Oxfordshire Cricket is delighted to announce the release of our 2020 Handbook.

Every year we put out the Oxfordshire Cricket Handbook which summarises everything we have done over the past year and also highlights some areas to look forward to in the future. The newest edition is available below.

An electronic version of the handbook can be viewed by clicking on the attachment below

A hard copy of the 2020 Handbook is available for purchase by clicking here

If you have any enquiries with regards to the Handbook please contact our Marketing & Commercial Manager – Nick Pinhol [email protected]

If you are a full member you can get a hard copy free of charge.

*Updated on 8th December 2020

Please see the updated guidelines for cricket indoors, these can be viewed for England and Wales by seeing the attachment.

The purpose of these guidelines is to offer practical guidance to venues, coaching providers and clubs on the steps they should take while undertaking cricket indoors. They should be read in conjunction with latest UK and Welsh Government regulations but please note these guidelines could change in response to the current COVID-19 Alert Level or other Government advice in both areas. It is essential that venues, coaching providers and clubs follow the guidance for their particular country, as the updates are different between England and Wales.

In order to keep cricket going as it moves indoors, there will need to be adaptations in place for all, including venues, coaching providers, players, parents/carers, spectators and officials. Those adaptations relate to activity prior to, during and after cricket activity.

Indoor Guidance 2020

As per the AGM notice on the 24th of November, this years AGM will take place on Monday the 14th of December from 7PM on Zoom.
Just a reminder, if you wish to attend please email [email protected] to confirm your attendance so that you can receive the zoom link.

Please click on the attached PDF document below to view the 2020 AGM Pack

2020 AGM Pack

In the last few hours the popular cricket magazine “The Cricketer” announced its annual Schools Guide for 2021. The annual guide sees them list the top 100 secondary schools and 50 leading prep schools in the country. For the first time, they have now also released the top 20 all-girls schools in the country for cricket.

Every year sees The Cricketer go through a long and exhaustive process which sees over 350 schools submit applications to be considered. Each school entry is said to be judged against an extensive selection criteria, which includes the quality of facilities, commitment to cricket in their curriculum, and the breadth of fixtures in their programme.

Oxfordshire Cricket is delighted to learn that the following prep schools in Oxfordshire have been named in the top 50 prep schools in the country:

Top 50 Prep Schools

Abingdon Prep
Dragon School
Cothill House
Moulsford

Oxfordshire Cricket would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the schools named above, it is a fantastic achievement to be named in top 50 schools in the country in such a prestigious magazine. All the schools in Oxfordshire play a crucial role in Oxfordshire Cricket having a good player pathway, which therefore enables us to produce talented cricketers as long as we continue to deliver a great programme alongside them.

To view the full list click here

In the last few hours the popular cricket magazine “The Cricketer” announced its annual Schools Guide for 2021. The annual guide sees them list the top 100 secondary schools and 50 leading prep schools in the country. For the first time, they have now also released the top 20 all-girls schools in the country for cricket.

Every year sees The Cricketer go through a long and exhaustive process which sees over 350 schools submit applications to be considered. Each school entry is said to be judged against an extensive selection criteria, which includes the quality of facilities, commitment to cricket in their curriculum, and the breadth of fixtures in their programme.

Oxfordshire Cricket is delighted to learn that the following secondary schools, and prep schools in Oxfordshire have been named in the top 100 secondary schools, and top 50 prep schools in the country:

Top 100 Secondary Schools

Abingdon School
Burford School
Radley College
St Edwards School

Oxfordshire Cricket would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the schools named above, it is a fantastic achievement to be named in top 100 schools in the country in such a prestigious magazine. All the schools in Oxfordshire play a crucial role in Oxfordshire Cricket having a good player pathway, which therefore enables us to produce talented cricketers as long as we continue to deliver a great programme alongside them.

In the last few hours the popular cricket magazine “The Cricketer” announced its annual School Cricket Guide for 2021. The annual guide sees them announce the top 100 secondary schools, and 50 leading prep schools in the country. For the first time, they have now also released the top 20 all-girls schools in the country for cricket.

