With the evenings growing longer, the sun is shining again on our national game. Cricket is as much a part of the British summer as buckets, spades and sudden rainstorms. Here in our neighbourhood, Southwark Park Cricket Club (SPCC) are just weeks away from completing their mission to return league cricket to the historic Southwark Park Oval, with the first match in decades due to be played there soon.

A grant from Southwark Council funded the restoration of the ground after many years of neglect. British Land has been a long-term supporter of the club, most recently agreeing funding for 18 months of cricket coaching sessions for children in Southwark Park and Canada Water Leisure Centre. Once the leisure centre is open, the club will be able to use its indoor nets, keeping their cricketers’ skills sharp over the winter months.

The funding from British Land supports a programme aimed at coaching and fielding mixed U10 and a U11 teams in the Surrey Junior Cricket League in summer 2025 and U10, U11 and U12 teams in summer 2026.   

It’s about much more than competition though. SPCC are a community club by and for local people. There’s no membership fee and everything they offer is at no or low cost, to prevent low income being a barrier to children taking up the sport. Free coaching provides equal access regardless of their home background and contributes to the club’s aim of bringing people together. Through participation, not only do club members improve their cricket skills and gain experience of team sport and competition, they (and their parents) also make new friends and become part of the local community, performing in public and becoming part of the Southwark Park Oval’s venerable cricket heritage.   

SPCC is also looking to use this funding to obtain enough equipment to continue to grow the junior pathway. This will help get the club in a position to develop a culture and business model that will enable their junior programmes to become self-financing by October 2026.  

Southwark Park Cricket Club is just one of many sports organisations we’re proud to partner with in the local area. For more on who we’re working with to help Canada Water get active, click here.

Find out more about how to get involved with Southwark Park Cricket Club on their website here or visit them on Facebook here.