Testimonials

I’m Harsha Vithana first class cricket player from Sri Lanka and I’m with the “Ace Cricket “ now it’s been nearly 13 years giving me such a wonderful service for me to come and play cricket in the UK for such long time. I’m really grateful and admired specially the work done by Rob Ashwell , he is the one who really put every effort to make it happen towards to set a club in the UK. I’m really fortunate to have an agent like and I would like to thank him and his wonderful work throughout all these years for me and he is looked after me very well too. I wish him well and all the success to “ Ace Cricket “

This is my first time as an overseas professional for any clubs. For this I would like to thank specially rob for all the arrangements from Visa application/appointment, Air tickets etc. that he had made. Everything went so smoothly under his guidance. My each and every quary and connecting with the club made it so easy with Rob. Thank you again for being so nice and humble all the time. I wish you more success to come.

ACE was simply ace. It is always a slightly complicated process to recruit an overseas professional and in these turbulent times that difficulty is multiplied. But Rob Ashwell helped to negotiate every twist and turn, and to clear every hurdle. He was thorough and efficient: we got our man, we got him on time and crucially all the boxes were ticked. Best, Stephen B

I have no hesitation in recommending Robert Ashwell of Ashwell Cricket Exchange to any Club seeking an overseas player. Dunstall CC has acquired, through Robert a cricketer of proven quality in Kevin McClean from the West Indies. Kevin is also a Level 2 coach who will help out with Junior coaching. Robert’s help and guidance throughout the whole process of obtaining a Visa and organising flights for Kevin has been invaluable. It would have been much more difficult without Robert’s assistance. We shall certainly use his services again-hopefully for another season with Kevin!

Rob Ashwell has provided our club professional Harsha Cooray for the last three season and has been proficient and professional in all of my dealings with him, in 2014 he also assisted in providing us with an outstanding amateur player. A key part of our requirements for a professional was identifying a player who would fit with our youth development plans, Robs understanding of his players allowed him to identify an ideal player who has a real love of coaching and we are reaping the benefit. On the playing front Harsha has been a key part of Aberdeenshire winning the Eastern Premier League and Club Championship in 2014 and is the leading professional in the league. Rob Ashwell Cricket Exchange has provided Aberdeenshire Cricket Club with accurate, honest information and delivered in all areas. I would thoroughly recommend his service to all clubs.

We used Rob Ashwell at Ace Cricket Exchange last season to acquire our overseas professional, test cricketer Prasanna Jayawardene. The process was seamless, the flights, visa and coaching courses were organised and communication excellent throughout. During the season Rob always checked on performance and welfare of Prasanna and was always available to discuss any issues. With the cancellation of the Sri Lankan premier league, everything was looked after by Ace in ensuring we had the player for an additional 7 weeks with all flight amendments etc all sorted. We also used Rob for a UK resident Sri Lankan bowler to cover injuries, this again was fantastically organised and we had another quality performer. We would certainly recommend Ace Cricket Exchange to any club organising their overseas pro. We have already used Rob to resign Prasanna Jayawardene for 2014.

Rob Ashwell has provided our club with a first class all round service. We made contact with Rob and discussed our needs. He provided a number of options for us to consider and a gave us very detailed information on each player/coach. Robs knowledge of Sri Lankan cricket is comprehensive and from my many conversations with Rob we narrowed our options to our requirements expeditiously. From this point on Rob's work was faultless, he arranged all the related transfer of documentation for our applications to Cricket Ireland and the UK Borders Agency in a timely manner. I was promised that our chosen professional would be with us in time for the first game of the season, something that hasn't happened before with other agents/professionals. Yes, Rob promised and delivered. In short Rob Ashwell Cricket Exchange service has provided Coleraine Cricket Club with accurate, honest information and delivered in all areas. I would thoroughly recommend his service to all clubs.

This is the 4th consecutive year that we have had Dinuk Hettiarachchi as our Professional. Rob Ashwell has been Dinuk’s agent for all of these years. Rob has been instrumental in helping St Annes CC get Dinuk into the country as soon as possible and also making sure he has been looked after during the season. I would recommend Rob to anybody who is looking for an overseas professional. He is helpful, always available and makes sure he answers your questions as fully and as soon as possible. Without Robs help the job of getting Dinuk into the country for the start of the season would have been even more difficult than it already is.

I was first introduced to Rob the summer of 2006 after a Test tour in England as I was looking for a club to sub-pro for a while. I was a bit apprehensive as it was my first stint playing league cricket in England, but Rob arranged everything almost overnight and made sure that I was well looked after at Blythe CC (my new club). One of the biggest problems I had as a new international cricketer was getting good bat contracts and making sure that I received my payments. This was one of the main reasons I signed Rob as my manager and he immediately sorted me out with a CA contract for two years, and I they have provided me with some excellent bats, and have been prompt with payments. Rob and I get along really well and he is now more of a friend than a manager I am extremely satisfied with his service and have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone.

