An update from our CEO

Hi all,

This April message is always an uplifting one as not only does it coincide with the start of summer, but it also comes shortly after meeting all of our heroic Marathon runners who braved the heat and 26.2 mile run across the nation’s capital to raise money for our national cricket programmes.

It was a privilege to meet just some our Marathon runners, their families and friends last week after spending the past six months pushing themselves to the limit physcially while raising thousands of pounds for the cause. So many of them mentioned how good their experience running with us was, and how important the cause is to them. To hear such positive feedback from those who have been part of our Marathon team community was really special.

We couldnt be more grateful for their efforts and continue to be amazed by what our annual team of runners achieve. Special mention to Rob Ditcham who completed his 18th Marathon and to Hampshire Super 1s participant Archie Dinnage for becoming just the second Super 1s participant to run the Marathon and raise funds for the very programme he benefited from.

Congratulations to the entire to team, London Marathon Day is always an inspirational one and I continue to be in awe of your efforts, which all of our supporters can still donate towards here, with nearly £100,000 already raised!

Thanks also go to our staff team, especially Sadique and Maria, for supporting our runners throughout their Marathon journeys and ensuring they are looked after on Marathon Day. I hope to see many of our runners going around again this time next year...

The cricket season is now well underway at all levels of the game, and we’ve got no shortage of things to look forward to from a programme perspective in the coming six weeks.

First up, our inaugural softball competition for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and additional learning needs (ALN) schools begins this May. This competition is an accessible and competitive alternative to table cricket; the new softball format will provide pupils in SEND and ALN settings with a dynamic new way to engage with the game. The competition will serve as a pathway into the Super 1s programme, while giving participants the experience of a large-scale, inclusive sporting event in a safe and supportive environment.

The eight-a-side competition will follow a structure similar to our National Table Cricket Competition. County cricket boards and foundations will deliver county competitions, leading into 10 regional finals across England and Wales. Winners from each region will progress to the Softball National Finals Day, which in 2026 will take place on Thursday 2 July at the Uptonsteel County Ground, home of Leicestershire CCC.

We’re very excited about this new competition and it’s another demonstration of our commitment to working with the ECB on ensuring cricket becomes the UK’s most inclusive team sport. Find out more here.

Then, on 15 May a highlight of our year takes place in the Nursery Pavilion at Lord’s Cricket Ground – National Table Cricket Finals Day.

If you haven't been able to attend this day already, I’d strongly encourage you to do so. 12 teams from SEND and ALN schools across the UK will be travelling for what is potentially a once in a lifetime occasion to represent their school and region at the home of cricket in the most inclusive format of the sport. All the teams involved have not only trained hard and played well to qualify for Finals Day, but they’ve also learned key life skills, made friends and benefited from new experiences that playing this game offers. Good luck to everyone taking part in a few weeks' time.

Friday 12 June is the start of the Women’s T20 World Cup in this country. A major tournament on home soil always represents a great opportunity for the game to capture the public’s imagination, create new role models and inspire the next generation to take up the sport. We’ll be running a fundraising campaign in connection to this, to raise funds that enable us to increase opportunity and visibility for women and girls in cricket.

This will also include our first ever Taverners women’s team taking on an MCC women’s side at Highgate CC on 11 June. You can register your interest now and it would be great to see you there!

Keep an eye on our website and social media channels at the end of May to see how you can support our cricket programme’s when it comes to opportunities, belonging and personal development for young women and girls through our work. Everyone has a part to play in ensuring every female feels like cricket is a game for them.

A huge, good luck to the England women’s team as they look to inspire the nation and win a World Cup on home soil, as they did in dramatic fashion in 2017.

To wrap things up ahead of a busy few weeks, I’d like to remind you all about our upcoming AGM at Lord’s on 14 May and that your window for voting on proposals we’ve put forward ahead of the AGM is still open.

This is your chance to have your say, and if you haven’t voted already or registered your attendance for our AGM, please do so. This is a key time for the charity and we’re very excited to work with you as we look to put ourselves in the best possible position to succeed as a charity and continue to have a life-changing impact through our programmes.

Click here to register your attendance, and look out for emails from our colleagues at Civica Election Services to help you cast your vote. Tables have been reserved at the Lord’s Tavern for those who would like to socialise with fellow members after the AGM, with our President David Gower being amongst the guests.

I look forward to seeing you at some, or all, of the activity I’ve been speaking about.

Best wishes,
Mark