I'm pretty sure Jeremy Snape wasn't referring to club cricket when he said this:

"There is enough evidence of Twenty20's positive influence on the game's other versions to justify its unquestionable merits, and now that players have embraced this swashbuckling format, the bar can only be raised in the future."

Nevertheless, club cricket (be it 2 day, 1 day or 20 over) is certainly another format. So has the influence of professional hit and giggle filtered down to the recreational game? Let's look at the things Jeremy outlined in his article:

• Twenty20 Bowling. Bowling for Jeremy is all about using unexpected variations like yorkers, slower balls and short run ups to outwit the batsmen. I have not seen club players do this very often. The mantra in my league still seems to be to pitch it up on a good length. The odd Yorker might come in at the end but there has been little addition of variations in the last few years.
• Twenty20 Batting. I have seen a lot more aggression in club batting just like we are seeing at higher levels. There is a lot more strike rotation and risk taking than there was a few years ago. That can only be down to younger players breaking into teams who have grown up watching Twenty20 and 300+ run 50 over games. That said, there is still very little in the way of reverse sweeping (or sweeping) in my games.
• Twenty20 Fielding. Fielding is a skill that requires a lot of work to keep at a high level. As a result I don't think the average club fielder will ever be close to the average county fielder. Has the gap widened with Twenty20? I think it has a little with professional fielding coaches bringing in ideas from baseball that are still a few years from becoming common in the club game.

The county game is certainly moving ahead in my view. The North Gear 2020 Premier League is helping raise standards in some clubs but overall the gap seems to be widening. I'm interested in your own experiences here.

• How much have the younger players in your club been influenced by Twenty20?
• How much have you changed the way you play in the last few years?
• Do you see a wider gap to the next level and if so how can clubs close it?

Leave a comment or get in touch and let me know.