YOUTH cricket in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area is set for a major boost after Bournemouth and Canford Magna CC (formerly Hamworthy) agreed a new partnership to expand opportunities for young players.
The two clubs have merged their youth sections to form “Lions Cricket”, which will cater for boys and girls from Under-5 to Under-19 level.
The partnership will see coaching and match play delivered across two major facilities at Chapel Gate and the Hamworthy Club in Canford Magna, providing young cricketers with access to high-quality grass pitches and expanded coaching opportunities.
Rob Pack, Head Youth Coach at Lions Cricket, said the initiative marks an exciting development for the region’s young players.
“This is a massive step forward for youth cricket in the area,” he said.
“The two sites, situated at Chapel Gate and Canford Magna, are standout facilities which will enable us to dramatically increase our coaching options while also allowing youth matches to take place on high-quality grass pitches.
“We hope that most age groups will now benefit from two high-quality coaching sessions per week during the season, all delivered by the Lions Cricket coaching team.”
Lions Cricket currently has a coaching team of 15 qualified coaches, including former professional players and cricketers who compete at National Counties and ECB Premier Division club level.
Stuart Platts, Chair of Canford Magna CC, said he was delighted with how the new partnership had come together.
“We are delighted with these developments and pleased with how seamlessly the transition to Lions Cricket has been managed,” he said. “It’s an exciting time for everyone involved and we can’t wait to get started.”
Bournemouth CC Chair Mark Smith said the collaboration would strengthen youth cricket across Dorset.
“Lions Cricket is a unique partnership in Dorset,” he said.
“It gives young players access to two of the county’s premier grounds while significantly expanding coaching across all age groups. With more than 15 coaches bringing different skillsets, we can provide better development opportunities for young cricketers.
“The partnership also allows us to reach more colts players by providing coaching and matches at locations closer to where they live, making cricket more accessible to more young people.”

Dorset young guns Liam Crutchley [left] and Alfie Ingram Appleby shared an astonishing double-century partnership in the three-day ECB Under-18 Championship defeat by Wiltshire - after their side had lost six wickets for only 17 runs !
Having posted an impressive 414-5, Wiltshire were eying a thumping innings win when Dorset's entire top six was blown away before stumps on day one.
But, having navigated an awkward last few overs, Poole Grammar School keeper/batsman Crutchley and Ingram Appleby began a marathon salvage operation which lasted throughout the next morning and afternoon sessions.
They both hit hundreds - Crutchley's 129 containing a six and 21 fours, and Bournemouth's Ingram Appleby clearing the boundary rope three times in addition to hitting 19 fours in his 115 - the pair sharing an innings saving 210-run stand before Bashley (Rydal) prospect Cam Basey hit 44 to lift the final Dorset total to 326.
Jake Stainer-Reid and Tom Whiting took three wickets each as Wiltshire posted 217-8 in their second
innings.
Dorset were then dismissed for 209, Will Tatham making 87.   Wiltshire won by 40 runs.  
Crutchley, who heads to Newcastle University shortly, bagged seven victims in the match to become Dorset Under-18s most successful gloveman.

Dorset League cricketers beware - former Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara is back on the scene and is as hungry as ever for runs - and wickets !
Having tasted village cricket with Shillingstone last season, Kumar made his 2025 debut appearance against Sturminster & Hinton - and promptly hit an unbeaten century !
Shillingtone were already 172-2 when Kumar arrived at the crease. Off 49 balls, he cleared the boundary nine times and struck eight fours, scoring 109*. He shared a 168-run stand with Sam Morris (115) as table topping Shillingstone posted 361-3 off 40 overs.
But Kumar's dahy wasn't quite done.  He bowled five overs at the end of the Sturminster innings and promptly took two wickets off consecutive deliveries !  Sturminster were 168 all out.

​VENTNOR secured their second consecutive Isle of Wight Indoor Cricket Cup title after producing commanding performances in the finals against Northwood B and St Helen's. 
With George Watts and skipper Danny Cox scoring 30 not out and 24 respectively, Ventnor reached 134-4 before skittling Northwood for a paltry 38, Charlie Calloway and Watts taking two wickets each.
Off-spinner Cox (2-16) and Will Mew (2-17) did the damage as St Helen's (who beat Porchfield in their semi-final) were dismissed for 76 in the final, Ventnor, 52-3 at one stage, winning by three wickets through an unbeaten 26 by Toby Noyes.
Ventnor will represent the IWCB in 2025 ECB indoor championships.

