Cricket: Walkers keep spirit of game intact

Mount Maunganui batsman Hayden Byrnes and Rotorua Central bowler Andrew Gibbs have differing views on whether batsman should walk in premier club cricket. Photo / File

Not a great deal has changed in club cricket over the last 15 years.

The rare picket fences are still a charming novelty, the sandwiches are still spot on and the savouries are, well, savoury.

The big movers have been Te Puke, who have gone from luncheon and tomato sauce sandwiches on one fateful day around the turn of the millennium to the most consistently wonderful cupcakes in recent seasons.

The formats have changed and so too has the structure of the season and the players, but underneath it all the spirit of the game remains largely untouched.

Or does it?

Recent events in Baywide club cricket have thrown the spotlight on a question that barely used to be asked: should a batsman walk when they are out?

The question is more or less moot in professional cricket - the use of the third umpire and technology has essentially removed the onus from the batsman - but club cricket is another matter.

Those range from the walkers, to those who walk in certain situations, to those who nick the ball, smile like butter wouldn't melt and say: "I'm not going anywhere".

Below are the views of players representing each of the Western, Central and Eastern Bay of Plenty clubs on whether the game is still one played by gentlemen.

Whakatane United captain Alex Yates:

"I think everyone should walk. I'm a batsman and I always respect the batsman that walk - it's an honourable thing to do.

"What I really want to discourage is when the fielders are appealing and they know it's not out. I find this very dishonest.

"I've got a lot of time for the umpires who look after us on game day and want them to enjoy their Saturday as much as we players do."

Rotorua Central opening bowler Andrew Gibbs:

"I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about this ... I think there has been a shift. I don't believe that batsmen should walk. The reason for that is I believe there has been a big change since cricket became a professional game - there is now a lot of money to be made from it.

"Every job has its own key performance indicators. For a batsman that is to get as many runs as you can possibly get. If you walk you are detracting from your opportunity to do that and I feel that it balances out in that you are going to get enough bad decisions ... umpires are only human and they make mistakes.

"Especially in professional cricket, there are professional umpires who are there to do a job. It's not your job to do their job for them.

"It's all very well and good for people to say that at club level you should walk, but you then open yourself up to one guy who maybe has a few less morals than the next guy saying that he's not going to walk ... I think the only fair way to do it at almost any level is to say that it is the umpire's decision. It may sound strange but that's the only fair way.

"At the player/umpire level, I believe that players should walk, and that just comes back to the spirit of the game."

Mount Maunganui wicketkeeper/batsman Hayden Byrnes:

"I believe walking is necessary in lower grades. I have played a fair share of both local premier and reserve-grade cricket, and in the Bay umpiring is left to members of each team in grades lower than premier. When your teammate is at the other end judging a decision it can put a fair bit of pressure on them and the team.

"Personally, I'm a fan of walking in games where there aren't official umpires, it keeps the spirit of the game intact. When it comes to higher-grade cricket, umpires are paid to do the job so they are there to make the decisions, which the players must respect."