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HEREFORDSHIRE Cricket has suffered a serious blow with the news that first-team captain Matt Pardoe has, understandably, decided to play his club and National Counties cricket in 2026 nearer to his base in the Home Counties.
The former Worcestershire man has been a massive asset to the county side, both with bat and ball, since joining at the start of the 2015 season.
And for the last 10 campaigns he has been an excellent leader on the field, taking the side to victory in the NCCA Trophy in 2016 as well as piloting his team to two Western Division 2 championships in 2021 and 2024.
But the 34-year-old, who had played his club cricket for Kidderminster and, more recently, Halesowen, is now a teacher at High Wycombe Royal Grammar School and next season will be playing his club cricket in the town and his National Counties cricket for Buckinghamshire.
Alexei Kervezee has retired from National Counties cricket having been appointed Worcestershire’s Second XI coach but Matt Pardoe has been recruited after ten years as Herefordshire’s captain.
Alexei Kervezee has retired from National Counties cricket with Buckinhamshire having been appointed Worcestershire’s Second XI coach.
Kervezee, a Netherlands international, led Buckinghamshire to the NCCA Cluberly Championship in his last match for the county with victory over Devon in the final at West Bromwich Dartmouth in September.
He has now returned to New Road to join a Worcestershire coaching staff which includes two former Staffordshire players in Head Coach Alan Richardson and Assistant Coach Kadeer Ali plus former Lincolnshire seamer Elliot Wilson who is their Academy Head Coach.
Pardoe, who was a team-mate of Kervezee’s at Worcestershire, has ended his long association with Herefordshire but already has links with Buckinghamshire as he teaches at RGS High Wycombe. He will also play his club cricket for High Wycombe next season.
“Matt will be hugely missed by all of us in Herefordshire,” said Herefordshire Cricket Ltd’s chairman Richard Prime.
“He has been a wonderful player for us over 11 seasons with bat and ball and remains one of the very best cricketers playing at National Counties level.
“But he has also been an excellent leader and is an outstanding human being who is liked and respected throughout the National Counties circuit.
“We thank him for all he has done for us over the years and wish him well with everything he does in the future, both on and off the cricket field.
“The only positive I can see at the moment is that Herefordshire are not due to face Buckinghamshire in any of the competitions in 2026 so we don’t yet have to worry about coming up against him on the field of play!”
Pardoe made more than 2,800 Championship runs for Herefordshire, including six centuries, and a further 1,670 runs in white ball cricket.
Kervezee, who played for Shropshire in 2018 and 2019 before joining Buckinghamshire in 2021, ended his National Counties career with 2,625 Championship runs – seven centuries and 14 fifties – plus 1,806 runs in white ball cricket including a century and 13 fifties.
