'Great news' for Chesterfield after Festival of Cricket deal with Derbyshire County Cricket Club

The popular festival, which has seen multiple sold-out matches at Queen’s Park, is described as ‘a cornerstone of the Derbyshire summer’.

Chesterfield Borough Council says its deal with Derbyshire County Cricket Club is ‘great news’ for businesses across the town.

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to agree a new deal with Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

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"It is great news for the town and borough that our residents will be able to see the stars of first-class county cricket perform at Queen’s Park cricket ground for another five years.

“The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket is one of the standout weeks in our annual events calendar.

"We look forward to welcoming both home and away supporters to our town and to the economic lift that their attendance brings to our hoteliers, bars, restaurants, and retailers.”

Chesterfield’s Queen’s Park has been a key venue in the history of Derbyshire cricket, since the county’s maiden first-class fixture at the picturesque tree-lined ground was held in 1898.

In recent years, the week-long festival has played host to first-class matches, as well as the traditional Vitality Blast local derby with Yorkshire Vikings, and Derbyshire will continue to perform here for the next five seasons.

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This year, the council and cricket club also moved to bring live music to the venue, with the Evening of Queen event earlier this month attracting a new audience to Queen’s Park.

Derbyshire County Cricket Club chairman Ian Morgan said: “As a club, we are committed to continuing our longstanding relationship with Queen’s Park and Chesterfield Borough Council.

“The Chesterfield Festival of Cricket always brings together a huge number of people from across the region and Queen’s Park is a much-loved and popular venue, making the fixtures a highlight of the season for supporters from across the county."

Coun Gilby added: “The new five-year deal would not be possible without the close involvement of our friends at Chesterfield Cricket Club. I thank them for their support, and we look forward to working with both Clubs on the planned outreach programme with local primary and secondary schools.”

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