A LEADING figure in Isle of Wight cricket said he hopes Prime Minister Boris Johnson's damaging comment about a return to recreational cricket — describing the ball as 'a natural vector of disease' — was a mistake made in the heat of the moment.

The country's Conservative premier has seemingly put paid to the hopes of club cricketers up and down the country a return to action is imminent.

Although test cricket is due to get underway in a fortnight's time, Johnson responded to a question posed by Greg Clark MP in the House of Commons yesterday (Tuesday) about when the game was likely to restart at recreational level.

Isle of Wight County Press: Boris Johnson in Parliament yesterday (Tuesday) answering questions about when cricket will get back to normality.Boris Johnson in Parliament yesterday (Tuesday) answering questions about when cricket will get back to normality.

The Prime Minister said that it was too soon to lift current restrictions on recreational cricket.

Under current regulations, socially-distanced training sessions are the only permissible form of cricket.

Andy Woodward, the Isle of Wight Cricket Board's head of cricket, was disappointed by Johnson's comment.

He said: "It is a great surprise he said that really. With basketball taking place — a sport that allows everyone to handle the ball, it was a very strange thing for the PM to say.

Isle of Wight County Press: Andy Woodward, the Isle of Wight Cricket Board's head of cricket was disappointed by Boris Johnson's 'vector of disease' comment.Andy Woodward, the Isle of Wight Cricket Board's head of cricket was disappointed by Boris Johnson's 'vector of disease' comment.

"I hope it was just said in the heat of the moment — a knee-jerk reaction to the question he was asked — and that he reconsiders what he said.

"I don't know the scientific thought process behind it, but cricket is a much slower game, with much more time to take care over cleaning the ball.

"In basketball, the ball is handled by players who sweat a lot, and without any social distancing in place, yet that has been going for a few weeks now.

Isle of Wight County Press: Island cricket teams will be hoping for some competitive play before the summer fades away.Island cricket teams will be hoping for some competitive play before the summer fades away.

"In cricket, a team could have a designated ball cleaner and a bowler could use sanitising wipes to clean the ball.

"If the comment was specifically about leather balls, plastic alternatives can be used instead.

"But by the government's logic, if a cricket ball is a vector of disease, then all balls must be too. I can't see how handling a cricket ball is any less safe than handling a basketball and must be a vector disease too. It's quite odd.

Isle of Wight County Press: It seems an eternity since we heard the sound of leather on willow on Isle of Wight cricket grounds.It seems an eternity since we heard the sound of leather on willow on Isle of Wight cricket grounds.

"I'd be more worried about social distancing in a pub when people have had a few pints.

"What I'm particularly disappointed about is that kids won't be able to play cricket. I worry for their mental wellbeing.

"There are a lot of young players on the Isle of Wight — many of them working hard all winter and extremely keen to play cricket this summer.

"If we don't give them something this summer, it could have a potentially long-term effect on them."

Isle of Wight County Press: What do you think of Boris Johnson's comments about cricket in the House of Commons?What do you think of Boris Johnson's comments about cricket in the House of Commons?

The Southern Premier (SPL) and Hampshire Leagues have cancelled their scheduled formal calendars for this season already, though the SPL (along with their Sussex neighbours) were hoping to organise some form of competitive cricket in mid-July or August, amid the Prime Minister announcing businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors could begin to re-open from July 4.

Hampshire League clubs were hoping to play friendlies.

Greg Clark, the Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells, asked the PM to clarify whether the ban on cricket had come to an end.

"Cricket is perhaps our most socially-distanced team sport," he said.

Isle of Wight County Press: Greg Clark MPGreg Clark MP

"We've lost half the summer, but there is another half left to be enjoyed by players and spectators alike."

On Saturday, he tweeted it was 'absurd that no cricket can be played this mid-summer weekend.'

Johnson said: "The problem with cricket, as everybody understands is that the ball is a natural vector of disease — potentially at any rate.

"We've been round it many times with our scientific friends. At the moment, we're still working on ways to make cricket more Covid-secure, but we can't change the guidance yet."

Isle of Wight County Press:

The ECB, which has been working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport throughout the course of the pandemic, is poised to respond to the PM's comments.

According to its most recent roadmap for the return of recreational cricket, England was in 'Step 3' of a five-stage process — adapting matches thath allowed cricket 'to remain socially-distanced', before the final step of unrestricted play, which would be adopted once social-distancing measures had been removed.