Chesterfield Festival of Cricket secured for next 5 years

The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket will continue for at least the next five years following a deal between Derbyshire County Cricket Club and Chesterfield Borough Council

The popular Festival, which has seen multiple sold-out matches at Queen’s Park, is a cornerstone of the Derbyshire summer and the new agreement builds on the Club’s long-standing relationship with Chesterfield Borough Council.

Queen’s Park has been a key venue in the history of the Club, since Derbyshire’s maiden first-class fixture at the picturesque tree-lined ground in 1898.

In recent years, the week-long Festival has played host to enthralling first-class matches, as well as the traditional Vitality Blast local derby with Yorkshire Vikings, and Derbyshire will continue to perform under the spire for the next five seasons.

This year, the Club, alongside Chesterfield Borough Council, has also moved to bring live music to the venue, with the hugely popular Evening of Queen event taking place earlier this month attracting a new audience to Queen’s Park.

Derbyshire County Cricket Club Chairman, Ian Morgan, said: “As a Club, we are committed to continuing our longstanding relationship with Queen’s Park and Chesterfield Borough Council.

“The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket always brings together a huge number of people from across the region and Queen’s Park is a much-loved and popular venue, making the fixtures a highlight of the season for supporters from across the county.

“After an extremely challenging time for the Club and its supporters, I was delighted to see Derbyshire return to Queen’s Park yesterday in front of our largest crowd of the summer and I look forward to seeing the Festival continue to progress over the coming seasons.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to agree a new deal with Derbyshire County Cricket Club. It is great news for the town and borough that our residents will be able to see the stars of first-class county cricket perform at Queen’s Park cricket ground for another five years.

“The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket is one of the standout weeks in our annual events calendar. We look forward to welcoming both home and away supporters to our town and to the economic boost that their attendance brings to our hoteliers, bars, restaurants, and retailers.

“The new five-year deal would not be possible without the close involvement of our friends at Chesterfield Cricket Club. I thank them for their support, and we look forward to working with both Clubs on the planned outreach programme with local primary and secondary schools. It is important that we use the Festival to also encourage local boys and girls to engage in a positive and fun way with the wonderful game of cricket”.