Every year sees The Cricketer go through a long and exhaustive process which sees over 350 schools submit applications to be considered. Each school entry is said to be judged against an extensive selection criteria, which includes the quality of facilities, commitment to cricket in their curriculum, and the breadth of fixtures in their programme.

Oxfordshire Cricket is delighted to learn that the following schools in Oxfordshire have been named in the top 20 all girls schools in the country:

Top 20 All Girls Schools

Didcot Girls School
St Helen and St Katharine

Oxfordshire Cricket would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the schools named above, it is a fantastic achievement to be named in top 20 schools in the country in such a prestigious magazine. All the schools in Oxfordshire play a crucial role in Oxfordshire Cricket having a good player pathway, which therefore enables us to produce talented cricketers as long as we continue to deliver a great programme alongside them.

To view the full list click here

Oxfordshire Cricket is delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Taylor, Chris Parkinson, Chris Mitty and David Hanson as directors of Oxfordshire Cricket Board Ltd. The new directors were all introduced at the members forum that took place on the 23rd of November.

The four new directors will each have different focus areas. Paul Taylor, will focus on facility development and league cricket. Chris Parkinson, will focus on People and Volunteer Development. Chris Mitty, will focus on Friends, Families, Clubs and Commercial. David Hanson, will focus his time on State Schools and MCC Hubs.

All four will take up their roles with the view to making the roles permanent subject to being voted in at the AGM in 2021.

Chris Clements, Chairman of Oxfordshire Cricket said: “We have been very fortunate to recruit four very accomplished business professionals who have a passion for cricket. Within these four people there is a range of national and local experience, each offers us specific expertise in areas of need. This enhancement to our infrastructure will serve us well with the growth opportunities that we are looking for in developing both OCB Ltd and also in delivering our 5 year plan for cricket in the county.“

Paul Taylor on his appointment said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to have been appointed as a new director of the Oxfordshire Cricket Board. Cricket has been my life, both socially and professionally, and I cannot wait to bring my knowledge and experience to the OCB team and assist in the further development and growth of cricket in the County.’

Chris Parkinson on his appointment said: “I’m really excited to be able to contribute my professional skills and experience to an organisation and game that has already given a lot to my family. “

Chris Mitty on his appointment said: “Im very honoured to be offered this position and very much looking forward to working with the board and hope my skills will benefit all in cricket”

David Hanson on his appointment said: ”I’m thrilled that the Board have recommended me as a Director of the OCB. My main sporting passion is the game of cricket, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to enhance and execute the strategic plan.”

Oxfordshire Cricket would like to take this opportunity to wish Paul, Chris, David and Chris all the best in their roles, and we look forward to working closely with them. If you would like to contact the new directors, you can email them with the below contact details

Paul Taylor: [email protected]
Chris Parkinson: [email protected]
David Hanson: [email protected]
Chris Mitty: [email protected]

Oxfordshire Cricket is pleased to announce that Sam Herbert has joined the Participation & Growth team in a role as a Community Cricket Coach.

Sam, who recently graduated from University, has previously worked as a casual coach delivering Chance to Shine in 2019, and has coached on Cumnor’s youth set up for a number of years. He is known to those in the Oxfordshire Cricket community, since coming through Cumnor’s Youth Set Up, Captaining their 1st team and being a youth coach.

In the summer of 2019 Sam coached on Chance to Shine in a wide range of schools, running both engagement days and six week programmes. The All Stars Cricket festival was a particular highlight for him, with the opportunity to encourage future generations into the game that we all love. Sam has worked in all cricketing environments from schools to cricket clubs working closely with participants to grow their love for the game, with England’s World Cup triumph driving this excitement.

