NEWENT Cricket Club has announced a new partnership with Hartpury College as part of an ongoing project to redevelop and enhance the club’s grounds, bringing together community volunteers and agricultural students in a collaboration that is already delivering visible improvements.

The partnership forms part of the club’s longer-term plans to improve facilities at its ground while also providing valuable hands-on learning opportunities for students studying agriculture and land-based courses at Hartpury College.

Over recent months, volunteers from Newent Cricket Club have been working to reclaim sections of the ground that had become heavily overgrown and largely unused.

Areas that had fallen into disrepair have been cleared, creating space for further development and improving access and safety across the site.

Building on that initial work, agricultural students from Hartpury College have taken on practical project tasks as part of the next phase of development.

Students have been involved in erecting new post-and-rail fencing and planting a range of hedging species, helping to define boundaries, enhance the appearance of the ground and support long-term environmental sustainability.

The work reflects Hartpury College’s approach to agricultural education, which focuses on combining classroom learning with practical experience.

Students are trained using modern technology and industry-led practices, with teaching delivered by experienced lecturers from across the agricultural sector.

Hartpury students typically gain experience across the college’s 360-hectare estate and on-site commercial farm, where theory is put directly into practice on livestock and arable land.

The curriculum also includes exposure to the wider agricultural supply chain through links with major brands such as Müller, AVP and RJ Kerr, as well as opportunities to engage with industry organisations including the NFU.

That practical approach is now being applied within the local community through projects such as the work at Newent Cricket Club. Activities including fencing and hedge planting closely mirror the land management skills students develop on Hartpury’s estate, while allowing them to work in real-world environments beyond the college campus.

Students are also introduced to data-driven smart farming and agricultural innovation through Hartpury’s Agri-Tech Centre and Tech Box Park, which form part of the first phase of a 10-year Digital Innovation Farm vision.

Dedicated classrooms, machinery workshops, an advanced dairy parlour and extensive arable land provide further opportunities to develop technical skills that are increasingly sought after within the modern agricultural industry.

The improvements at Newent Cricket Club are expected to benefit players, visiting teams and spectators, as well as supporting the club’s role within the wider community.

The ground hosts matches throughout the cricket season, supports junior and senior teams, and is used regularly for training and community events.

With the latest phase of work now underway, further improvements are being considered as part of the club’s long-term plans, with the partnership with Hartpury College playing a key role in the ongoing development of the site.

Attention will now turn to the 2026 season, with league fixtures beginning on Saturday, May 2. Newent’s 1st XI open away at Frampton on Severn, while the Lions start at home, following three weekends of pre-season fixtures.