The Board's aim is to nurture the game of cricket at a recreational level, increase the levels of participation in cricket, identify and nurture future county players, and provide players with the opportunities to advance to the highest level of the game. Three years after the HCB was formed, the England and Wales Cricket Board reformed the NatWest Trophy by allowing all twenty Minor counties and the cricket boards of all first-classEnglish counties. These matches held List A status, with the HCB defeating Suffolk in its first match in the 1999 NatWest Trophy. The HCB played eight List A matches before the ECB reduced the competitions size, which resulted in the cricket boards being excluded from future competitions. It won three of its eight matches. The HCB employed the services of future international players Graeme Smith and Chris Tremlett, and played its home matches at the County Ground, Southampton, Grasmere Road, Cove, the Rose Bowl, and The Quarters, Hursley Park. The Board was also permitted to take part in the Minor counties one-day competition between 1998 and 2002. As part of its role to develop the game in Hampshire the HCB offers a number of ECB accredited courses involving coaching, physical training, umpiring and scoring. Qualified coaches are then able to join the HCB Coaches Association and ECB Coaches Association, with both associations helping coaching communication and individual practical development. The HCB Association is run by a management committee which consists of officials from local cricket clubs which are affiliated with the HCB.
Structure
Prior to 2010 the HCB was run using an Executive Committee which had a number of sub committees linked to it, which included the Senior Cricket Committee, Finance Committee, Facilities Committee and Officiating Committee. At the HCB Annual General Meeting in January 2010, it was decided that it would become a limited company, in doing so becoming the Hampshire Cricket Board Ltd.. This required the structure of the HCB to be changed to accommodate this change. The Executive Committee was replaced with a board of directors. This currently comprises:
The board of directors oversees the four-year development strategy which covers the period from 2007–2011, as well as delivering an improvement action plan each year which has agreed aims with the England and Wales Cricket Board. Successful implementation of the improvement action plan and reaching quantitative targets, secures funding from the ECB. In its new form the sub committees have been restructured. These are the Senior Cricket Committee, Finance Committee, Facilities Committee, HCB Coaches Association and Hampshire Association of Cricket Officials.
