The county and England players who've left their mark on the Voneus Village Cup

Ahead of the final of this year's tournament, to be held at Lord's on Sunday, DAVID SHARMAN takes a look at the current pros to have graced the competition

For most amateur cricketers lucky enough to play in a Voneus Village Cup final, the day at Lord’s is the peak of their careers.

But plenty who've featured in the historic tournament have subsequently gone on to professional honours – and even starred for England too.

We've dug into Cricket Archive's huge database to find out more.

Among the current crop of men's and women's county players, England's Sophie Ecclestone made a solitary Village Cup appearance for Alvanley, when she took 4 for 10 in a first round victory over Corwen in 2016.

Her brother, James, who also took a wicket in that game, later appeared for the Cheshire club in the 2021 final at Lord's, where they were runners-up to Hampshire's Calmore Sports.

Ecclestone’s fellow England left-arm spinner, Linsey Smith, once opened the bowling for Oxfordshire's Aston Rowant in a 2013 win over Kingston Bagpuize, while an ex-county teammate, Sophia Turner, is a former Village Cup player with Lancashire club Read as well.

Another player with an England cap to their name, Matt Fisher, opened both the batting and the bowling with his brother, Mark, when Sheriff Hutton Bridge defeated Folkton and Flixton in 2011.

A third fisher brother, Adam, kept wicket in the same game and had been a Village Cup winner with the Yorkshire club in 2005.

^{Sophie Ecclestone made her mark in her sole Village Cup appearance (Getty Images)}

Tommy Boorman, who debuted for Gloucestershire this summer, was hismelf a Village Cup winner with Dumbleton in 2022. Aged just 17, he hit 71 at Lord’s as they overcame defending champions Calmore Sports in 2022.

Somerset's Alfie Ogborne had almost made it to the Home of Cricket two years previously, when his North Perrott side made it to the last four.

Ogborne played in a semi-final against Redbourn in an XI that also featured Joe Eckland, who played for Hampshire in 2023 and 2024, and his fellow former Somerset clubmate Lorraine Szczepanski.

Sussex’s Tom Alsop featured for Wiltshire club Potterne against Marshfield, aged just 13, in a 2009 game in which his older brother Owen played too.

Earlier in Potterne's campaign that year, the older Alsop had also come up against Craig Miles, now of Gloucestershire, in a match against Purton.

Another current Sussex player, Charlie Tear, played three Village Cup games for West Chiltington and Thakeham in 2021.

^{Tommy Boorman, pictured second from left on the front row, with his victorious Dumbleton teammates in 2022}

Glamorgan's Tom Bevan featured in a 2017 fixture in South Wales between Miskin Manor and St Fagans, claiming 3 for 46 for the former as they won through.

Bevan's teammate Roman Franco, who debuted for the Welsh county in this year’s One Day Cup as a slow left-arm orthodox bowler, kept wicket for Hawarden Park in a Cheshire & Clwyd group fixture against Hawk Green two years ago.

Hawk Green also came up against Worcestershire's Ben Gibbon in 2016, when he opened the bowling against them for Tattenhall.

Leicestershire seamer Sam Wood had a good game all round when he took five wickets, then opened the batting and hit 65 not out, for Newtown Linford in an eight-wicket win against Broughton in 2021.

By contrast, Derbyshire's Alex Thomson had a “thanks for coming” match in which he did not bat or bowl for Redmarley in their nine-wicket win over Aston Ingham in 2014.

Tickets for this Sunday's Voneus Village Cup final, between Stayley and Foxton Granta, are still available - price at £20 for adults, £5 for seniors and FREE for Under-16s.

Though they will not be available on the day at Lord's, they can be bought here.