Foundation Joins Knight Stokes Cup

Sussex Cricket Foundation Joins National Push to Transform State School Cricket with Knight-Stokes Cup

The Sussex Cricket Foundation has announced its full support for the newly launched Knight-Stokes Cup, a nationwide cricket competition aimed at transforming opportunities for students in state secondary schools.

Community Cricket Director, Gary Wallis-Tayler, represented Sussex at the official launch event, joining a guest panel that included former England captain Michael Vaughan, ex-England international Sajid Mahmood, and Charlotte Gallegher, Director of Sport at a secondary school in Surrey. The event, hosted by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), marked a significant step forward in levelling the playing field in school cricket across the country.

As part of its commitment to this initiative, the Sussex Cricket Foundation will deliver local competitions for U15 boys and girls beginning in 2026. These local rounds will feed into regional and national stages, with the ultimate prize being a spot in the national finals—set to be held at Lord’s Cricket Ground, the historic home of cricket, in September 2026.

Entries for the Knight-Stokes Cup are now open, and the Foundation is encouraging all secondary schools across Sussex to register their interest via the official entry link.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for state school students to play at Lord’s,” said Gary Wallis-Tayler. “I am delighted to support this new initiative for secondary schools. The Knight-Stokes Cup is more than a competition—it’s a movement to change the landscape of school cricket. I was honoured to be invited by the MCC to join the launch panel and to share the incredible work we are already doing, as well as details of an exciting new project launching this September.”

The Knight-Stokes Cup will become a key component in the Sussex Cricket Foundation’s broader 2026 school competition structure and its long-term vision to make cricket accessible and inclusive for all young people, regardless of background.

For schools eager to take part, now is the time to get involved and be part of a competition that could shape the future of cricket in state schools across the UK.

All state schools are invited to enter the competition online now at lords.org/knightstokescup.

To find out more about the Sussex Cricket Foundation and information on how to get involved, please visit: https://sussexcricket.co.uk/sussex-cricket-foundation