Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to (a) support village cricket clubs and (b) help reverse the decline in the number of registered cricket players in England.

Government is working with Sport England and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to support grassroots cricket and help improve the prospects for the game at all levels.

Since 2015, Sport England has invested over £9.2m in cricket clubs, facilities and projects focused specifically on cricket, to encourage more people to play the game. Sport England is separately investing £9m in the ECB between 2017 and 2021 to support the grassroots game and talented young cricketers, including projects designed to encourage players to stay in the game.

Sport England is also investing over £3m in the cricket charity Chance to Shine over 2018-21 to deliver projects supporting children and young people, with a particular focus on those from lower socioeconomic and BAME groups.

Sport England also provides support to all sports clubs through its Club Matters online tool which provides free guidance, support and learning on all aspects of running a club.