Like many people involved in cricket, we have been distressed to hear about the reports of racism at Yorkshire and Essex Cricket Clubs. Azeem Rafiq's testimony has been extremely moving and shows the corrosive impact that racism has on individuals, our sport, and wider society.

As a club committee, we are proud that Kidlington Cricket Club has representation of people from a wide range of social groups including a significant number of players of South Asian heritage. It is our aim to ensure that Kidlington is a place where anyone who wants to play cricket can come and enjoy the game, regardless of their social or ethnic background, sexuality or gender. We stand against racism and for a welcoming, inclusive environment.

From regular feedback we get from youth and adult players at the club, we hope that most people have a good experience at Kidlington. Although what really matters is the day-to-day experience of our players, we do have written policies including an Inclusion & Diversity Policy and a Code of Conduct that requires club members to be respectful and inclusive of everyone. For any concerns you might have about discriminatory behaviour, you can contact Mark Fransham as safeguarding officer and youth chairman [youth@kidlingtoncricket.com], the chairman John Moss [jmoss@kidlingtoncricket.com] or the Oxfordshire Cricket safeguarding officers [safeguarding@oxoncb.com]. Any concerns that are brought to us will be treated seriously.

On a lighter note, it is now just three months till the indoor season starts in February! We look forward to welcoming all our players, old and new, when we start in 2022. And do look out for our AGM in December!

Best wishes

KCC Committee