Voneus Village Cup bursts out of the blocks

The 50th edition of the nationwide tournament has been packed with thrilling matches and sponsorship engagement

The Voneus Village Cup is well and truly underway. 

347 clubs set out on the road to Lord’s which was the highest number of entries for a decade. The preliminary, first and second round have been played so far and the regional finals are now in sight.

The 2021 cup is the 50th edition of the tournament and as such The Cricketer have expanded the competition both in terms of coverage and exposure.

Check out nationalvillagecup.com to see all the latest news, match reports and features while the support of our sponsors has enabled the competition to enhance the clubs’ experience even more.

Headline sponsor Voneus Broadband are seeking to reward those who have made a difference to their local communities over the past 12 months via the Voneus Village Cup Club Legend award.

After each round, one member of a participating club is recognised and celebrated for playing their part and using cricket to lift the spirits of the community during what has been a difficult year for all.

The first winner was Cosmo Taylor of The Baldons CC. Taylor found himself unexpectedly swapping student life in Edinburgh for village life in Marsh Baldon, Oxfordshire. With exams and lectures thrown into chaos and a long summer on the horizon, he could have done nothing. Equally, he could have spent his free time lamenting the cancellation of his planned year abroad in Rome.

Instead, he chose to resurrect the village cricket pitch, transforming it from an abandoned square into a thriving local club with dozens of members and a representative team in the first round of the Voneus Village Cup inside 12 months.

He is certainly a worthy first recipient of the award.

The Theakston player of the round award is also up and running, with sponsor Theakston Brewery lending their support and treating the winning player or their club to a free case of their delicious beer.

The support from all our sponsors, headline sponsor Voneus Broadband, and official sponsors Bonne Maman, Theakston, Pipers Crisps and Bola have enabled The Cricketer to allocate more resource than ever before to the competition.

A result of this is a Voneus Village Cup podcast being launched for the first time, where our journalists dissect the stories of the round and chat to competing clubs. Listen to the latest episode here.

All in all, it has been a fantastic start to the summer and the Voneus Village Cup will continue to be an integral part of it for many clubs as their dreams of playing at the Home of Cricket edge closer to reality.