WHAT effect is the rapid growth of social media and gaming having on cricket?

This week we have seen the amalgamation of Little Hulton and Daisy Hill in junior cricket – the combined team given the rather farm-yard name of 'Little Daisy'.

The two teams have lost a lot of players to other clubs, and a lack of interest in cricket in these working-class areas has resulted in this partnership.

It is going to take a lot of work from both clubs for this to work. There are many things to sort out, such as who manages which team, where are they coached, where are home games played etc.

Last Wednesday saw the first scheduled match, and, unfortunately, eight players could not be raised for the under-9s game.

Other clubs are thriving through 'tots' sessions or the ECB brainchild of All Stars cricket.

We will await the long-term effect with interest but what can we do compete against computer games like FIFA and the new phenomenon Fortnite where kids can spend four or five hours a night rather than batting at number nine, 10 or 11 on a freezing night in April?

Lots of volunteers and club coaches are doing their best to fight this and the all-year round juggernaut of football.

The new ECB 100 competition is scheduled for terrestrial TV in 2020 but will this new format attract the new audience England director of cricket Andrew Strauss hopes it will?

And will kids look up to the likes of Joe Root like they do to Ronaldo Messi or American professional wrestler John Cena.

It is a tough time for our sport where senior second teams cannot be raised and third teams are dropping out of leagues.

There was no game for my Little Hulton Sunday team last weekend which means we will start the season in May. We will have to find 33 players on Sunday due to the start of the Hamer Cup and Birtwistle Cup and our first match.

Also hindering us is the ECB ruling which county boards have to adhere to that prevents under-12s from playing senior cricket until they have been selected for a county squad in that age group.

The fact selection happens at the end of May does not help our club as both the club and the parents of the player we would like to select believe he is good enough.

Last year it was June until another talented lad could make his senior debut. Within three games he scored his first senior 100.

If they are good enough, they are old enough.