Old Elizabethans Cricket Club steps into new territory this weekend as we make our debut in the ECB National Club Championship, the premier national knockout competition for club cricket in England and Wales. It also happens to be our first competitive match of the 2026 season, which gives the occasion an extra sense of excitement around the club.

The ECB National Club Championship, currently sponsored as the Rothesay National Club Championship, has been running since 1969 and brings together leading clubs from across the country in a straight knockout format. Sides progress through regional rounds before reaching the national stages, with the final played at Wormsley Cricket Ground.

Over the years, the competition has featured players who went on to county and international honours, including Joe Root, Sir James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali and Stuart Broad during their club cricket days. Winning the competition is widely regarded as the pinnacle of club level achievement. For OEs, 2026 marks the beginning of what we hope will become a regular presence in the national draw.

Our opponents this weekend, Windsor CC, are a long established club based in Berkshire. They compete in the Thames Valley Cricket League (TVCL) Division 2B, one of the stronger and more competitive leagues in the South of England.