World's oldest annual cricket festival in doubt

The chair of Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has warned the future of the Cheltenham Cricket Festival will be in doubt if it doesn't stop losing money.

The fortnight-long event at the College Ground, which sees Gloucestershire move from their usual ground in Bristol up to Cheltenham, is the world's longest-running annual cricket festival, having started more than 150 years ago.

The county said it has been losing "tens of thousands of pounds" because of rising costs and falling ticket sales.

Chair Peter Matthews said the club "can't run the event long term at a loss".

The first Cheltenham Cricket Festival was held in 1872 and at one time Gloucestershire played matches across the county.

In more recent years, the club's annual trip to play at Moreton-In-Marsh ended in 1996 and financial pressures led to the Gloucester Cricket Festival coming to an end in 2011.

Cheltenham is now the only place in Gloucestershire where the county plays matches, with the regular home games taking place in Bristol.

Mr Matthews said the event in Cheltenham has faced increased financial challenges since the Covid-19 pandemic.

"For many years, particularly pre-Covid, when corporate hospitality was in its prime, it was making very good money for the county, but it has been a struggle in recent years.

"Last year's festival was particularly difficult. The weather wasn't very good and we didn't get as many spectators as we had expected. The cost of putting the festival on has also gone up in recent years," he added.

A new committee has been set up to try and boost the number of people attending this year's event, which takes place in mid July.

"We've put together an action plan, we've put together a new team and we've got some great events lined up. We're very hopeful this year we will see a change in finances for the county," said Mr Matthews.

"But we have to be realistic, we can't run the event long term at a loss".

The club, which announced last year it would be exploring options for a new stadium on the edge of Bristol, is planning to set up a 'boundary hub', with Mr Matthews saying it "recognises that for some people it's a social occasion as well as a cricket occasion".

The hub will host events with the presenters of TV show Bargain Hunt, jockeys and Cheltenham Town FC players, as well as a cricket memorabilia event.

The festival also provides opportunities for local organisations and charities to raise awareness and funds.

The Cheltenham Town FC Community Trust will be part of this year's event, and community fundraiser Tess Warby said it's a great way for them to promote what they do.

"Not a lot of people know about us at the moment, but we do lots in the community. We provide programmes to help with mental health, education and inclusion.

"Sport brings people together at the football club. The Cheltenham cricket festival brings another community together. It's nice to work with a local organisation to help build awareness," she added.

"It's one of the oldest-running cricket festivals and it's fantastic to be part of such a rich heritage.

"Bringing two big sporting local organisations together - we should be supporting each other as businesses and charities."

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