As we wrap up 2025, I want to take a moment to celebrate what has been an extraordinary year for cricket across our county. Cricket in Berkshire continues to flourish, and the future looks bright.
2025 Highlights
- Women’s Team – in the inaugural year of the new Women’s Domestic Cricket Structure, with Berkshire lifting the Division One trophy in the 50 Over competition. This was the culmination of over 18 months of planning and preparation, which saw greater investment (both financial and resource) into our Women’s Talent Pathway.
- Club Competitions – there were over 1,500 matches played by the clubs across the County, from Under 9 up to Under 19s, for both Boys and Girls teams. Team entries continue to grow year on year, as do the ‘Workforce Support Programmes’ for coaches, umpires, scorers and grounds managers.
- Pathway Success – Several of our young players progressed into Professional County Academies, and three of our players were part of England Under-19 squads (Poppy Tulloch, Shristi Patel, and James Isbell). The Boys Under 18s team won the T20 Cup for the third time in four seasons. The continued success of our talent pathways puts us in a strong position to continue to be competitive on all fronts.
- Volunteer Awards – We relaunched our reward and recognition for volunteers through the ‘Cricket Collective’, which saw over 20 people attend the Utilita Bowl to receive their awards on the pitch during a Hampshire match – look out for the nominations process early next year.
- Street Cricket – winning trophies started to become a habit for our Street teams, with the Girls U13s winning the Regional event and then narrowly losing out in the National Finals. The Slough Youth U12s went one better and became Youth National Champions, and our Young Adults team doubled the trophy count by beating Preston in the National Final -well done to everyone involved in all three teams.
My thanks must got to both our central team, and the hundreds of people involved in Cricket across the County who simply make things happen.
Looking Ahead
In 2026, we’ll continue to build on this momentum by delivering across our strategic pillars
Inspire People to Play the Game
Identify Talent and Develop Potential
Support Recreational Clubs and Players
Set up for Long Term Success
On behalf of everyone at Berkshire Cricket, I wish you and your loved ones a joyful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey—here’s to another fantastic year together!
Warm regards,
Mark Roche
CEO, Berkshire Cricket