THE END game to Keswick Cricket Club’s 2021 season was probably the unhappiest of recent times.

The 1st XI game at home to Dalton was rained-off, the 2nd XI lost their attempt to win a much-needed promotion in the Eden Valley Cricket League (EVCL) and then, to cap it all, there was the deeply unsettling development that, after 10 happy and mutually successful seasons at the club, Sri Lankan professional Geeth Kumara had decided he would not be returning to Keswick in 2022, writes Keith Richardson.

The player, having just enjoyed what was arguably his most successful season at the club – he once again topped the Cumbria Cricket League (CCL) Premier Division batting and hit six half centuries and four hundreds – said that at the age of 33 and with only three or four years of overseas professionalism ahead of him, he felt now was the time to seek a fresh challenge.

However, so attached had the player become to Keswick Cricket Club and the community, that he vowed he would not be joining a rival local club; he could never, he said, ever play against Keswick. And so it seems likely that he will be playing his cricket elsewhere in the UK next season, most probably in the Manchester area, although, at the time of leaving, he had not yet decided which of several other offers he had received (Keswick had already tabled an offer) he would be taking up.

However, his unexpected departure has left the club somewhat disorientated. While nothing lasts forever, Geeth has made many friends in and around the club over the last 10 years and in a much wider context – with players, officials and supporters from other teams – and he will be sorely missed, not just in Keswick but further afield.

The player only announced his decision in the days leading up to what was to be the final fixture of the season, the rained off match against Dalton at Fitz Park last Saturday.

His final departure, an end of season party in the clubhouse last Saturday night, was an emotionally charged one, before the player flew out to his home in Colombo, via an eight hour transfer in Istanbul, early the following morning.

Geeth Kumara was, and is, an extremely popular figure. He is, without any doubt, the single most successful professional in the history of Keswick Cricket Club and – as chairman of the club at the time – I am proud to have recommended him to the club in the first instance after taking advice from his agent, Rob Ashwell, on the various options available to us.

A left hand bat and right arm leg spin bowler, Geeth made an instant impression although I recall that in his early days as a batsman at KCC his running between the wickets was so fast and frenetic that he regularly ran out teammates – his calls for a quick single announced with what can only be described as a frenzied scream.

And inevitably ended in the clatter of stumps and bails and loud cheers from opponents as his batting partner invariably failed to make his ground, leaving a perplexed Geeth shaking his head at the other end.

He has topped the CCL batting averages several times, including three seasons in succession, but he saved his best for what turned out to be his last season, topping the table with a total of 1,132 runs and a record breaking, certainly for KCC, four centuries. The next Keswick batsman in the picture was Will Atkinson – who had a poor season by his recent excellent standards – finishing in 59th place with 275 runs.

Geeth also got through a massive 190 overs in 2021 and finished the season a highly creditable eighth in the bowling with 42 wickets. Next in line for Keswick CC, with 30 wickets, was captain James McGown in 27th place.

But it was not only in terms of performance on the field of play that Kumara excelled. He is an excellent coach, captured the hearts of young players at KCC, and, more than that, his quiet and almost contemplative approach to life won him many admirers.

Geeth has said that he hopes to visit KCC next summer. He will always be made most welcome.

In the meantime the club now faces the difficult task of replacing him as a player and coach and taking the club forward from this challenging point.

THE club 2nd XI’s failure to win promotion to Division One of the EVCL after losing badly in a promotion decider at Appleby 2nds last Saturday, only heightened the sense of disappointment blanketing the club over the weekend.

With Lanercost 2nds having already secured one of the two promotion places as champions (Penrith 3rds having conceded their league game at Lanercost earlier) the 2nd XI went into the game at Appleby 2nds nine points ahead of their rivals. However, the home side secured 10 points from a resounding win and, in denying Keswick any bonus batting points, pipped them by a single point for the second promotion place.

However, the situation surrounding the game proved to be a controversial one in that – before a ball was even bowled – Keswick had flagged up with the EVCL the fact that Appleby 1st XI had already conceded their final match of the season, in the Premier Division, to be played that same afternoon at Scotby.

That initial query by Keswick, made in advance of events at Appleby on Saturday, is now the subject of a formal protest by KCC to the EVCL management committee.

Keswick went into the game at Appleby with a genuine 2nd XI – even though 1st XI players might have been available after the rain off at Fitz Park – knowing that they only needed two bonus points to secure promotion.

And on that basis decided, on winning the toss, to bat second.

It was a tactic that backfired badly. The home side racked up 271/8 from their 40 overs and then Keswick, needing to score 163 runs of the Appleby total to secure two batting points and promotion, was bowled out for just 117 from 28.2 overs. Only Joe Grisdale with an unbeaten 53 showed any meaningful resistance as the team succumbed.

With the season over and looking forward to 2022, the club bounced back immediately from their collective disappointment – although some were a little hung over – with a well attended working party on Sunday morning at which many hands did indeed make light work. The ground staff followed that up earlier this week with the application of four tons of loam, and a liberal amount of seed and fertiliser, to a well scarified and fenced off cricket square, as the club builds on its growing reputation for providing some of the finest batting surfaces in the county; not to mention staging its games at the Loveliest Cricket Ground in the UK (Wisden Cricket Monthly magazine national competition).

