Fran Wilson and TV legend Angellica Bell join 'Taste of Cricket' community event at Bushy Park CC to celebrate its achievements in inclusivity for women and girls

• Ex-England International cricketer, Fran Wilson who is currently starring in The Hundred, was joined by broadcaster Angellica Bell at Bushy Park Cricket Club as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) hosted a Taste of Cricket event, supported by Remitly, yesterday (Sunday 21st July)
• Part of the existing Raising The Game platform, designed to ensure everyone feels welcome to play and enjoy cricket, the Taste of Cricket events celebrate the unique relationship the sport has with food, through the ‘match tea’ occasion, and its ability to bring communities together
• The event at Bushy Park Cricket Club was one of a host of community club events, taking place across England and Wales this summer, with 100 more clubs invited to hold extra special match teas for their hard work in making the game more inclusive
• Taste of Cricket is a celebration of diversity within the sport – with exciting twists on the traditional cricket tea being served, from Black Pepper Chicken Roti hailing from Sri Lanka to a classic Victoria sponge cake
• Following the summer festivities, Taste of Cricket will unveil a cookbook to inspire cricket tea creativity which Angellica Bell is submitting a recipe for.

Yesterday, Bushy Park Girls Club, in collaboration with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), hosted a Taste Of Cricket event to celebrate the outstanding work the club is doing to bring more women and girls in to the game.

Joining several local cricket teams for a bit of training practice was ex-England international batter Fran Wilson, who will be playing for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred for the next month after the competition kicks off for its fourth season tomorrow. TV and radio presenter Angellica Bell, a lifelong cricket fan, was also present at the event and enjoyed getting involved in serving the food to the local community in attendance.

Bushy Park Cricket Club, renowned for its vibrant local cricket teams including the competitive Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club, hosted a series of softball and hardball matches for local women’s, girls’, and boys’ teams. The day began with a women’s softball festival, where Bushy Park Women’s Cricket Club competed against Old Ruts, Mitcham, and Thames Ditton.

Wilson and Bell joined the Bushy Park Girls Club on the field, offering training support, before the Bushy Park Women’s Cricket Club took to the field to play the Actonians in a Middlesex 30 Over League game.

The event concluded with a thrilling match between Merton Boys Cricket Club, one of the largest Sri Lankan cricket clubs within the Tamil community in South London, which also calls Bushy Park CC its home, and Lewisham Cricket Club.

Post-matches, players and their families enjoyed a Taste of Cricket match tea spread, featuring authentic Sri Lankan Black Pepper Chicken and Vegetable Rotis, with recipes shared by the families of Merton Boys Cricket Club.

The Bushy Park Girls Club x Taste of Cricket event is one of a number of community club events happening across England and Wales this summer, supported by Remitly. Each event will highlight the unique stories of community clubs and volunteers fostering positive change and enhancing cricket access, and welcome in the local community.

Challenging the outdated stereotype of plain sandwiches and milky tea, all Taste of Cricket events will demonstrate the true variety of cuisines that are often shared during a match tea.

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, including Angellica Bell.

Bell, who won the 2017 series of Celebrity Masterchef, commented, “As a big cricket fan, it's wonderful to see more women and girls getting involved in the sport, making it more inclusive. Creating spaces where women and girls feel comfortable to play is crucial, and what’s great about events like Taste of Cricket, is that they bring communities together. I can’t wait to be part of the Taste of Cricket Cookbook too and share one of my favourite recipes which would be perfect at a cricket tea.”

Ex-England women’s cricketer, Fran Wilson, added, “It's been a wonderful day at Bushy Park Cricket Club with Taste of Cricket and Raising The Game. I've enjoyed trying the delicious Sri Lankan food and talking to Angellica about our shared love for cricket and food. Meeting the girls at the cricket club, who clearly have a passion for the sport was also a highlight; the joy and enthusiasm they have for playing here is truly inspiring. I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment.”

Natalie Raja, President of Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club, concluded, “It’s been an honour hosting one of the ECB’s Taste of Cricket events at Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club. Over the years, we’ve worked hard to foster

an inclusive community where everyone feels welcome to give cricket a go. Like cricket, which is enjoyed by people from all walks of life, food is also a great leveller. It’s been a pleasure to marry the two and see the event bringing communities together.”

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

To attend the next Taste of Cricket event at Shepherds Bush Cricket Club, head down to the club on Friday 26th July from 1pm.

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NOTES TO EDITORS

About the ECB 

 The ECB is the national governing body for cricket in England and Wales, responsible for developing and supporting all levels of the game from recreational cricket to the national teams. The ECB’s strategic goal “Inspiring Generations” is to encourage more young people to form a lifelong relationship with the game so that a new generation of fans will say “cricket is the game for me.”

About Bushy Park Girls Cricket Club

Bushy Park Girls CC was established in 2012 to provide girls and women with the opportunity to play competitive cricket in a fun and supportive environment. Encouraging participation is our principal aim and we also support our most talented girls and women to progress to representative cricket at county level (including Middlesex CCC, Surrey CCC and Berkshire CCC). Bushy Park Girls CC has an inclusive and highly supportive culture. We encourage girls and women of any age, or ability, to play cricket and warmly welcome anyone to the club to try it out. The club also has a strong commitment to developing a female cricket workforce and to date has supported over 15 girls and women to become ECB qualified coaches.

About Raising The Game

The Taste of Cricket campaign sits within the ECB’s existing ‘Raising The Game’ platform, which was originally launched in 2022 to encourage inclusive behaviours and celebrate diversity in cricket. Devised in partnership with the cricket network, Raising The Game is a rallying cry for the sport to do better at all levels, fuelled by a manifesto for change. The initiative illuminates the hardworking efforts driving progress within cricket, amplifies unheard voices, spotlights champions of change, and provides resources to empower us all to do better.

About Remitly

Remitly is a trusted provider of digital financial services that transcend borders. With a global footprint spanning more than 170 countries, Remitly’s digitally native, cross-border payments app delights customers with a fast, reliable, and transparent money movement experience. Building on its strong foundation, Remitly is expanding its suite of products to further its vision and transform lives around the world. Find out more: www.remitly.com/gb/en

About Taste of Cricket  

The England and Wales Cricket Board’s Taste of Cricket campaign forms part of their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion programme Raising the Game. The campaign celebrates the unique relationship cricket has with food, through the ‘match tea’ occasion, and its ability to bring people together with the project set to see 100 recreational clubs host their own cricket tea event for their communities.

At the end of the 2024 summer, ‘Taste of Cricket’ will launch a physical cookbook filled with crowdsourced recipes from across the grassroots game as well as England players and famous fans.