Cricket at Berkhamsted

Providing a pathway from playing at school, to the local club, to professional cricket & a lifelong love of the game

Cricket thrives across the school year at Berkhamsted. Pupils begin training in October and, during the winter months, male and female pupils train together indoors before enjoying Saturday block fixtures, county cups and national competitions in the summer. Across the year we offer skills-based masterclasses such as T20 batting, fast & spin bowling, batting against spin etc. We also run weekly wicket keeping and fast bowling group sessions led by our expert coaches and teaching staff.  

At Berkhamsted, we believe in providing equal opportunities for every pupil to participate in cricket. In 2023, we appointed our first Head of Girls Cricket, ECB Level 3 Mark Costin, having introduced girls cricket as a full Games option in 2019. As a mark of our progress the Berkhamsted Girls 1st XI reached the National T20 Finals in 2022 and the U13 Girls won the Hertfordshire County Cup in 2023. 

We strive to help students engage in cricket throughout their journey across Berkhamsted Schools. We provide a cricket pathway from Prep to Sixth, and many pupils continue to pursue sport after School. Over 20 pupils are currently playing cricket at county/representative level. You can find out more information about our cricket alumni below.   

Coaches

Berkhamsted boasts a highly experienced cricket coaching team. Pupils benefit from the expertise of ECB Level 3 and 4 staff within the PE department (George Campbell and Mark Costin). In addition to our full-time PE teachers, we also have coaching staff from partner organisations who supplement our teachers’ knowledge. Pupils get regular access to coaching from ECB Level 3 and 4 coaches like Justine Dunce, James Bell, and Ben Ungaretti.  

Fixtures

Berkhamsted boasts a strong cricket fixture card that allows pupils to test themselves against the top schools in the area. Matches take place against Whitgift, Merchant Taylors’, Haileybury, Kimbolton, St Edward’s, Stowe, the Bedford Schools and many more. 

Berkhamsted can field up to 30 teams each Saturday with often a 15/15 split of boys and girls teams. This allows every student to play and enjoy the game at a level suitable to their ability. 

Our Playing Fields

Berkhamsted’s fantastic facilities host a number of Bucks matches throughout the summer which include a number of county fixtures as well as an internal trial/fixture day with nearly 200 Bucks boys and girls playing cricket on Chesham Road playing fields. The School and County also have several annual fixtures against one another during the season for both the boys’ and girls’ teams. The highlight is the 1st XI match against Buckinghamshire U17s, a fixture that always proves to be a tight contest.

The School’s cricket fixture card is extremely strong and allows the students to test themselves against the top schools in the area. Matches, in a range of formats, take place against Whitgift, Merchant Taylors’, Northwood, Abingdon, St Edward’s, Oxford, Stowe and Bedford School. Berkhamsted are able to field up to 28 teams each summer with 17 boys’ teams and up to 11 girls teams every playing each week. This allows every student to play and enjoy the game at a level suitable to their ability.

Sport plays a significant part in the school life of any Berkhamsted pupil and the school has had significant success in recent years. Berkhamsted were recently named as the third best Independent School for Sport in a recent edition of the ‘School Sport Magazine’. The national publication ranked each school based on 20 different sports and 120 national competitions throughout 2019. For more information please use this LINK.

Contact us

If you would like any further information please don’t hesitate to contact either myself GCAMPBELL@BERKHAMSTED.COM , Tom Pierce (Director of Sport) TPIERCE@BERKHAMSTED.COM or the school admissions team ADMISSIONS@BERKHAMSTED.COM / 01442 358001 for more information.

News

Berkhamsted’s partnership with the ACE Programme Charity  

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*  

Berkhamsted Boys triumph at the National County Cricket Championship

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.

Two Berkhamstedians celebrate their success after NCCA cricket final.
George and Teddy celebrate their win together after the match!

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.

“The choice to come Berkhamsted was the best decision I could have made and has created two very memorable years for me. This opportunity has helped me develop as a cricketer but also as a person.”

– Ben Harris, Cricket Scholar Year 13

Scholarships

There are a full range of scholarships available at for 11+ (Yr.7), 13+ (Yr.9) and 16+ (Sixth Form) entry and these can be supported by independent means tested bursaries.

Berkhamsted Boys Prospectus

Berkhamsted Girls Prospectus

Berkhamsted Sixth Prospectus

Berkhamsted Information Book

Boarding opportunities at Berkhamsted

Berkhamsted Boarding Information Book

Results and life after Berkhamsted

Find out more about our results and destinations here.

Our Facilities

Easy to reach location

Berkhamsted is located just 30 minutes by direct train from London Euston and is less than a 5 minute walk to the school sites

We offer a range of School minibuses covering Buckinghamshire & Hertfordshire

 

Find out more

Berkhamsted Sixth

Sixth Form Centre
Castle Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 2BB

Berkhamsted Boys

Castle Campus
Castle St
Berkhamsted
HP4 2BB

Berkhamsted Girls

Kings Campus
Kings Rd
Berkhamsted
HP4 3BG

Berkhamsted Prep

Doctor’s Commons Rd
Berkhamsted
HP4 3DW

Berkhamsted Pre-Prep

Chesham Rd
Berkhamsted
HP4 2SZ

Heatherton

10 Copperkins Ln
Amersham
HP6 5QB

Berkhamsted Day Nursery

Chesham Rd
Berkhamsted
HP4 2SZ