Lympsham Cricket Club is looking for more players for the coming season.

With England enjoying success and tickets for their games selling well, you may be forgiven for thinking that all in the cricket garden is rosy, but not every aspect of the game is in good shape.

Village cricket has declined. Recent research show a seven per cent decrease in just one year in numbers playing cricket. These figures came from the ECB’s Eureka! Insight programme.

Of the 844,000 players just 29 per cent were core players playing at least 12 weeks a summer, 48 per cent were occasional players playing three to 11 weeks and 23 per cent were cameo players playing one or two games.

So why the decline? Weather has an effect on playing cricket with wetter summers becoming the norm. The survey revealed that 15 Saturdays were dry in 2014 compared with 20 in 2013.

Another factor is the amount of time it takes to play a game. With family pressures, it is difficult to disappear for eight hours plus on Saturdays. Travel time is also an issue as fewer teams’ mean greater travelling distances.

The ECB, the 39 County Cricket Boards and their respective cricket leagues are looking to tackle key factors such as match end time, travelling distances, playing format, length of game and club/school links. It is hoped that these initiatives will encourage participation and modernise cricket for a healthy future.

Lympsham Cricket Club is in a fabulous village location and play in the Somerset League with two Saturday sides, one Sunday side and a midweek team, with cricket to suit all ages, genders and abilities.

Anyone interested in playing cricket should contact Stuart Bruce on team@lympshamcricketclub.co.uk or ring Richard 07803 074494

The club has enjoyed great success with all its sides. The first team have been promoted twice in two years under captain Jack Luff, but with Jack moving on to a higher standard, the club is looking for new players to continue the success.

Any new players joining Lympsham for the 2016 season will be exempt from match fees for their first year. There is a superb pavilion/clubhouse with a full-time steward open on matchdays.

Pre-season indoor nets are held until spring and outdoor net facilities are at the ground.

Belvedere start indoor nets on March 3 at Weston Cricket Club between 7-8pm, continuing throughout March and April.

New players will always be welcome to join our friendly club. For further details please contact Sam Mccrea on 07411 322041 or Sam Jennings on 07740 861946.

The Weston & District Midweek Cricket League is holding its annual meeting at Weston Cricket Club on March 3 at 7.30pm.

For further information, contact Geoff on 07815 714488.