ECB hosts ‘Taste of Cricket’ community event at Holyport Cricket Club

Today, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced Holyport Cricket Club (Holyport CC) will be hosting the first of 100 community events taking place this summer as part
of the Taste of Cricket campaign. Kicking off on Sunday 30th June in Berkshire, the event will see the club open their doors to new and diverse communities and celebrate all those who work hard to make cricket more inclusive in the area.

The Holyport CC event is the first of a host of community club events taking place across England and Wales this summer, with up to 100 more clubs invited to open up their doors to their local communities
for a special match tea, sponsored by Remilty. Each special match tea event will showcase different stories of community clubs and volunteers who are driving positive change within the game and improving access to cricket.

​​​Holyport CC was selected to participate in the campaign to celebrate the incredible progress the club has achieved in championing its diverse community.
Until 2018 Holyport only had men’s teams, but has since grown to provide people of all abilities, genders and ages the chance to play cricket, thanks to a small group of dedicated volunteers. The club also offers free cricket coaching for anyone with a disability
or special educational need who is aged six and over – and hosts an annual Berkshire Disability Cricket Festival with over 50 players from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey taking part.

Challenging the outdated stereotype of plain sandwiches and milky tea, Taste of Cricket will demonstrate the true variety of cuisines that are often shared during a match tea. For Holyport CC, this
includes Braai burgers – typically locally sourced and seasoned with unique flavours – that nod to the impact of the many Holyport cricket players who hail from south of the equator. Another popular dish is the Holyport Mess – combining millionaire shortbread
and pavlova – following an amusing incident where a glorious pavlova was dropped and served to unsuspecting club-mates as Eton Mess.

Money transfer remittance service, Remitly, will also be offering an additional 100 inspirational community clubs, who excel at promoting diversity and inclusion, an opportunity to get in on the action
this summer. Participating clubs will receive a Taste of Cricket hamper, including a supermarket voucher, picnic goodies, and recipes to supercharge their very own Taste of Cricket match tea.

Following the summer festivities and just in time for Christmas gifting, the Taste of Cricket cookbook will launch, featuring a range of beloved classics and innovative twists on match tea recipes,
crowdsourced from grassroots volunteers at clubs, cricket and foodie royalty, and famous fans of the game. The ECB is also offering cricket fans the chance for their match tea recipe to be included in the cookbook. To be in with a chance, visit
www.ecb.co.uk/about/edi/raising-the-game.

Alistair Thompson, Chairman at Holyport Cricket Club notes,
“We’re really looking forward to opening our doors to celebrate our work in making cricket a more open and inclusive sport for our local community. Food is an amazing vehicle to showcase the diversity within our club and wider community, and Taste of Cricket
is an opportunity for us all to come together and take a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come over some delicious food!”

Kate Miller, ​​​the ECB’s Chief Communications Officer comments, “Being one of the only sports that breaks play to eat, cricket and food are intrinsically linked. Holyport Cricket Club has a long
history of welcoming players from all corners of the world, making the club a natural partner for our Taste of Cricket campaign. We look forward to celebrating this profound connection and the power it has to unite communities, both this summer with our Taste
of Cricket event series, and beyond with the cookbook.”

Adil Rashid MBE, who last year marked his 100th T20 international appearance for England, added, “Food has always played a big part in my life – as someone of Pakistani heritage, some of my fondest
memories are centred around mealtimes with family. So, to be a part of a sport that celebrates different cuisines and cultures in such a unique way is really special.

“One of my favourite things about touring is getting to try the incredible variation of match teas across the world, so I’m very much looking forward to sampling the eclectic mix of food enjoyed
by communities across England and Wales with Taste of Cricket.”

To stay up to date with ​​Taste of Cricket,,please visit:
www.ecb.co.uk/about/edi/raising-the-game.