On Saturday, Winchburgh Cricket Club celebrated its phenomenal first year by revealing its ambitious plans having secured entry into the East of Scotland Cricket League. The event was attended by former Scotland Cricket captain George Salmond and CEO of Cricket Scotland Trudy Lindblade. Having grown from a single social media post into a thriving community organisation with 70 members in just four weeks. The club, which serves as a case study in the importance of sport in building a sense of community in large scale new developments, has successfully secured a total funding package to install a new wicket. The funders are the Cricket Development Trust Scotland and Winchburgh Developments Ltd along with the club members themselves raising over £2,100 from its own membership in less than a fortnight.
The club’s journey began organically when a resident Veera Jayaraman posted in a local community Facebook and WhatsApp group, simply looking for people to play casual softball cricket. Within one month, the group surged to 70 members, ranging in age from 8 to over 50 and representing a diverse mix of backgrounds, including residents originally from India, Pakistan, and South Africa.
“The initial goal was not to start a club but just to gather people to play,” said Veera, who is now the Club Chairman. “The response was amazing. We went from nothing to 70 members in a month, and for our first match, we had 30 people turn up midweek. It has created an immediate sense of community. I can’t go to the local shop without meeting someone who wants to talk about cricket”.
This rapid growth led to the discovery of a dedicated cricket pitch within Auldcathie Park, which had been designed into the landscape by Winchburgh Developments. Winchburgh Developments in their delivery of the Masterplan invested resources into creating infrastructure for the community to enjoy – recognising the power of sport to connect new residents and help them build a sense of community. But their approach was an organic one. They designed sports facilities into the park, then let the usage and purpose emerge from the needs of local residents.
This latest development led to Winchburgh Developments Ltd supporting the club to transform the area from a basic playing field suitable for cricket to one which will include an artificial wicket and an outfield manicured for the purpose of playing cricket.
The club demonstrated its extraordinary commitment by raising £2,132 from its own members in just two weeks. This internal fundraising was a critical factor in securing an £8,000 grant from the Cricket Development Trust. The total funding package was completed by a £4,000 contribution from Winchburgh Developments’ community budget.
“The club’s demonstration of self-funding was incredible said Penny Lochhead, the Community, Sport and Greenspace Manager for Winchburgh Developments Ltd, who has been supporting the club since last year ensuring they had their necessary governance and safeguarding policies in place so they could move forward to funding and developing their ideas. ‘The Volunteers have worked closely with me to get everything in place and that has made it easier for us to help fund their dream along with the success announced today of achieving funding from the Cricket Development Trust Scotland. We are delighted to see the support they have gained and they deserve the recognition they are getting today.’ Seeing the Auldcathie evolving to the uses it was designed for makes us all very proud of what is being achieved in Winchburgh’
Commenting on the grant award announced today at the club launch, Trustee Alasdair Robertson from Cricket Development Trust said ‘We are delighted to have been able to support Winchburgh CC and the development of cricket at Auldcathie Park. This is an exciting project providing opportunity and potential to grow the game fitting perfectly with our key aims. We are particularly excited to be backing a club so new to the sport. We wish the club every success for the future’;
This is thought to be only the second launch of a brand new cricket club and facility in Scotland in the 21st century. The last was Bass Rock CC in North Berwick, and to mark the milestone, former Scotland Captain and Bass Rock CC member George Salmond is a guest to mark the opening of the new ground.
The launch event also gained the support from Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade who joined the Club and their volunteers to mark the official launch she said of the new club
‘“This is an outstanding example of how sustainable community sport can be established and flourish. From a simple message to the community last summer, Winchburgh Cricket Club has grown through enthusiasm, hard work and a shared commitment to cricket. We thank Winchburgh Developments Ltd for the foresight shown through community consultation in incorporating a cricket field within their development plans, ensuring facilities reflect and serve local community needs from the outset and deliver long term benefit. We look forward to working alongside the club as it establishes itself and contributes to the meaningful future of Scottish cricket.’
The organic nature of its emergence and growth is a model that can inspire town planners and governing bodies throughout the country to unlock the power of community and sport in new communities up and down the country.
The club asked Sinclair Academy and Winchburgh Academy pupils to help them design a new logo for the club that reflected their values of inclusivity, courage, discipline and community. After an incredible response to the request, the club shortlisted four amazing designs, which have formed a brand new logo that incorporates the best of each of the shortlisted designs. The new badge was revealed at the launch.
Looking ahead, the club has ambitious plans. In addition to joining the East of Scotland Cricket Association (ESCA) league structure for men’s cricket in 2026, they are exploring the beginnings of organised women’s and junior cricket. Given what they’ve achieved in just 12 months, they are confident both these sections will be up and running in the near future.