Cricket at Berkhamsted

At Berkhamsted, serving others is not just a value that we promote on our notice boards or talk about during our open days. Serving others is a value at the forefront of everything our pupils do, even in sports matches. This summer, our cricket players took to the field to enjoy a gratifying cricket match with the ACE Programme Charity, an organisation that works to remedy the decline of black British professional cricket players in the UK.  

Black players make up just 1% of players in UK recreational cricket. In response, Ebony Rainford-Brent (MBE), the first black woman to play for England and a double World Cup winner, wanted to establish a programme that would encourage more black youths to participate in cricket. The result was the ACE programme Charity, a now independent charity ran by Ebony that has gained nationwide recognition.  

While considering how Berkhamsted’s sports department could work to support more charities, Physical Education Teacher and Head of Girls Cricket, Mark Costin, decided to partner with the ACE Programme Charity to share our incredible sports facilities with ACE players. “Last year, I had the idea to ask the ACE Programme if Berkhamsted could help make a difference. I suggested that we play against their teams and host them in a residential training camp, basically giving our facilities over to them to do our little bit to help” Mark explains.   

Since then, Berkhamsted has hosted ACE in a variety of cricketing events and fixtures on our grounds. This allows ACE players to enjoy the fantastic sports facilities our school offers while providing Berkhamsted pupils with another valuable opportunity to serve others. Not only does this help young black cricket players hone their skills, but it also allows Berkhamsted’s pupils to socialise with and learn from other talented cricket players from across the country.  

This summer, fifteen players and five members of staff from the ACE Programme came to Berkhamsted to enjoy a week-long residential training camp while staying in our boarding houses and enjoying full access to Berkhamsted’s facilities. The week was made even more exciting as Courtney Walsh, a legend of cricket, served as a coach!  

But Berkhamsted’s efforts to support ACE do not end with offering the charity a match on our grounds. In the long term, Mark Costin hopes to utilise the partnership to inspire ACE players to come to school at Berkhamsted through standard admission routes, as well as through our Scholarship and Bursary avenues. “I hope that some of the ACE players who joined us over the summer will see Berkhamsted as a place where an aspiring cricketer can flourish. During the residential camp, some of the ACE players asked me and their coaching staff about going to school here, so impressed were they with the school and how we welcomed them” says Mark.  

Until then, Berkhamsted will continue to work alongside the ACE programme to foster cricket talent and share our wonderful sports facilities while allowing our pupils to remember the importance of serving others. 

During the summer of 2024, Berkhamsted’s Girls 1st XI will play ACE Girls XI during our Cricket Week and the Boys 1st XI will host their Boys XI during our T20 Day. We can’t wait for these matches and to continue growing our relationship with this important charity.  

To find out more about the ACE Programme Charity, click the link below: 

The Ace Programme Charity – Supporting Diverse Talent from the Grassroots to the Elite 

*Statistics via The ACE Programme Charity*  

Victory has characterised the past few weeks for our current and ex-cricket students as two Berkhamstedians, Teddy Fleming and George Harvey, played in the Minor County NCCA Championship helping Buckinghamshire’s Full Men’s Minor County Team take home the trophy.

Despite leaving our school last year, Old Berkhamstedian, Teddy Fleming, displayed the determination and team-spiritedness of a great Berkhamstedian after he helped the Buck’s Full Men’s Minor County Team secure their victory in the final. Teddy, who has played cricket from the young age of eight, has a lifelong passion for the sport. “I’ve played cricket for as long as I can remember. While I began playing cricket before I joined the school, I continued to develop my skills throughout my time at Berkhamsted and I am continuing to play the sport now that I have left” Teddy says.

Being selected to play for the Minor County Team was a key turning point in Teddy’s cricket career, and not to mention an extraordinary achievement since it’s rare for teens as young as Teddy to be selected to play regionally.

Playing alongside professional cricket players in this team has allowed Teddy to hone his skills alongside some of the best cricket players in the area. “Playing for the Full Men’s Minor County Team has been a great learning experience; it has given me the opportunity to play alongside some fantastic professionals who I have learned a lot from. The atmosphere after we won the final was amazing” Teddy recalls.

But his success in the Minor County Championship Final is just the beginning of Teddy’s success in the cricket world as the young player takes off to Australia later this year to train at a cricket academy for a month. On taking his training abroad, Teddy says “I’m really excited to see where this next stage will take me!”

Playing alongside Teddy was our current Sixth Former, George Harvey, who has proved himself as another young player to watch after scoring 117 for Bucks under 18 team to help them win their National Competition last month. Shortly after this, George was selected to play for Buck’s Minor County Team.

George’s winning streak didn’t stop there though, after demonstrating his incredible talent, George was selected to play in the Minor County Championship final last week where he scored 61 to help Bucks win their championship final!

Like Teddy, George’s love for cricket began early in his life. “I started playing cricket when I was three-years old then I played through school and clubs my whole life and I continued playing when I joined Berkhamsted in Year 12.”

Despite his remarkable achievements, George remains humble about his success. “I never expected to be playing for a team like the Minor County Team so early in my cricket career, but it’s been a great experience and there’s a few pros in the team who I have really learned from.”

What’s next for George’s cricket career? “It is one of my goals to go professional eventually, but for right now playing for the minor county team is great so I can’t wait to keep doing that.”

While it is almost unheard of for those as young as Teddy and George to be playing in the Full County Side, this only speaks to the young men’s grit, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these two outstanding players.

In this podcast episode we speak to Mark Costin, Head of Girls’ Cricket and Millie from Year 13, who is the captain of the girls’ first team.