Valley End CC in Surrey win UK's Greenest Cricket Ground award

"The cricket facilities at Valley End are excellent and, best of all, were developed in a more sustainable way"

Valley End Cricket Club in Surrey have been awarded with the title of the UK's Greenest Cricket Ground 2022 by The Cricketer.

The club has worked hard to expand its facilities in a sustainable way, including tree-planting, installing a bio-digester, measuring its carbon footprint and showing leadership to members, as well as hugely improving the facilities for all sections of the community.

"Valley End is a worthy winner of this year's Greenest Ground Award," said Russell Seymour, one of our panel of judges.

"What is really interesting is that they admit that they didn't set out with specific targets to be 'green' at the start of the redevelopment of their home ground, but that good management and sound business decisions, including managing costs, meant that the greenest choice was also the best choice for the club.

"This includes 500 trees planted, a permeable car park surface to aid water drainage and a timber-frame pavilion.

"The cricket facilities at Valley End are excellent and, best of all, were developed in a more sustainable way."

Marcus Fagent, the club's groundsman, said: "We are fortunate at Valley End that we have a lovely, tree-lined site so over time we are working on the margins of the ground to maximise bio-diversity and sustainability.

"That can cost money, which we don't have, but over time there is a lot more that we can do."

The UK's Greenest Cricket Ground competition was launched in 2021 by The Cricketer with the aim of celebrating the amazing efforts of cricket people up and down the country in creating, protecting and promoting sustainability and biodiversity at their clubs.

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