More than 350 cricket clubs gear up to compete in the Voneus Village Cup 2024

More than 350 cricket clubs gear up to compete in the Voneus Village Cup 2024

More than 350 village cricket clubs across Great Britain will compete for the right to play in a dream final at Lord’s after learning their first opponents in the Voneus Village Cup 2024.

The draw for this year’s tournament has been held at the Home of Cricket, Lord’s, with teams from England, Scotland and Wales divided into 32 regional groups for the early rounds.

The 356 entrants will be whittled down over the course of the summer, progressing to national rounds and eventually leading to two lucky finalists to compete for the prestigious cup – which has been run by The Cricketer magazine since 1972 – at Lord’s on Sunday, September 15.

The draw also marked the launch of the 2024 Voneus Village Cup Community Legends Award, which recognises the village clubs up and down the country that are integral to their rural communities. You can find out how to enter your club here.

Addressing the tournament’s entrants ahead of the draw at Lord’s, Voneus Village Cup ambassador and World Cup winner Lydia Greenway said: “The Voneus Village Cup has been a staple of rural sporting life across Great Britain for more than half a century – and this year yet again promises many more exciting twists and turns on the road to Lord’s, where two lucky clubs will grace the Home of Cricket in the final. I wish all 356 teams vying for the title this year the best of luck.”

Lydia, who was also involved in four Ashes-winning squads during her England career between 2003 and 2016, added: “Once again, our Community Legends award will also celebrate cricket’s unsung heroes and the vital work village clubs do in bringing together the communities they proudly represent on the field.

“Nominating your club only takes a moment and the competition launches today! And, for the winning club, there’s a Legendary End of Year Do waiting when the curtain falls on the 2024 season. Who knows, I might even see you there!”

Christopher Traggio, Voneus Broadband CEO, said: "I’m delighted to announce we’re now taking entries for this year’s Voneus Community Club Legends competition. Last year we had a tough decision to make after so many strong entries shone a light on the individual and team efforts that go into making village cricket clubs beacons of their communities.

“We’re so passionate about connecting rural communities and championing the team spirit village cricket brings both on and off the field, if you think your club deserves to be recognised, we want to hear from you. This year’s Voneus Village Cup competition is already shaping up to be better than ever, and we’re thrilled to welcome 26 new village clubs joining us on the road to Lord’s. Good luck everyone!”

You can watch the draw as it happened via The Cricketer’s YouTube channel, while the full list of fixtures is also available on the Voneus Village cup website.

The Cricketer’s editor Huw Turbervill, who conducted the draw alongside the magazine’s managing director Jim Hindson, said: “It was a privilege as always to start each club on their journey from the hallowed Committee Room at Lord’s.

“For two lucky clubs this will culminate on a visit here to the Home of Cricket in September, and we can’t wait to cover every twist and turn of the 2024 competition between now and then.

“Thank you to both Voneus Broadband and Lydia Greenway for  their continued support of this historic and wonderful tournament – and all the best to all the players and clubs involved.”

The first matches in this year’s competition are set to be played on Sunday, April 14.

Apply for the 2024 Voneus Village Cup Community Club Legends here - Voneus Village Cup Community Legends | Voneus Village Cup (nationalvillagecup.com)