Mark Getty, KBE, as Patron of Wormsley Cricket, is delighted to announce that Sir Andrew Strauss, OBE has accepted the position of ‘President of Wormsley Cricket’ for the coming season.

Sir Andrew Strauss, OBE needs little introduction, as one of England’s most successful captains and administrators of the modern era.

He played 100 Test Matches for England between 2004 and 2012 (50 of which as Captain) scoring 7,037 runs at an average of 40.91, with 21 Hundreds.

His understated authority underpinned England’s rise to the top of the world rankings for the first time in 31 years, in a journey that included a home Ashes win in 2009, victory in Australia for the first time since 1986-87 in 2010-11, and a 4-0 whitewash of India in 2011 to make England the Number 1 ranked side in the world.

He also played 127 ODIs (62 as Captain), scoring 4,205 runs at 35.63 and 4 T20 Internationals.

Educated at Radley and then Durham University, his professional career began in 1997 when he joined the Middlesex staff, making his First-Class debut in 1998 – he captained the county between 2002 and 2004. In all, he scored 17,046 First Class runs at an average of 42.72 with a highest score of 241*.

He was appointed as the ECB’s director of cricket in early 2015 and prioritised the shorter formats of the game, a decision that the whole country celebrated when England won the World Cup in that memorable final in 2019.

By then personal tragedy had forced Andrew to step down from his role at the ECB. His wife, Ruth, had contracted a rare form of lung cancer and died aged just 46 in late 2018. Wormsley is proud to be associated with the Ruth Strauss Foundation, a charity that was subsequently set up in her honour.

Andrew was made an MBE in the 2006 New Year’s Honours (for services to cricket) and awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2011, before being knighted in September 2019. In the same month, he made a welcome return to the game as chair of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s cricket committee.

Mark Getty says, “I am delighted that Andrew has accepted the role as President of Wormsley Cricket – he is an inspiration to anyone who loves the game, whether as a player, spectator or administrator.” He continues “His achievements on the field speak for themselves – these have only been matched by his dignity in facing personal tragedy, the subsequent setting up of the Ruth Strauss Foundation (to support families facing the death of a parent and to drive further research into rare non-smoking lung cancers), his continued involvement in English Cricket and his developing business career (as founder of Mindflick – an ideas business, based on cutting edge performance psychology).”

Mark concludes “We are committed to continuing to develop and expand my Father’s legacy to cricket through the ‘Sir Paul Getty Cricket Legacy programme’ and having Andrew and the wider Wormsley Cricket Committee behind this is hugely important in ensuring that Wormsley retains its place in English cricket.”

Andrew says “I’m delighted to be asked to be President of Wormsley Cricket this year – hopefully, a year when the world, and cricket, returns to some degree of normality. Sir Paul was a huge supporter of the game and to have the opportunity to help to continue his legacy is very special. I’ve always enjoyed playing at Wormsley (even being dismissed by my son in a game on the Estate last year!) and I know first-hand why Wormsley is often referred to as one of the most beautiful cricket grounds in the world!”

About Wormsley Cricket

The Cricket ground at Wormsley was officially opened on Sunday 24th May 1992 by Bob Wyatt (England Captain – 40 caps) who rang the Wormsley Bell aside Fred Trueman (67 England caps) who raised the Wormsley Flag. The Sir Paul Getty XI played host to the MCC, watched by Her Majesty The Queen Mother and the then Prime Minister, Sir John Major.

To this day, the Sir Paul Getty Men’s and Women’s XIs continue to be a cornerstone of cricket at Wormsley with annual matches against the MCC, the UK Armed Forces, Eton Ramblers, the Arabs and I Zingari – teams steeped in history & tradition and close to the heart of Sir Paul’s original vision for Wormsley Cricket.

Befitting Wormsley’s world-wide reputation as ‘one of the most beautiful grounds in England’, the number and variety of matches has increased in recent years – with the addition of a limited number of corporate & charity cricket days, private games and representative matches (such as the Women’s Varsity Match, the National Counties and Oxfordshire Cricket Finals) alongside cricket days for the villages that surround the Estate.

Find out more

Wormsley Cricket Membership

Cricket Membership at Wormsley allows our most loyal friends to enjoy a wide variety of cricket, including access to private games, charity matches and ticketed days, from a designated Members area with refreshment facilities and free parking.

Apply for Cricket Membership

About Wormsley

Wormsley is a beautiful private estate, first mentioned in official records in 1106, and since 1547 has been home to only two families; the Scropes/Fanes, and the Gettys since 1985. Perfectly situated in the rolling countryside of Buckinghamshire, this hidden jewel is but a stone’s throw from Jct 5 M40, between Stokenchurch and Ibstone. Primarily a private family home, for a limited number of days each year, the Estate is available for private individuals and organisations to hold events such as meetings, conferences, private dining experiences, festivals, corporate days, family days, cricket and country sports days, private parties and weddings. The beauty of the landscape, its traditional Chiltern buildings, roads, gardens & woodlands, also make the Estate an excellent location for commercial TV & Film production.

Learn more

For more information, visit www.wormsley.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.