Leisure & Events
Finding a good, attractive venue in Plymouth to host your event or function can be a challenge especially if you are looking for tranquil surroundings while working on a tight budget. We all immediately have our ideas, but what if the perfect all-rounder venue was not what you would usually consider. What if it were right on your doorstep and could fit nicely into your keen budget? Well you’re in luck, as Plymouth Cricket Club with its stunning location, set in the heart of Mount Wise and only a short five-minute journey from the city centre by car or bus, there really is nothing more unique to host your party or event with incredible facilities on-site to cater for all of your needs from wedding receptions to business conferences.
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aving been around since the 1830s, Plymouth Cricket Club is as much a thriving community cricket hub now as it was then and they are continually growing with top-notch facilities to host cricket matches as well as functions. We caught up with Andy Sewell, Facilities Manager at Plymouth Cricket Club to find out about the club’s history, what facilities they have on offer and why their bright and versatile pavilion is the best choice for venue hire in Plymouth. Plymouth Cricket Club lies in the heart of the stunning Mount Wise property development, providing a place for the people of Plymouth to unwind and get involved with one of the nation’s best-loved sports as well as having the capability to host functions. Andy Sewell is the Facilities Manager and license holder at the club and has had a strong association to Plymouth Cricket Club since he was a young boy having grown up playing cricket. With his knowledgeable background in marketing, managing his own company AS Events & Consultancy, and his strong connection with the club, Image Courtesy of Shield Media Services
Andy decided to start working with the club in June 2019 and has been pushing them forward with everything from cricket to hospitality ever since. Originally the club was based in both Devonport and then Mutley before moving to Outland Road where they then played until 2009. The club then found themselves in a perilous situation having both lost their lease to their ground as well as having no money. Fortunately property developers at Mount Wise in Devonport were looking for a cricket club to take over the old United Services pavilion & cricket ground.
“They needed a cricket club and we needed a cricket ground.” A new pavilion was built with money raised from donations from many local businesses, local people as well as finance from both Sport England & the ECB. The club raised around £370,000 to rebuild the old and broken pavilion to create the beautifully modern and versatile clubhouse it is today. Plymouth Cricket Club’s new Pavilion was officially opened at Mount Wise on the 30th June 2012 by Andrew Robathan, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans. Since the reopening of the club in 2012, the committee has been focusing on growth as a whole with both cricket and the facilities available to hire. The First XI team for the club currently plays in the highest division in the county -
Meet Andy Sewell! the premier division of The Devon Cricket League, playing in fixtures around the county in Exeter, Bovey Tracey, Exmouth & Sidmouth plus many more.
“We play decent cricket at a good level” Anyone is welcome to join Plymouth Cricket Club and their teams currently consist of three senior male teams, a ladies team, a midweek team and various junior teams ranging from under 8’s to under 19’s. The First XI team at Plymouth Cricket Club are highly successful in the Devon Cricket League and the team is thriving even further with the help of professional Pakistani player Faizan Riaz, the leagues run-scoring record holder. Faizan will join the club once again in April for his fourth season, with the team hoping for a season of success in league cricket. After much consideration and deliberating, the committee decided it was time to get rid of membership fees and run the club on a ‘pay to play’ basis where players can pay a fee each time they play.
