Curtailment of the Minor Counties Cricket Festivals

Despite extensive and prolonged efforts this Autumn, it has not been possible to secure a viable venue for the 26th year of the Minor Counties Cricket Festivals (MCCF). The decision to curtail the festivals is therefore unavoidable.

The Royal Hospital School (RHS), which has hosted the MCCF since its inception in 1999, was fully explored as a continuing venue. However, the School’s changing priorities resulted in a fundamentally different view of our Festival and its place within the School’s commercial operations. Compliance with the School’s requirements became increasingly restrictive, and critically, RHS was also unable to guarantee the level of residential accommodation (circa 200 beds) essential to the Festival’s operation. This alone renders continuation at RHS, Holbrook, unworkable.

At the same time, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has continued to challenge the relevance and structure of County Representative age-group cricket and such Residential Festivals . This ongoing pressure has directly undermined our confidence in the long-term viability of the MCCF and reduced the capacity to plan with certainty.

Taken together, these factors meant that the long-standing partnership could not be sustained in any meaningful or practical way. The curtailment of the MCCF is not a reflection of demand, value, or impact—rather, it is the result of external constraints that made delivery of the finest and popular Youth Cricket Festivals impossible.

The Minor Counties Cricket Festivals have served the game for more than 25 years, providing a proven pathway for young players and a unique competitive and developmental experience for the cricketer, and their families. Their loss is significant and regrettable.

Don Topley, 02/01/2026