Today, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced its Taste of Cricket campaign, which will see over 100 recreational clubs across England and Wales opening up their doors to their local communities for a special match tea.
Through the language of food, each special match tea event, sponsored by Remitly, will showcase different stories of community clubs and volunteers who are driving positive change within the game and improving access to recreational cricket. Beginning on Sunday 30th June, the first eight Taste of Cricket events will be hosted at:
- African Caribbean Cricket Festival, Northamptonshire County Cricket Ground – this event will be an exciting celebration of African Caribbean cricket, culture, food and music
- Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club, Middlesex – a club that has developed a thriving community of female cricketers of all ages
- Exwick Cricket Club, Exeter – a club that has contributed to important work in the region, including widening access to cricket for people seeking asylum and refuge
- Holyport Cricket Club, Berkshire – a club that has made immense progress in pioneering and developing disability cricket in the area
- Kings Cross Junior Cricket Club, Yorkshire – a club that has been instrumental in breaking down barriers to access for kids from lower socio-economic backgrounds
- KRIMMZ Girls Youth Club, Bolton – a youth centre offering a welcoming and supportive sports hub for women and children in the community, especially those from South Asian backgrounds
- Llandaff Cricket Club, Cardiff – a club that has built a thriving and inclusive community for its South Asian members and beyond, across men’s, women’s and kids’ cricket
- Shepherds Bush Cricket Club, London – a club that has done brilliant work engaging diverse communities in the area; on the day of the Taste of Cricket event there will be an African Caribbean Heritage Cricket match
Challenging the outdated stereotype of plain sandwiches and milky tea, the Taste of Cricket events will demonstrate the true variety of cuisines that are often shared during community match teas across England and Wales. With dishes such as vegetable Elawalu Roti, hailing from Sri Lanka (served at Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club club), Braai Burgers, which sees locally sourced burgers seasoned with unique South African flavours (a Holyport Cricket Club favourite), and the ultimate leek bhaji, a delicious fusion of Welsh and Indian cuisines (on the menu at Llandaff Cricket Club) – Taste of Cricket will be a celebration of diversity within the sport.
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 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, 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 via www.ecb.co.uk/about/edi/raising-the-game.
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. We know that across England and Wales, an array of communities enjoy cricket and bring not only their own twist on the sport, such as the innovation of tape ball from the Pakistani community, but also their spin on the much-beloved match tea. We look forward to celebrating the profound connection between food and cricket and the brilliant work that recreational clubs are doing to drive inclusion and diversity across the game this summer and beyond."
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, including details around events and the cookbook, please visit www.ecb.co.uk/about/edi/raising-the-game.