THE thwack of willow on leather will soon be heard on village greens around West Devon as the cricket season begins again ? and Chagford?s players will be in the spotlight next month in a new ITV Westcountry programme celebrating the game.
Chagford Cricket Club are among the sides featured in the new six-part series ?For the Love of the Game?.
Among those featured in the show are Mike Wreford, who is still opening the bowling for Chagford in the Devon League despite being in his late sixties, and ex-West Indies all-rounder Prakash Joshi, who will be sharing some of the tricks of the trade as he coaches the Chagford players.
The first programme in the series will be broadcast on Thursday, May 6, between 7.30pm and 8pm.
The programme is narrated by musical maestro and lifelong cricket fan Sir Tim Rice and follows the day-to-day events at a number of village cricket teams around the region.
?Cricket is more than a game, it?s a love affair,? says Sir Tim. Ever since Charles Dickens recognised cricket?s charm when describing a match between Muggletown and Dingley Dell, the game has had its own literature.
After claiming ?cricket is the true English religion?, one of Cornwall?s most prolific authors, Tim Heald, bats about theories on the origins of the sport.
Indeed, Chagford?s cricketers make an appearance in Mr Heald?s latest book, Village Cricket (See review in West Devon Diary) which surveys this quintessentially English game.
?For the Love of the Game? is a Triple Echo production for ITV Westcountry and is produced by David Taylor.