IT is no secret clubs with the best infrastructure are the most successful on and off the field.

If your club chairman is on the same page as the under-9s coach, and everyone else in between, success will not be far away.

I work at two clubs separated by a mile at most, and I am sorry to say the set-ups are like chalk and cheese.

One is flourishing and the other is floundering at a delicate time for all of cricket and its clubs.

My opinion is we will see fewer clubs and they will play shorter matches in the future.

This week I have spoken to two players in their early-30s with very successful first-team careers behind them.

One has retired and the other is contemplating it due to there being too much cricket and playing being too time-consuming.

At present Friday night T20s, Saturday league games and Sunday cup ties are the norm.

Some clubs have embraced the T20 format and the extra revenue it brings with good marketing and presenting it as a major local event, while others seem to see it as a hindrance in their preparation for Saturday's league match.

My idea would be for a Bolton League Premier Division and First Division of 40 overs plus one cup competition played to a T20 format for all BCL clubs on Friday nights or from midday on a Sunday.

It could possibly reinvigorate the 16-20-year-olds who drop out of the game, while retain the older, quality players, preventing burn-out and early retirements.

Or could we just have T20 leagues on a Saturday or Sunday, starting at 11am and finishing by 1.30pm, giving players more leisure and family time?

Fans seem to want the shorter format, will it decide the future fate of league cricket in Bolton and further afield?

Something has to give for the good of our game as the standard is deteriorating and participation in local league cricket is decreasing year by year.

There was no game again this week for my Little Hulton CC Sunday team as a lack of players again meant we had to concede our match.

Three were away with their inter-league teams, two were injured and one was on holiday.

It was too much of a challenge for our club with no u18s and a miniscule number of u15s players to call on.

I knew this year would be hard but even I did not expect it to be this tough.