A London school’s old boys’ cricket club have been demoted from their league for not having a girls team and a junior section.

Old Hamptonians, who played in Division One of the Surrey Championship last season, were unable to meet the criteria put in place by the England and Wales Cricket Board to remain a tier-one club.

The ECB’s youth development and gender inclusivity regulations require tier-one clubs to have a cricket programme for five to 11-year-olds, at least three hard-ball junior teams and a girls’ section. This applies to tier-one clubs across the country.

Old Hamptonians’s membership is largely made up of alumni of Hampton School, an all-boys independent school in south-west London that has produced several England internationals.

The club appealed against the decision to demote them first to Surrey, who rejected their appeal. An appeal to the ECB was also rejected after it upheld Surrey’s decision.

Old Hamptonians argued that it is almost impossible for an old boys’ club to meet the requirements since the school has no female students and that the school essentially functions as their junior section.

The ECB’s tier-one club regulations have been in place since last year, but are now being enforced after a grace period before the 2027 season. Any club across the country playing in the top divisions of their county league structure is classified as a tier-one club.

Old Hamptonians first XI will now be forced to play in Surrey Division Two, a league that does not require tier-one club regulations to be met, despite coming seventh in Division One last summer. Division One is the second-highest league in Surrey, with only the Premier Division above it. As it stands, Old Hamptonians would not be allowed to be promoted out of Division Two even if they were to win it.

A Surrey cricket foundation spokesperson said: “It is an ECB requirement that teams who play in the top two divisions of ECB-accredited Premier Leagues run cricket programmes for 5-11-year-olds, have junior teams as well as a girls’ team as part of their club.

“At the Surrey Cricket Foundation, we are fully supportive of this and believe it is an important part of making sure that cricket is truly a game for all by ensuring that high-performing clubs are also playing their role in creating access for boys and girls to play the sport.”

Old Hamptonians, who play their home fixtures on the school grounds, have four teams that play in Saturday league competitions, though only the first XI is affected by the ECB regulations.

Hampton School has produced a number of professional cricketers in recent years, including England internationals Toby Roland-Jones and Zafar Ansari.

Three of Middlesex’s fast-bowling crop went to the school, including Roland-Jones, Blake Cullen and Naavya Sharma, who was recently selected for the England Lions.

Former England coach and new Lancashire director of cricket Paul Farbrace worked at Hampton before coaching in the professional game.

The ECB said: “In exchange for ECB funding, accredited Premier Leagues need to meet specific criteria which are designed to promote strong and sustainable clubs. These criteria include having a junior and girls’ section. This has been communicated for the last two seasons, with support available for clubs via local Recreational Cricket Boards to help with implementation. Clubs failing to comply by 31 October 2026 are ineligible to play in the top two divisions of an ECB Premier League.”

Old Hamptonians declined to comment.