without necessarily being ultra-competitive as the number one focus”, he says. “But we're certainly not blind to the fact that to have people enjoy their day out on the pitch, they need to be playing in a competitive team that has a chance of winning the game, otherwise what’s the point? While winning in isolation isn’t the ‘be all and end all’, remaining competitive while giving as many Jewish cricketers the opportunity to not just play cricket, but enjoy doing so, is what we ultimately strive for.”
Haffner concurs, saying: “The most important factor first at LMV is to provide a strong sense of identity and community for all of our players – being a Jewish club brings everyone together in a way very few clubs can match. Secondly, we want to provide a real pathway to make sure everyone can play at the right level and to keep people interested and playing as they get older.”
While both clubs continue to thrive, they are only two Jewish London clubs, which is a far cry from days gone by when there were numerous more who competed in a Jewish cricket League and cup competitions. As to why he thinks the numbers have declined so rapidly over the years, Morris says: “I think it’s a culmination of a number of things, partially down to the fact that running cricket clubs is expensive, time consuming and not straightforward. Costs are rapidly increasing, many clubs out there rely on being able to put teams out on both Saturdays and Sundays, which is obviously not workable for Jewish clubs, and in a period where there wasn’t necessarily as much demand, finding enough players to continue ensuring the club succeeds wasn’t straightforward. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see as many young players coming through the ranks as we are seeing in the last few years – U18’s have made up a core part of our squad for some time now, and that is so exciting not just for us as a club, but for cementing the future of Jewish cricket more generally.”
Haffner though suggests the amount of clubs isn’t a conclusive indication as to how many Jewish cricketeers there are. He says: “The number of Jews playing cricket is probably higher than ever. Aside from Vale and Belmont, the others are spread around schools, synagogues and other club cricket. Whilst organisationally there are now just two London Jewish clubs, Jewish cricket is still thriving and there is a lot of talent out there.”
The two clubs play each other during the season and there is a healthy, friendly rivalry between the two. “We’ll definitely be looking at matches with LMV this year, and I think we already have a handful of games locked in”, Morris says. “The friendly rivalry is so important – our games are always the ones I look for when the fixture list comes out and it’s so important to have two different Jewish clubs in London. The clubs offer so much in their own ways and having them committed to getting as many Jewish cricketers on the field on a Sunday as possible can only be a good thing. While we may be different clubs, there’s definitely a common goal there that is great to see.”
Haffner adds: “We see them as an important part of the Jewish cricket fabric and always make sure to keep the rivalry “friendly”.
Something else both clubs have in common is further recruitment. “We're always looking for more people”, Morris says. “We’re a group who genuinely enjoy each other’s company and the atmosphere around the club, particularly in the last few years, is so inclusive, welcoming and positive. We want to compete, but winning isn’t everything and that’s exactly how we go about our day. Making people enjoy their Sundays while playing amongst a group of other like-minded Jewish cricketers is what we’re all about, so no matter what level of ability someone has, if they want to spend a day playing the game we all love in a positive and friendly atmosphere, we’re the place for you!”
Vale are offering something different this year, which Haffner hopes can also attract new players. “From May we’ll be running an All Stars Cricket course for boys and girls aged between 5-10 years old who have never played cricket and want to give it a go. Overall, we offer a great infrastructure which enables players of all abilities to thrive. Our junior section has grown exponentially and offers opportunities to players of all standards, which is our key objective. At adult level, we play a very good standard of League cricket, but also have our Development Team playing friendly matches so truly there’s something for everyone.”
