Oxfordshire Cricket becomes charity following successful application

Oxfordshire Cricket is celebrating receiving charity status following a successful application to the Charity Commission.

The move towards charitable status is a major milestone for the organisation and the future of cricket across the county.

Oxfordshire Cricket will now be able to deliver more activities to encourage youngsters to take up the sport, plus educational programmes, while more easily applying for grants and strengthening support for volunteers.

Other county boards have become charities in recent years, including Devon and Norfolk, and Oxfordshire Cricket now has a strong and sustainable foundation for the future of the sport across the county.

IMPORTANT: Oxfordshire Cricket granted charity status
IMAGE: Simon Godfrey

Community

Nick Pinhol, Managing Director of Oxfordshire Cricket, said: “Being officially recognised as a registered charity is a hugely important moment for Oxfordshire Cricket.

“It strengthens our ability to invest in the game at every level and ensures that everything we do is focused on delivering clear community benefit.

“This status will help us reach more people, support more clubs and volunteers, and make cricket more accessible across Oxfordshire.”

Announcement of the charitable status came at a prestigious launch event for Oxfordshire Cricket’s 2025-2028 strategy, held at St Edward’s School in Oxford on Monday 12th January.

The event brought together clubs, schools, partners, volunteers and young people, and began with a video introduction from BBC Test Match Special broadcaster Henry Moeran, who guided guests through the strategy’s vision, priorities and human impact.

Oxfordshire Cricket has set ambitious KPIs to track progress, including engaging more than 35,000 children through school and community programmes, a 30 per cent increase in volunteers, a 20 per cent growth in junior participation, and the training of 150 new female coaches.

Structure

A key announcement at the launch was the establishment of the Oxfordshire Youth Board, ensuring young people have a direct voice in decision-making, programme design, and are involved in shaping the future of cricket across the county.

Peter Tervet, Chair of Oxfordshire Cricket, said: “This is a proud moment for everyone involved with Oxfordshire Cricket. The move to charitable status reflects our commitment to strong governance, transparency and long-term sustainability.

“It gives us the structure we need to safeguard the future of the game in Oxfordshire and to ensure we are always working in the best interests of the cricketing community.”

At the beginning of October, members of Oxfordshire Cricket voted at a Special General Meeting to apply to the Charity Commission to become a registered charity.

The successful application for charitable status marks the latest significant milestone in Oxfordshire Cricket’s notable history.

The Oxfordshire Cricket Board was formed in 1996 as an amalgamation of the Oxfordshire County Cricket Club and the Oxfordshire County Cricket Association.

County cricket in Oxfordshire can be traced back as far as 1779 though, when the county played a match against Berkshire. By 1787, a county club existed, the first such organisation in the UK. Oxfordshire was then one of the founder members of the Minor Counties Cricket Association in 1895.

After folding in 1906, the county club was resurrected in 1921 and has since played in the Minor Counties Championship, known as the National Counties Cricket Championship since 2020.

READ MORE: Charity status will be transformational for Oxfordshire Cricket