They don't like cricket, they love it!

Celebrities joined locals for a game of cricket in Charlton Park to celebrate the installation of four new artificial cricket wickets across Royal Greenwich.

Singer, presenter and actor Fleur East and former England footballer Jermain Defoe joined councillors and members of the local community in Charlton Park to celebrate the installation of four new artificial cricket wickets across Royal Greenwich, making cricket more accessible in our parks.  

The event saw KP Snacks, the Official Team Partner of The Hundred, team up with the Royal Borough of Greenwich to celebrate a century – having installed 100 grassroots community cricket pitches across England and Wales over the past three years – including in Avery Hill Park, Charlton Park, Eltham Park South and Hornfair Park. 

East and Defoe each joined a team of players from the local community, as well as cricket players from The Hundred, including international stars Charlie Dean and Kane Williamson, for a game of T10 cricket on the newly installed pitch. The two sides were captained by Hundred players, who inspired their teams as well as the crowd throughout the game.  

The celebratory atmosphere was aided by some local cuisine courtesy of Zizi's Kitchen, a hugely popular Charlton-based food truck providing Lebanese cuisine, while the afternoon was appropriately soundtracked by beats from one of The Hundred’s regular game day DJs.  

The new wickets will be available to hire for matches soon and are open for free play when not booked. 

Councillor Sandra Bauer, Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities, said: “It’s so important for local families here in Royal Greenwich to have as many opportunities as possible to get active, so that their health supports them to live their best lives. We’re so grateful to The Hundred and KP Snacks for choosing Charlton Park as the home of an ‘Everyone In’ pitch as well as for their century celebrations. These new artificial wicket facilities will make cricket more accessible to our communities, helping local people get active and inspiring the next generation of cricketers.” 

“If you fancy having a game with your family, you can hire cricket equipment for free from Charlton House, Plumstead and Woolwich Centre libraries.”   

Fleur East said: “As someone who loves to stay active, I was really excited to give something new a try today. It was a fantastic experience and a great way to have fun while getting some exercise and meeting some of the amazing members of this community. I can see why so many people enjoy this sport, and being here today has really shown me the value of the ‘Everyone In’ campaign and the importance of KP Snacks creating new ways for families like mine to get involved in cricket and keep active. And with over 100 other ‘Everyone In’ pitches now installed across the country, there’s no excuse for people not to find their nearest facilities and get involved!”   

Jermain Defoe added: “I grew up playing football in local parks like this not too far from here and that was my gateway into the sport, so it’s great to see KP Snacks and the ‘Everyone In’ campaign providing that opportunity for cricket. Pitches like this, and the other 100 like it across the country, are where great careers can start! But as today shows, it’s also just a great way to have fun and get active with your family and the local community.”  

Kevin McNair, Marketing Director at KP Snacks said: “Since its inception, the ‘Everyone In’ campaign has been about creating opportunities for families and communities to get active through cricket. And I think Fleur, Jermain and the cricketers here today have shown us just how easy and fun cricket can be when people come together. It’s been great to celebrate the landmark of 100 all-weather community pitches being installed, which over the past three years have made a huge difference to communities and given more people the opportunity to give cricket a go. With our renewal as an Official Partner of The Hundred confirmed, we look forward to continuing our mission to create more than 1 million opportunities for people to get active across the UK by 2033.” 

About ‘Everyone In’ 

Over the past three years, KP Snacks’ ‘Everyone In’ initiative has installed 100 all-weather community cricket pitches in parks and sports centres across England and Wales, delivering the opportunity to get active through cricket to thousands of people in the areas previously underserved by the sport.  

In their mission to deliver 1 million opportunities to get active through cricket by 2033, KP Snacks and the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have installed 31 pitches in the North of England, 15 in the Midlands, 28 in the South West & Wales and 26 in London and the South East, attracting record numbers of new players to the sport since the opening of the first ‘Everyone In’ pitch in 2022.  

Find your nearest ‘Everyone In’ pitch.  

Find other ways to get active in Greenwich.