A Response to The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket Report – June 2023

After a two year investigation, the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report have been published, concluding that institutional racism, sexism, and elitism are prevalent throughout the game.

The report presents a damning state of cricket in England and Wales, and as an English cricket club, we cannot distance ourselves from this report. Enjoyment of cricket for all our players is the guiding principle of our club. In the wake of this report, we feel it is important to emphasis the inclusive values of ECC and the work we do together to make it a welcoming and inclusive space.

Racism and sexism are abhorrent stains on society, and elitism is indefensible. ECC is a reflection of all of its members, and together we have worked on both large and small scale improvements to shape our club into an environment conducive of enjoyable cricket for all.

This work is ongoing, but has involved the rapid development of our provision of women and girls’ cricket, to ensure there is a pathway for our youngest members going forward. Ukrainian refugees living in the local area have been welcomed to our junior training on Friday nights, encouraging a sense of belonging in the wider community.

The catering of our cricket teas and drinks, and the contents of our bar are continually considered, so that they can be enjoyed by people of various dietary or faith requirements.

Given the location of ECC, we have members from both public and private educational backgrounds. On principle, we are welcome to all, but we have made a deliberate effort as part of our youth set up to target potential junior cricketers from local state schools.

These are a handful of examples of actions the club has taken in recent years to build the best community we can. However, we acknowledge that this work is ongoing, and there will always be ways improvements can be made. Here, we rely on our members, to share their experiences and ideas with us, as working together is the only way to make our club the best it can be.

One finding the report highlighted was that experiences of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination are not often reported due to a distrust in authorities. ECC wishes to make it clear that we do not tolerate any form of discrimination at our club, and that we will always listen to and act to remove any such behaviour.

Our policy is to find cricket for all who wish to play, and together we can ensure ECC is an inclusive, welcoming space offering enjoyment of the game to all. The behaviour of all of us is a reflection of the spirit of ECC. Therefore, it is the responsibility of everyone to work together and make our club an inclusive, welcoming, and enjoyable place for all.

Paul Stroud, Chair                 David Roberts, Vice-Chair