News

At last year’s Annual Presentation Dinner, the club decided mark the efforts of three club legends. In its first 44 years, the role of Chairman has been held by only three people, so club wanted to honour their work and support.

Our first Chairman upon the reforming of the club in 1977 was Jeremy Rice, who went on to lead club for almost 30 years, taking the club from venerable nomads to our permanent home at Heyford Playing Fields and then into league cricket in the 1990s.

Jeremy went on to become President, passing the Chairman baton on to Simon Legge in 2015. Simon joined Heyford CC around 10 years earlier, and had already had a stint as 1st XI Captain. Over the next decade Simon oversaw the expansion of the club to two adult league sides, and the introduction of our first youth cricket programme.

Simon then handed the reigns of the club to Matt Baker in 2016, another former 1st XI Captain and club member since the early 1990s. Matt took the club on further with the introduction of a 3rd XI and the expansion of the junior section with the All-Stars and Juniors, ending his tenure in the run up to his emigration to Australia.

To both thank them, and provide a more permanent mark of honour, the club has decided the name of the pavilion and the ‘ends’ after these three Heyford stalwarts.

With the signage complete, we were delighted to announce the Simon Legge End (Bottom/River End), the Matt Baker End (Top/Football Club End) and the Jeremy Rice Pavilion. The signage for the ‘Ends’ will be fully installed ready for the 2023 season, whilst we will hold off installing the Jeremy Rice Pavilion sign until we have a building to do him proud.

Three great club servants, remarkably all wicket-keeper batsman of the highest order too. Names forever placed in the Heyford CC annals of history.