Ampthill Town Cricket Club Crowdfunder 2022

Our Project - Why it is needed

Our current pavilion is 30 years old and does not meet the current England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) guidelines. As our membership has grown and the use of our facilities by the community has increased, we strive to ensure we offer a more inclusive up to date facility. In recent years we have done a lot of fund raising and started the process, however two years of COVID has stalled the project and all our fund raising activities. We need the support of the community to get us back on track.

Who will Benefit

Everyone in the community will benefit from a new modern facility. For the first time we will have Male and Female changing rooms allowing mixed cricket to be played as well as disabled access opening up the game and our facility to even more members of the community. All future visitors to our club will have a better experience as a result of all the changes, whether thats to play cricket, have a beer at the bar or to host their own wedding!

Who we are 

Ampthill Town Cricket Club based in Ampthill Great Park is a community based cricket club, providing cricket and social opportunities to the local community. We offer cricket to all ages, abilities and ethnic backgrounds starting from five years old right up to the highest level in the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire cricket leagues.

Our ethos 

The club, run by volunteers strives to encourage greater participation in cricket be it playing or socially. Guided by a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive environment our commitment is to minimise the financial barriers so that we attract people from a wide cross section of society, including a significant proportion from the less well-off and socially deprived communities.

Our Membership and Teams 

We have a wide catchment area across Central Bedfordshire and have over 200 members. We field 18 teams throughout the year playing both indoor and outdoor cricket for Men’s, Women and Junior teams. We also run the ECB All Stars and Dynamos programmes for 5–11-year-olds which this year will attract 175 youngsters and parents to the club.

We are very proud of the development of our Women and Girls cricket which started just three years ago and has gone from strength to strength with numbers increasing each year and an age range from 9 to 55. A new softball version for those new to the game starts this summer and opens up the game to even more people.

Our History

Ampthill Town Cricket Club has played cricket in Ampthill Great Park since the late 1800’s and is steeped in history. The club is amongst the largest in Bedfordshire and is well regarded in cricketing circles throughout the County and beyond. It is a Focus Club for the Bedfordshire Cricket Board and has achieved ECB Clubmark Accreditation.

We are very proud that in our recent history a former Ampthill player (Alex Wakely) captained the England U19 team and went on to achieve a successful career as captain of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. Another former youth player (Alex Evans) currently is contracted and plays for Leicesterhire County Cricket Club.

Many of our current players represent Bedfordshire Cricket at all youth, adult and seniors cricket ranging from U13's through Over 70's.

A Community Asset

Ampthill Town Cricket Club serves as an important social hub for the local community and our facilities are used by a wide range of other voluntary and social groups. These include the Ampthill Festival Committee (with our ground and Pavilion being the focal area on Festival Day), Ampthill Fireworks Commitee, Bedfordshire County Cricket Club hosting minor counties cricket, School cricket tournaments, work meetings as well as being a great venue for family parties, weddings and gatherings.

Thank you to those in the Community who have supported our Rewards