Cricket East

This video by an ECB film crew captured interviews with key partners along with match activity on Families Day. It shows these partners and different faith communities working together, through the game, to importantly evidence supporting building community cohesion and integration both locally and more widely.

Peterborough Families Day 3rd Sept 2022: ‘Raising The Game’ Cricket Case Study

Cricket East worked with a range of partners including Cambridgeshire Police and its Police and Crime Commissioners Office, Peterborough Joint Mosque Council, Peterborough City Council, Hindu Community, Lords Taverners Wicketz programme, Friends of Central Park, Royal Air Force Regional Engagement Team and English Cricket Board to deliver 2 activities as part of the city’s annual September multi-cultural Families Day event in Central Park.

In the morning the adult Joint Mosque Team (made up of the 5 Mosques in the City) played their annual charity cricket match versus the Police/Council side to evidence these parties continued close working together. Historically until Cricket Easts intervention, this match was played away from the heart of the city with no real profile as a really important part of multi faith community activity. Local Councillors also participated in the event encompassing Cricket Easts wider township working in the city. The match was played for the Pboro Community Cricket Cup (supported by the Cambs Police & Crime Commissioners Office) and officiated by members of the Association of Cricket Officials. The Mosque side, containing a few active local club cricketers, won by 44 runs for a 4th consecutive year, either side of Covid restrictions. More importantly, the event helped to raise well over £600 for the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, one very close to the Joint Mosque Council.

In the afternoon, a new venture took place, as the cities Lords Taverners Wicketz youngsters project played the Hindu community in the same format to the adult game, 14 overs a side. The Wicketz side coming out on top by 43 runs in what was a game played in a great spirit with lots of real emerging talent on show. This particular match came together following Diverse Communities Officer Dave Summers visiting their Temple as part of the cities ECB Diverse Communities Project along with Wicketz Development Officer Jonathan Bigham. As a result of this game, a member of the Hindu community will be attending a local coaching course at the end of September to support development of future opportunities. Youngsters who took part in this game on both sides had previously also benefited from involvement with the national ECB supported Dynamos and Dynamos ‘Intros’ (focusing on real areas of deprivation) programmes run by local club Peterborough Town CC and Cricket East (jointly with the Wicketz programme) as part of their Summer holiday communities community cohesion/integration and support programme.

For further information on these initiatives, please feel free to contact Dave Summers, Cricket East Diverse Communities Officer via

dave.summers@cricketeast.co.uk