Walking Cricket Origins
Walking Cricket: How It All Began
In early 2014, Twenty20 Community Cricket founder Darren Talbot was watching BBC Breakfast when a feature on Walking Basketball caught his attention.
Walking Football was already hugely popular, which prompted an obvious question: how much Walking Cricket was being played?
After all, as Darren observed, plenty of Sunday club friendly cricket was barely above walking pace anyway!
He couldn’t find anyone doing it. So he set about devising a format and spreading the word, with an article in Mature Times published in April 2014.
Tea, coffee… and some cricket
The first decision had nothing to do with batting or bowling: every session would be followed by tea and coffee. Bringing people together was going to be central to making Walking Cricket work.
Next came the playing format. Darren drew on his experience as a full-time cricket coach and the rules of softball pairs and indoor cricket. Having already run Surrey Cricket’s men’s and junior indoor leagues for several years, he had plenty of experience to draw on.
A series of taster sessions across Surrey proved popular with everyone who took part. Turning that enthusiasm into regular sessions was harder. Venues were expensive to hire, and without funding or wider support, expansion was proving difficult.
A phone call from Barnsley
The catalyst was an unexpected phone call from Mac McKechnie in Barnsley. Mac had heard about Walking Cricket, read about Darren’s work and wanted to introduce it through his local U3A.
Mac found the formula to get things moving. The U3A network in Yorkshire embraced the idea, and before long he had close to 100 players involved in the area.
That stirred a little friendly Yorkshire–Surrey rivalry. Darren set about developing clubs in Surrey, starting in his hometown of Epsom and at Cobham Avorians, the first club where he had coached. Outdoor sessions took shape, alongside a year-round programme.
Cricket clubs provide a home
As the potential became clearer, Surrey Cricket became involved. With support from Simon Hards, Walking Cricket began to grow through the cricket club network.
It was a natural fit. Clubs had grounds sitting empty during weekday daytimes. Walking Cricket brought in a new group of members who loved the game, used the facilities and could contribute to club life in other ways too.
For players, it offered a regular place to play and a club to belong to. For clubs, it brought activity, membership and new volunteers. This gave Walking Cricket a stronger foundation and a practical route for further growth.
The Walking Cricket Association
Indoor tournaments at Lord’s, organised in conjunction with the MCC, brought together more teams from around the country.
A meeting with the ECB during one of those events did not lead to the support Darren had hoped for. He felt the game needed national coordination while the case for wider backing continued to develop.
The Walking Cricket Association was born, with the aim of establishing a common set of rules and creating friendly, festival-style competitions across the country and overseas.
The intention was to give players opportunities to enjoy competition, meet other teams and be part of the wider Walking Cricket community.
Across the UK and overseas
In 2025, the first Summer Cup took place in Austria as a showcase for Walking Cricket, followed by a second event in 2026.
Cyprus is planned as the destination for the 2027 Summer Cup, alongside a programme of UK indoor events during 2026–27.
From a breakfast television feature and an idea in Surrey, Walking Cricket has grown into a game connecting players, clubs and communities across the country and beyond.
The future looks bright, and the Walking Cricket Association will continue to help drive that growth—with cricket, friendship and the all-important refreshments at its heart.
