We are an enthusiastic new old club, originally formed around 110 years ago in 1911.  Our current home and pitch were acquired in 2019 and with the confidence of our Chairman, we have recruited additional players to join the old brigade and successfully revive the club.

An extensive housing development over the last decade has seen the village of Silsoe double in size. The club is in a great position to combine the new and existing communities of Silsoe, bringing all villagers together. The squad now draws upon the whole village, is available to players, young and old, of all abilities and interests.  Whilst we aim to win our matches and be competitive, the enjoyment of playing with friendly enthusiastic friends is paramount to the club’s success, allowing every level of ability to profit from their involvement, making the club stronger and more cohesive.

Support from our community, friends and family is very strong already, with 50-60 supporters regularly turning out to watch the beautiful game in scenic surroundings, whilst enjoying a picnic.

Although at present we are only running one adult team on Sunday, playing friendly fixtures, we have a full season’s programme in place for 2021.  Our progress will soon be rewarded as we venture into the local Bedfordshire league structure, ready for the next season.

We aspire to provide challenging opposition to visiting clubs and will continue to progress our squad by working together, understanding our individual strengths and weaknesses; working collaboratively for the benefit of all, by nurturing talent, coaxing involvement and ending up, perhaps not with an elite team, but a group of players co-operating with humour and commitment.

We have a thriving junior section catered for by the Cricket East All-stars and Dynamos programmes, allowing 5-11 year olds to learn and enjoy cricket through a structured programme.  Our ambition here is to develop a youngsters’ team, to allow the older children to gain competitive experience before feeding into the adult side. Dependent on numbers, a further adult team, playing league cricket, is envisaged in the not too distant future.

Our work with the Cricket East childr en’s programmes will continue to promote players for the future whilst also building the community of the cricket club.  We are well supported by parent helpers assisting the qualified Activators.  We are also actively recruiting from the community.

One major aspiration is to raise funds to build a cricket pavilion, giving the club facilities at the pitch side, enabling us to fully host our opposition teams. The clubhouse would also allow a focal point for social activities and an income stream with shared benefits for the community at large.

The inclusion of the community has already reaped benefits but we wish to push this much further by running new social events, open to the whole community, playing a fully representative role at other village gatherings, such as Silsoe Stride, thereby spreading the word about the club through community and social media platforms.

For the 2021 season, we already have a strong nucleus of players and an enthusiastic management committee. Our task is to develop the club element, getting more players and supporters involved in helping the club to grow. This will allow delegation of tasks to lighten the load but more importantly to form community-focused club members who strive to play their best cricket.