AS WALES National County (North) team enters the end of the season, they were delighted to welcome principal sponsors Watkin Property Ventures (WPV) to watch their most recent double-header fixture against Northumberland County at Bangor Cricket Club.
The team, which comprises of a senior team and an U19s team, was established in 2022 under the Wales National County banner, which is an arm of the Cricket Wales national pathway. The team represent the pinnacle of the recreational game in North and Mid Wales, which feeds directly into Wales’ senior men team that competes in the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA) games. The North Wales setup provides a bridging stage of development between league cricket and national county cricket in the hope that players can springboard themselves onto further representative and potentially professional cricket.
Since 2022, six from North Wales have represented the senior side, and the players continue to showcase their abilities through the winter and summer programmes. Wales National County has committed to being substantially more visible in the region following visits to Bangor in 2022 (NCCA T20 Cup), Brymbo in 2023 (NCCA 3 Day Championship) and, more recently to St Asaph in 2024 (NCCA T20 Cup). Plans remain on track to return in 2025 for either a 50-over or 2-day fixture.
Whilst Wales National County (North) and its operations are part-funded by Wales National County and Cricket Wales, they continue to rely heavily on commercial support and external sponsorship. Watkin Property Ventures has been one of the team’s principal sponsors from the outset, providing invaluable support that has assisted with coaching and fixture programme costs predominantly over the last three seasons.
On the support received by WPV, Matt Thompson who is Head of Talent Pathway at Cricket Wales said: “We’re incredibly grateful to WPV for their continued support this year as well as the previous two. Despite the programme only being in its third season, the evidence is there that it’s having a hugely positive impact on North Wales cricket and further afield.
“We’re seeing more and more players from the region putting themselves in contention for higher representative cricket, and we’re seeing younger people beginning to establish themselves as quality operators in league cricket, which, in turn drives up the standard all around.
“It simply wouldn’t have been possible to make the strides we have without WPV’s support, and we hope that the partnership continues for some time.”
Founder and Team Manager of the Wales National County (North) setup, Russel Penrhyn Jones, commented: “It’s hard to describe where we would be without WPV’s support. We are grateful for the funding from Cricket Wales, as it allowed us to build a foundation for this programme, but we’ve been able to build on this more quickly thanks to the support we’ve received from WPV.
“We want to create a lasting legacy for the cricketers of today and tomorrow in the region and whilst we have a way to go, we’ve made a brilliant start.”
Chief Executive of WPV, Mark Watkin-Jones, is delighted to have supported the Wales National County (North) for another year. He says: “We see first-hand the impact that sports such as cricket can have on people’s livelihood and mental health, which is why we’re passionate about funding projects like this, to ensure we can support those within our local communities.
“We’re thrilled to support the Wales National County (North) again this year, and we hope the impact of our donation will ensure that the benefits of community sports, like cricket, continue in North Wales”.