The club has much to be thankful for, including 10 summers in the company of one Geeth Kumara, a cricketer from Sri Lanka.

When one sees recommendations for a particular company on that company's website, they are usually read with some scepticism. In the case of Rob Ashwell's website this is far from the case. As Chairman of Haxey Cricket Club, we have had Sri Lankan players from Rob for the last three years and the professionalism of both Rob and his charges have been first class. I have recommended Rob to a number of other clubs in our league (Lincolnshire Premier League) and would have no hesitation in saying that his website 'acecricketexchange.co.uk' should be the first site that you look at if you want service and a quality player.

Haverigg CC worked with Rob Ashwell in securing the services of S Sriram in 2007. Rob has been a consummate professional in establishing contact with Sriram and acting fairly for both sides during negotiation. Rob has remained in contact with player and club throughout the season and has shown a genuine interest in the progression of player and club. We would be happy to recommend Rob to other clubs.

Having dealt with numerous agents over the years, there are two things that sets the Ace Cricket Exchange apart from other agencies: 1) We us a club had very specific requirements for a cricket professional who would be an enthusiastic coach to work in schools full time, and Rob found us what we consider to be the "perfect" person to assume this vital role for the club. 2) Rob is in constant contact with both the professional AND the club throughout the season, taking a genuine interest in the performances and progress of the player and the club.

Hartlepool Cricket Club have played in the NYSD Premier League for over 100 years, and take their cricket very seriously. This years Professional for Hartlepool is Janaka Gunarathna from Sri Lanka. Robbie has co-ordinated Janaka's agreement of contract and all the extra paperwork involved bringing overseas Pro's into the country this year. Robbie has handled all Club requests very efficiently and effectively throughout, and Hartlepool were fully prepared with their chosen professional in place for the beginning of the 2009 Season. Hartlepool are second top of the League at the moment. Thanks again Robbie.

Drumpellier Cricket Club have worked with ACE and Rob for many years now and have no hesitation in recommending them. We secured several Sri Lankan first class players through ACE and the process has always been professional and seamless. Rob is helpful, always available, knows the game from both club and agent perspective and is a fount of knowledge in getting you what your club needs. We’ll continue to use his services in the future and wish him and his company well.

Rob & Ace are first class, from initial enquiry, prospecting players, gaining the information on players, all the way through to the players landing in country Rob is constantly in touch. During the very important Visa/UK requirements he will at all hours answer any questions or queries and relays everything between all parties. It shows Rob’s class over the Christmas period constantly updating us as a committee to the status of the pro’s home season and personal life. Rob has supplied us with our oversea’s Pro for 2 years now and all I can say is faultless, very well priced, extremely well organised and the whole process is seamless and fluid. We as a club have used a well known agent in the past, but found nothing but hurdles, blocks and issues creating stress for the club, individuals and mainly the professional, Rob and Ace have been a breath of fresh air for us. We can’t thank Rob & Ace enough for everything they do for and can’t wait to keep working together in the future.

Hi this is Parth Palawat. I have been associated with The Cricket Solutions and Prakash Bhai for the past 2 Years now. My Journey with TCS and Prakash Bhai has been really unique and satisfying so far. The most amazing part of this association is the personal touch that is always needed when the Cricketer is not doing well. Eternally thankful to The Cricket Solutions and special thanks to Prakash bhai for guiding me through tough times and helping me to get where I am today. I am all excited to Play for Skegness Cricket in Lincolnshire, England and that too especially after the pandemic. Prakash Bhai was always there when I needed him the most. Thank you so much for being there with me Prakash bhai and the entire Cricket Solutions team!!

Hi. I am Vathsal Govind. I am a First Class Cricketer from Kerala. Playing in UK was always a strong wish and I thank Mr. Robert Ashwell and Mr. Prakash Palande to have given me this opportunity to travel and play in England for Egremont Cricket Club. My relationship with them has grown beautifully over the last few months and I would like to thank and appreciate the work that they are doing and promoting aspiring young talent to new opportunities. Thank You Rob and Prakash Bhai for the continued support!!

It is such a pleasure working with Mr prakash palande, who clears all my doubts whenever I call him with respect to my playing contract in the UK. Prakash Bhai, kudos to the way, you and your team have handled my signing for a stint in the UK by keeping things very transparent, simple and honest. I am sure that all my interests have been looked after and with absolute clarity. I would highly recommend THE CRICKET SOLUTIONS for everyone looking to play overseas as a professional cricketer. Thank you once again

Stockton CC wanted to improve their side in the NYSD Premier, and engage an overseas pro. The first port of call was Rob Ashwell, we told him what we needed, and he came up with a fantastic pro for Stockton CC. Easy to deal with and a straight forward deal. Thanks Rob!