Hampshire Hawks and Southern Vipers cricket stars help launch Basingstoke Hawks Academy

Hampshire Hawks’ Ross Whiteley and Chris Wood and Southern Vipers’ Alice Monaghan were on hand to launch the new Basingstoke Hawks Academy from the Basingstoke Street Cricket programme.

Thursday 27 April 2023

Hampshire Hawks and Southern Vipers cricket stars helped launch a new community cricket program in Basingstoke, which aims to give young people new opportunities through cricket.

Chris Wood, Ross Whiteley and Alice Monaghan were at Brighton Hill School this week for the official launch of the Basingstoke Hawks Academy, which has been set up following the success of Southampton’s Hampshire Hawks City Academy programme.

Hampshire Hawks and Southern Vipers, both based at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton, are the countries’ leading teams in the Twenty20 format of the game, having both won their domestic competitions last season.

Dozens of youngsters got the chance to meet Hawks and Vipers players at the official Academy opening, and as an added surprise, Wood and Whiteley brought home the Vitality Blast trophy, while Monaghan presented the Charlotte Edwards Cup.

The Hawks Academy is a ground-breaking project by Hampshire Cricket which aims to increase the diversity of young people playing cricket in Hampshire at all levels.

It provides opportunities for young people who would otherwise not have access to top-level coaching and cricket facilities, particularly those living in cities where the sport is traditionally under-represented.

We firmly believe that cricket should be a game for all, regardless of socio-economic background, age, gender, race or ability. It is a sport that can bring different communities together, offers clear health benefits and helps young people develop important life skills such as teamwork, leadership and resilience. Our Southampton Hawks Academy has proven incredibly successful and made a real difference to the lives of hundreds of young people in the city and I have no doubt that the Basingstoke Hawks Academy will have an equally positive impact here in Basingstoke. It was great to welcome the Hampshire Hawks and Southern Vipers players to Brighton Hill School and it was fantastic to receive both Twenty20 trophies there. I’m sure it was a day the youngsters won’t forget in a hurry.

Charlie Freeston, Director of Player Development

In Basingstoke, the new Hawks Academy complements Hampshire Crickets’ existing Street Cricket programme, which offers free cricket all year round for boys and girls aged 9-15, with weekly sessions also at Brighton Hill School. Players identified as having extra potential are then invited to join the Hawks Academy at the same location, providing them with a real pathway into future Hawks, Vipers and Hampshire Cricket teams.

Persimmon Homes Thames Valley has part-funded the Basingstoke Hawks Academy through the housebuilder’s Community Champions programme, which has now donated more than £1.5m to sports clubs and charities over the past two years.

This week’s launch event included a Twenty20 exhibition match between Southampton Hawks Academy and players from the Basingstokes Street Cricket programme. The squad included players who are likely to benefit from the Basingstoke Hawks Academy now.

We are absolutely delighted to be supporting the Hawks Academy in Basingstoke. At Persimmon, we are committed to building thriving communities that leave a positive and lasting legacy. The new Academy definitely delivers on this by providing high quality coaching to girls and boys who may never have had the opportunity to play cricket, whilst helping young people lead active and healthy lives.

Dan Castle, Managing Director of Persimmon Homes Thames Valley