This week we welcome David Jaques, a genuine ‘lifer’ down at Capel Cricket Club in the Dorking area of Surrey, to share insights into how he’s helped play a key part in creating a community centric cricket club in a village context, against a backdrop where so many others have struggled. We hear how he has learned to harness local influencers, to make space for volunteers to grow into roles, the importance of a fun environment and the sheer depth of passion invested into the club. A true...

This week we delve deeper into fundraising for cricket clubs, and in particular how digital raffle platforms specifically tailored towards sports clubs can prove extremely time efficient whilst also generating a regular source of club income. We speak with David Gray, Business Development Director at Play Fund Win, in order to find out more… Enjoy the show!   Notes on podcast series:   The Community Cricket Podcast is brought to you by Twenty 20 Community Cricket Ltd, a not-for-profit...

We delve into new areas this week, via a conversation with Alex Smith, one of the co-founders of Backyard Cricket England. We hear how the burgeoning backyard cricketing scene in Australia proved the inspiration for a UK equivalent, the resultant Backyard Ashes series, and how the ‘jumpers for goalposts’ spirit of this form of the game can make for an easy entry but fun alternative brand of cricket for players of all ages to enjoy. Enjoy the show!   Notes on podcast series:   The...

This week we speak with Matt Camp, the creator of Slam Cricket, a competition originating in the South of England out of the need to plug a gap in participation. Back in 2018, Matt was savvy enough to recognise that people’s time was at more of a premium than ever before, making all day recreational cricket at weekends an unworkable proposition for many. Hear how and why he set about providing a viable short form weeknight alternative for those who still want to play. Enjoy the show!   ...

This week we chat with Patrick William-Powlett, chair at South Shields Cricket Club. We hear how Patrick has empowered club coaches to provide an abundance of hardball opportunities for juniors regardless of gender, and in particular how South Shields CC have pro-actively energised their girls section, whilst simultaneously nurturing relationships with local schools. Enjoy the show!   Notes on podcast series:   The Community Cricket Podcast is brought to you by Twenty 20 Community Cricket...

This week we change lanes somewhat, in exploring what lessons might be learned for cricket coaches from the field of women and girls’ hockey. To do so, we take inspiration from Georgie Wood and Will Cooper, who are captain and coach for the Reigate Priory 1st XI hockey team. We discuss similarities in approach with our own sport, how women’s hockey is much further developed relative to the development of women’s cricket, and some of the on-going struggles that Will is confronted with as a...

Russ Carter is a man who wears many hats, including that of coach, player and cricket equipment business owner. However it’s in his role at the forefront of the development of wheelchair cricket that we focus on for this episode, as Russ explains how becoming a wheelchair user himself led to his immersion into the expansion and enjoyment of cricket for others in similar siutations. From situation-specific rules, playing locations and equipment, to the drive for more players of all abilities,...

This week we have the pleasure of a conversation with Chris Pearce to share with you. Chris runs the Kriketová Akademie in Czechia, and provides a truly fascinating insight into the challenges of energising a minority sport in a country where cricket goes largely unseen. Chris’ energy and passion are evident throughout, as he provides a masterclass in how to both cajole and inspire, whilst also reassuring parents that no horses are required! You won’t want to miss this. Enjoy the show!   ...

This week we speak with Tom Bailey, chair, committee member, player and volunteer at his hometown club, Clitheroe CC. However its in his role as a director at TJB Sports & Community that we delve into the detail; because theirs is a business providing expertise and advice for sports clubs looking to save money and become more efficient. And which cricket club doesn’t want to do both!? We talk cost savings, sourcing funding, improving facilities, improved funding bids and a whole lot more....

For our first episode of the new year we speak with Scott McKechnie, skipper and committee member at Dartford Cricket Club, former international wicketkeeper for Hong Kong and founder & CEO at PLAI Sport.   Scott has devised an app that is designed to manage your cricket club’s affairs, generating more engagement and income, whilst taking less of your time to do so. Intrigued to hear more..? Listen on..!   Notes on podcast series:   The Community Cricket Podcast is brought to you by...

Have you ever considered how many potential casual cricketers are not catered for by regular, competitive, club match play? Andy James and Ben Whitehouse from the Friendly Cricket Collective certainly have, and they set about doing something about it in the Bristol area. Latent players both, they managed to build a sufficiently warm, welcoming and social cricket environment from the fringes of their children’s primary school, that openly recognised that irregular fixtures in a non-competitive...

Ever wanted to properly connect local schools to your cricket club? Then this is the podcast for you! This week our conversation is with Jim Clarke, Cricket Development Officer at Winchmore Hill Cricket Club. Suffice to say, Jim takes a pro-active approach to schools engagement to a whole new level, and the clubs that have been lucky enough to benefit from his efforts have done so with undeniably impressive results. Pin back your ears, and enjoy the show!   Notes on podcast series:   The...