Four matches remaining and South Wilts are right in the mix in the ECB Southern Premier League championship race.
A comfortable seven-wicket win over Basingstoke & North Hants leaves  them in third spot, five points behind the top table topping Hampshire Academy and two adrift of Bashley (Rydal), in second place.
Of the clubs in contention - St Cross Symondians lurk menacingly in fourth place - South Wilts have arguably the least demanding run in.
Remaining fixtures for the title contenders -
Academy: St Cross Symondians (a), Alton (h), Basingstoke & North Hants (a), South Wilts (h).
Bashley (Rydal): Bournemouth (a), St Cross Symondians (h), Alton (a), Basingstoke & North Hants (h).
South Wilts: Burridge (a), Lymington (a), Havant (h), Academy (a).
St Cross Symondians: Hampshire Academy (h), Bashley (Rydal)(a), Bournemouth (h), Burridge (a).
Basingstoke lost four wickets before the score reached 50 at Bemerton - Aussie Ryan Freeman taking 2-35 - and needed a fifth-wicket rescue act from George Metzger (48) and Matt Deadman (21) to get anything like a competitive score on the board.
The pair added 55 before Metzger was bowled by Rob Pittman at 100-4. Tom Grant (3-35) took three of the next five wickets to fall as Basingstoke dropped to 137-9 before last pair Ali Brown and Prashant Yelpale added a bonus 29.
Jack Mynott led the way with an unbeaten and ten boundary 62 as South Wilts recovered from the early loss of James Degg to cruise home in the 33rd over.
Tom Cheater (37), Harry Broderick (24) and Ben Draper (24 not out) played key support roles, while Brown's left-arm spin was rewarded with a 2-38 return.
Basingstoke host Lymington at May's Bounty on Saturday (12.30) with a 16-point cushion over bottom side Havant, whom they visit on August 17.

Teenage opener Harry Fairchild hit an unbeaten 88 to sweep defending champions Wimborne to a seven-wicket win over Bere Regis - a result which coincided with leaders Dorchester losing tO Poole Town.
Bere Regis were dismissed for  135 (Paul Veit 46) - a total which Wimborne chased down, with Fairchild hitting a six and11 fours in his 88 not out.
He had previously been in good form for Dorset Under-18s scoring 57 and 101 in the ECB defeat by Cornwall in Penzance.
Richard Armstrong hit 91 not out as Poole Town scored 214-5. Dorchester replied with 162-5.

How often in his long and distinguished career has Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara taken more wickets than he scored runs in a match ?
Never maybe ?  
Well, that was until he turned out for Dorset League Division 3 leaders Shillingstone against Cattistock & Symene and, coming to the crease at five after a healthy knocks by Nick Marshall (91) and Sam Morris (88), he was caught off the bowling of Oliver Batt for just three.
Shillingstone went on to post a match winning 257-9 before unleashing their star bowler Kumar Sangakkara, who took four Cattistock wickets for ten runs with his off-spin as the visitors collapsed from 155-4 to 165 all out !  
It was Sangakarra's seventh appearance for Shillingstone during which he's made 359 runs, including 126 at Abbotsbury, and taken 15 wickets, his spell of 4-10 against Cattistock being his best figures.
His solitary wicket in first class cricket came in Harare in May 2004 when a three-day match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe A was drifting towards a draw. He was successful with a leg before wicket appeal, finishing with 1-13 of four overs.
Sangakkara averaged 57.40 in Test cricket and 42 in ODIs.  At the time of his retirement, Sangakkara was the second-highest ODI run-scorer after Sachin Tendulkar, and the sixth-highest Test run-scorer. He scored 38 centuries in Test cricket and 25 in ODIs. 

WIMBORNE are through to regional finals day of the ECB Twenty20 National Cup.
Six wins from six in the group stages, over Chalke Valley, Blandford and Sherborne, qualified Wimborne for the Dorset finals.
In the semis, held at Hamworthy, Wimborne eased to a 58-run win over Poole Town. They posted a total of 151-6, with Harry Serjeant (51) and Harry Fairchild (31*) top scoring.  Poole were restricted to just 93-8. Connor Houldsworth (2-12) and Alfie Appleby Ingram (2-15) were the pick of the bowlers.
The Dorset final then saw a clash with Bere Regis, who had defeated Broadstone in the last   four.  Wimborne totalled 152-8, with opener Hugh Atkinson (52) playing a starring role, hitting eight boundaries.
Bere Regis were then bowled out for 128, both Atkinson and Appleby Ingram taking three wickets apiece. Wimborne now progress through to the south region finals at Amersham and play Sussex champions Preston Nomads CC in the semi-finals.  Burridge and Banbury play the other semi.

PARLEY
Back (from left): Billy Fletcher, Jack Nicholls, Louis Parkin, Marcus Bragginton, Lewis Barber, Max Trueman. Front: Sid Farney, Sam Collins, Cameron Laird, Tom Saunders, Spencer Savage.

Tom Saunders starred as Parley beat Bournemouth by 11 runs to lift the Wimborne Evening League's Campbell T20 Cup at Hamworthy Sports Club.
Having hit an unbeaten 81 (eight fours and two sixes), Saunders took 3-14 with the ball, in addition to taking two catches.  Parley made 154-4 (Sam Collins 28) before restricting Bournemouth to 136-8, Lewis Fear scoring 38.

Ventnor teenager Sam Mills hit a superb 94 to point the Isle of Wight to an exciting three-wicket win over the MCC at Shanklin, where Harry Anstee (115*), Jack Marston (59) and Sam Martin-Jenkins (48*) scored the bulk of the visitors' 281-6.
Ventnor pair Sam Guerin (60) and Boo Fletcher (42) gave the IWCB a 105-run start before five wickets fell or 23 runs.  Cue Hampshire U16 starlet Mills, fresh from victims behind the stumps, to strike a 17-four 94 and share a decisive stand with Dan Cox (37). The Island won with nine overs to spare, Simon Beetham taking 3-43.