As a lover of many - not all - but many sports, I sometimes feel that football consumes everything, writes Matt Dixon.

Like a sporting piranha, it bites incessantly into the summer season, throwing other calendars out of kilter. It strikes me as being rather unnecessary.

Last August the Falmouth Packet published the first Trelawny League results at the end of August. Nine months later, Mullion Reserves will take on Halsetown in a meaningless Division 1 match on Saturday, May 27.

During that time, they will have played 26 league games.

Working on a four-Saturday-a-month basis (although sometimes it is five), there are 36 available Saturdays on which to play their games. That does not include midweek matches (for which there are plenty of opportunities both at the start and end of season in British Summer Time).

Why then, are relegated Mullion Reserves having to play Halsetown just three weeks shy of the longest day of the year?

The cricket season will already be more than a month old, rugby's league programmes will have finished four weeks ago and all the local football cup finals will have long since been played out.

Apart from the most enthusiastic player, referee or club official, who will really be looking forward to Mullion's match with Halsetown?

It just creates a little bit more administration and a few more headaches for the respective managers who will be doubtless scrabbling around for players - and all for what? A game that the players will scarcely want to play.

Similarly, how keen will Probus be to make the near 70-mile round trip to Lizard Argyle in Division 3 this Saturday? Probably very keen, I hear you say, because they can still win the league. But imagine if they couldn't. Imagine what other activities would suddenly look a whole heap more attractive to would-be players.

In the top tier of Cornish football, Helston Athletic twice had to concede matches in April because there weren't enough players available. For the same reason, Vospers Oak Villa left Porthleven without a final home game a couple of weeks ago.

I love football. From playing it in the back garden (sometimes on my own, with commentary), through an occasionally successful "career" with St Newlyn East and latterly Veryan, I have always loved it.

But I also love cricket. The sounds and smells of summer, the camaraderie and the cerebral element that does not always exist in football.

So I'm asking football to budge over a bit to make room for it's summer oppo.

* Surely junior level football can start on September 1 and finish on May 1?

* Surely the Combination League needs to be split into two divisions to create less games? 38 league fixtures for teams that are often reserve sides puts a huge strain on clubs' resources.

* Surely more midweek games at the START of the junior football season need to take place?

Cornish cricket is on the slide. I remember when there was an east and west section that stretched down to Division 7 on each side.

The lowest level now is Division 5, albeit split into five sections. The England Cricket Board are spending vast amounts of money and research to address the problem of grassroots participation. They hope to engage youngsters in the game and restore our great summer sport to it's glory days.

However, until the length of the football season is addressed in this county, cricket will continue to be a second class citizen. Which saddens me to the core.

Tell us your thoughts - does Matt have a fair point or is he bashing football unfairly?