We veer into new territory this week via a conversation with Bob Peirce from Sidcup Cricket Club. Bob is the driving force behind many of the sports club’s environmentally focussed activities, from improving the aesthetics of the playing and surrounding areas, to dramatically reducing energy costs and driving efficiency through a range of endeavours, both large and small. Though Sidcup CC is part of a bigger sports club set-up, there are valuable lessons here for all cricket clubs, regardless...

We’re excited to share this week’s conversation with Rich Feist, the long-time member and now chair at Merstham Cricket Club, as he explains the extraordinary breadth of the club’s reach across the local community. He shares a tremendous wealth of insight and inspiration in equal measure, relaying how the club has been involved in local schools, charities, sponsorships, food banks and so much more, enabling the cricket club to become the very heartbeat of the local community.   If you’re...

This week we chat with John Fuller, the man behind cricketyorkshire.com, an editorial website covering grassroots and club cricket in the Yorkshire region. With many years’ experience also on club committees and as a player as well as having created and run his own online presence, John is intriguingly placed to share his expertise in regards to the use of digital platform use within club cricket.   We discuss how to make the most from digital content, Play Cricket, social media and...

This week’s conversation is with Ben Wilson, the driving force behind the Save Village Cricket campaign. It’s a campaign that started with trying to prevent his club from having to pull matches due to a shortfall of participants, and has expanded into a countrywide effort to drive participation via effective communication and lobbying.   Ben shares his best practice on everything from enabling clubs to easily connect with a pool of players to cover last minute drop outs, to making provision...

This week our conversation is with Chris Whitaker, chair of the management committee of the Young Leaders in Cricket Programme; as the name suggests it is an initiative designed to improve and develop leadership and life skills through cricket, targeted at teenagers aged fourteen to sixteen. The programme encompasses a number of elements designed to encourage young people to take on voluntary roles at their clubs, from coaching to groundskeeping, and umpiring to scoring via fundraising and...

This week our conversation is with Duncan Stone, author of the book “Different Class – The Untold Story of English Cricket”, which explores the notion of inclusion and exclusion within cricket at all levels. It was a conversation we undertook in the hope that doing so would help to contextualise current day issues in cricket, and then to consider how we might pro-actively impact the game so it could have a more inclusive future; clearly a highly topical conversation at any time, but doubly so...

This week our conversation is with Rich Beghin & Kate Costin, founder and general manager respectively at Flicx. Flicx provide a potential answer to the problem of the increasing demand for pitch availability. Their solution comes in the form of an artificial, portable cricket pitch which can be rolled out more or less anywhere, creating a suitable place to get a game on, whether on a club outfield, or in a non-traditional cricketing environment.   We discuss the fascinating origins of...

This week we chat with Simon Hards, the Assistant Director of Cricket Participation for the Surrey Cricket Foundation. Simon was a key figure in the creation and implementation of a new Values and Behaviours Framework for the Surrey Junior Cricket Championship. The framework was created to further develop a positive culture in which young people can learn to love the game of cricket in Surrey, and consists of three core values (Spirit, Inclusion and Enjoyment) from which a number of key...

This week we speak with Kendal James and Mac McKechnie. Kendal is Participation Manager for the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation, and Mac is the driving force behind the creation and expansion of the walking cricket programme within the Yorkshire region.   This is a heart-warming and enlightening conversation themed around attracting older generations to participate in cricket, whether for the first time or returning after a number of years, in a way that makes the players feel safe and...

This week we speak with Peter Herbert, junior coordinator at Stockport Trinity Cricket Club, based just outside of Manchester. Pete has been in the role for seven years and has an expert view on harnessing the All Stars programme and particularly on how to create a real sense of energy around youth recruitment.   We cover a range of relevant topics, from succession planning, club pathways, collaboration with clubs in the locality, and going above and beyond the basic provision of the All...

This week’s interview sees Henry Cupitt joining us all the way from New South Wales, Australia. Henry has a tremendous wealth of experience as a club, association development and pathways coach both here in the UK and in Australia, having worked for Middlesex Cricket and the MCC, coaching privately and in the Kent Girls pathway. Henry is now a Cricket manager for Cricket NSW, driving participation in a region several times larger than the whole of the UK.   This week’s conversation seeks to...

This week’s episode features a particularly interesting interview with Sarah Ginn, an inspirational coach who has been at the very forefront of driving participation for women and girls for the best part of two decades.   Sarah has set up and run both St Fagans CC and Berkswell CC women’s sections, works with the juniors in the regional talent pathway in the midlands, and brings an enormous wealth of experience as player, motivator, coach and administrator.   The conversation reveals any...