At Lancia Consult, we have a passion for investing in people and community. That’s why we’re proud to sponsor Holywood Cricket Club 1881, a local institution with deep roots and a powerful mission: to make sport accessible, inclusive, and transformative for everyone in the community.
We sat down with William Belford, Director of Cricket, a long-standing club member and the driving force behind its resurgence, to hear more about the club’s journey, impact, and vision for the future.
Q: William, can you tell us a little about the history of Holywood Cricket Club 1881?
William:
The club dates back to 1881, and although we've had to adapt and move locations twice over the years, we've always retained a strong identity. For a long time, we were part of a joint rugby and cricket club, but we became independent again in 2023.
What’s kept us going is our commitment to the community, but it hasn’t always been easy. By 2015, we had barely enough players for one men’s team, no female players at all, and a very small junior base. That was the wake-up call.
Q: How did you turn things around?
William:
For me, a major driver of the club is to foster the next generation of players. That meant getting out into local schools, building relationships, and recruiting new players from a young age. We also made a very deliberate decision to invest in girls' and women’s cricket.
Cricket had always been there for boys. But for girls? There was absolutely no opportunity locally. A club in itself doesn’t exist without people, so we knew we didn’t want to limit ourselves by focusing on only boys' and men’s cricket. So, we went into schools in the local catchment area, running sessions and encouraging girls to give it a try. That effort has paid off; we currently have three women’s teams, and our firsts play in the top league of the Northern Cricket Union (NCU) Premier League, something we are extremely proud of.
Q: Why is getting young people involved in the club so important?
William:
It’s about far more than sport. Being part of a club builds confidence, discipline, and social ease. For many of our players, especially young women who’ve never had access to this sport before, it’s a life-changing experience. A team sport fosters strong friendships and relationships with their peers, which last a long time. It allows you to develop in a group setting, but also as an individual, and playing cricket is a door-opener around the world.
There are so many examples that come to mind of the players that have developed with the club, but in particular I think of one of our female players, Erin Bond, who joined us just after primary school. She is now part of the Irish Under-17s squad and has grown tremendously, not just as a cricketer, but as a person. That’s what sport should do.
Q: How does stakeholder support help with the development of the club?
William:
There is a tremendous lack of training resources for cricket locally and a huge absence of coaches. This means if you want to develop your club and your players, you need to invest in coaches from overseas. That’s why we focus on bringing in international talent, like our current coaches Steve Kruger and Peter Harold from South Africa. Both Steve and Peter have helped us to deliver real quality when it comes to training our teams.
Of course, bringing in talent from other countries comes at a cost, which is why we are so appreciative of the backing from our sponsors and stakeholders. This includes the likes of Ards and North Down Borough Council, who have been extremely supportive of the club, as well as our sponsorship from Lancia Consult.
Q: How has Lancia Consult’s sponsorship helped?
William:
The support from Lancia Consult has made a real difference. Sponsoring the Player of the Month awards has helped us spotlight achievements and keep momentum building across the season.
But more than that, it shows a commitment to community and inclusion, values we both share. Lancia’s backing has helped us install the practice infrastructure we never had until 2023. Lancia’s support is also helping us to maintain our Coaching Team and continue the outreach in schools that is needed to keep young people engaged and to grow the game, especially for women and girls.
Q: What keeps you personally motivated?
William:
Preserving the club’s 145-year history through a very difficult period and successfully exiting the other side of that period into calmer waters is a huge motivating factor. The history of our Club must be preserved and continued, and new people and new ideas are the only way. Further motivation comes from giving young people the same chance I had when I was younger to be part of something, to make friends, to grow, and to build confidence through sport. With one furthering the other it works quite well and is simple to explain.
Q: What’s next for Holywood Cricket Club 1881?
William:
We have big ambitions. One key goal is to create an indoor training facility and also social space or Clubhouse where people can come together, connect, and truly feel part of a club. That is the metaphorical glue that will hold our progress together and allow us to continue to support initiatives like school competitions, including girls’ cups, which too often go unnoticed and unfunded.
Holywood Cricket Club 1881 is based at Seapark Oval in Holywood, Co Down, Northern Ireland. If you would like to get involved with the club, reach out to William directly by emailing holywoodcricketclub1881@gmail.com.
Follow Holywood Cricket Club 1881 on social media:
• https://linktr.ee/holywoodcricketclub1881