In 2020, Oxfordshire Cricket launched their new 2020-2024 strategy which draws on the ECB 2020-2024 Strategy ‘Inspiring Generations’. One of Oxfordshire Cricket’s ambitions is to engage more children and young people and inspire a new generation of players and fans. The Community Cricket Coach role is central to the successful delivery of our schools programme and national programmes, including Chance to Shine, All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket. Sam will be responsible for delivering safe, engaging and inspiring cricket sessions to children and young people, as well as engaging and inspiring teachers and parents in a school and community setting.

On Joining Oxfordshire Cricket Sam said:

“I am hugely looking forward to the opportunities this role offers. Encouraging the youth of today to develop in the game we all love. National schemes give us the platform to do so and working on them will be a privilege with the aim of aiding the transition between school and club cricket to secure the future of the game.”

Zoe Pugh, Cricket Development Officer at Oxfordshire Cricket had the following to say on Sam joining the workforce:

“Sam is a great addition to our Participation and Growth team. The wealth of coaching experience will support Sam in delivering on our Chance to Shine programme to Primary School delivery in Oxfordshire. Sam will also support the delivery of the All Stars Cricket and Dynamos Cricket taster sessions to support the growth of school to club cricket in the county.”

Please join us in welcoming Sam to his new role, he is contactable by mobile on, and email. 07718794595, [email protected]

Oxfordshire Cricket and Google Partner Up:
Cricket clubs to get free digital skills training with Google Digital Garage and Oxfordshire Cricket.

Oxfordshire Cricket is delighted to announce that we have teamed up with Google, to provide cricket clubs with the opportunity to learn about Social Media Strategy through Google’s Digital Garage platform.

Google Digital Garage is one of Google’s flagship investment programmes in the UK, where anyone can learn free digital skills through a range of courses and sessions. Since it was launched in 2015, more than 400,000 people have benefited from Google’s free face-to-face training on digital know-how across 500 locations in the UK. They’re now moving the sessions online to continue supporting individuals and businesses during COVID-19.

Becoming the first cricket county in the United Kingdom to partner with Google, Oxfordshire Cricket will offer clubs with the opportunity to sign up for a free webinar that will take place towards the end of November on Social Media Strategy. The Social Media Strategy webinar will enable clubs to learn about how you can build a social media strategy into your business plan. The webinar will take place on Tuesday 24th of November at 6PM, more information will be released at a later date which will include the registration link for the webinar.

Nick Pinhol, Oxfordshire Cricket’s Marketing and Commercial Manager, said:

“We are delighted to offer cricket clubs in Oxfordshire, and clubs in the region the opportunity to access free social media strategy training in partnership with Google Garage. As part of our new 2020-2024 strategy for cricket in Oxfordshire, we are looking to raise the profile of cricket with the purpose of using digital marketing tools to increase participation levels. This partnership will play a key part in helping us deliver free training for clubs as a way to upskill clubs to improve and increase the quality of social media usage. It is a fantastic opportunity for clubs to take advantage of this free webinar to build their digital skills so they can expand their online reach, in order to engage and connect with individuals with the purpose of increasing their online community and attract new players to the game using technology. “

Ronan Harris, Google UK & Ireland Managing Director, said:

‘Now more than ever, having the right digital skills can have a transformative impact on business sustainability, growth and job creation. By partnering with Oxfordshire Cricket, to provide free live webinar training through the Digital Garage, we hope to inspire and upskill individuals and businesses throughout the UK, helping people to find a job or grow their skills from home. Despite the ongoing uncertainty, we want to show how digital skills can help people and businesses restart and thrive.’

Nick Pryde, ECB’s Director of Participation and Growth, said:

“We’re delighted that Oxfordshire Cricket Board have taken the ECB’s recent partnership with Google Digital Garage a step further offering additional access to free digital training. We’re always looking for innovative ways to support the recreational game, which is the lifeblood of the sport, so we think it’s fantastic that Oxfordshire cricket board are offering these extra sessions to boost their clubs. In these challenging times, this training can make a real difference, helping clubs connect with their members digitally and attract new members.”