As the cricket season slowly approaches, I find myself daily writing teams down, looking at possible transfer options, making notes and finding new and exciting drills that would stimulate and improve my players at Cleveland.

Then I hear this voice from a coach, whom I had a conversation with last summer, saying, “You can’t save cricket, cricket is finished.”

Is this really true? Is cricket really finished or have we just accepted that the standard at club level is mediocre and refuse to do anything to improve it?

It is no secret that cricket in Bermuda is in a very serious state. It is in need of some energetic, enthusiastic, positive thinking, hard-working people to help to organise, facilitate, coach, umpire, etc. Clearly, short-term and long-term plans have to be meticulously planned and shared throughout all the clubs so that everybody is clear on how they can play a part in revamping the sport.

I challenge every player, coach, manager and president of all the cricket clubs in Bermuda to look in the mirror and ask yourself, “What is it that I can do to help to improve cricket, particularly at my club?”

For example, can you train with a purpose? Can your grounds be improved? Can you better prepare your wickets this year? Can you spend more time preparing training sessions so that your teams are coached properly? Could sponsors be found to assist in improving the professional look of your team, with caps and uniforms?

If each club took the time to reflect on last season and identify things that need to be improved on, this would go a long way towards improving the standards, both on and off the field.

At the end of the day, it boils down to self-pride. Do the clubs have pride in what they present to their players and do the players have pride in their own performances? How many players have sat down and started to think about the 2015 season and what they would like to achieve?

Earlier, I talked about sitting down and planning for the pre-season. Not a day goes by that I do not write something down pertaining to Cleveland County. When my players show up for pre-season training, they will know that I have done my homework. As a coach, though, we have to be mindful of what is important. To some coaches, winning is the only thing that is important, but to others, the quality and professionalism of their programme are more important.

One question I like to ask coaches, would he rather have 15 players training regularly (twice a week) from pre-season right to the end of the season and finish third? Or would they prefer to have six or seven players training once a week, or not at all, and win the league? What would you prefer? Everybody is different and we each value success differently.

We all know that the executives of the clubs have to deal with the management part of things, such as selection committee, field maintenance, teas, lunches, finance, clothing, etc. But it is the coaches who deal with the training, fitness, etiquette, knowledge of the game, which we witness week in and week out. Hence, coaches need to prepare properly so that our players are prepared properly. If Cleveland fail, it is my responsibility.

As coach, I have to set standards for my team to abide by, but I must also be stern enough to discipline my players when they do not meet my expectations.

My players know that if they do not train, they will not be selected unless for work-related or family-related issues. However, even then, I request that they make a one-on-one session with me to ensure they are mentally ready to perform on the Sunday.

I am no expert, but I do know what is needed to improve and we have to ask ourselves at club level, are we doing enough to improve our players? If not, what can we do differently this year? Now is the time for planning.

Are your training nets in proper order? If not, how can you fix them? Having decent nets is a key element for training.

Does your club have proper covers? Last year, several games were rained out owing to poor covers and not enough manpower to assist.

Do you have a groundsman in place so that when football season is over, he can start working on the wickets right away, which would help the league to start on time?

Planning is so important if we are going to improve and this goes for players, too. How many players have thought about what gear they are going to use this season? Have they ordered their gear so that, when pre-season starts, they are using the bat they plan on using all season, or shoes they plan on bowling in all season?

Hopefully the points made here have inspired some to want to strive for better, thus helping to move our cricket back in the right direction. With planning, hard work and attention to detail, our cricket can be revitalised. Be encouraged to be part of the solution; not the problem.

Quote of the week: One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation — Arthur Ashe