Stonehenge scribed a chapter in sporting history this week as the storied monument hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy.

Cricket’s most prestigious piece of silverware, set to be fought over this summer by the world’s top ten teams, stopped off at the English Heritage site visited by over 1.5 million people a year.

Wiltshire was chosen as a location for the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, in light of the rousing success of Wiltshire Council’s Big Pledge Challenge.

The Challenge engaged 10,000 residents in physical activity last year and will run ‘it’s not just cricket’ challenges in schools and business to mark the World Cup this summer.

Cllr Chris Williams (Ludgershall and Perham Down) got up close and personal with the Trophy as did Sara Bailes and Jocelyn Fisher, committed participants in the Challenge over a number of years.

Cllr Williams said: “When I got the call to ask if I could go out to Stonehenge in the wind and rain with the Cricket World Cup, it was too good an opportunity to turn down.

“Stonehenge is a magical place – we were able to walk right among the stones, which you normally can’t do, so it was a great place to hold the event.

“The Challenge partners with a sporting event every year and in 2019, the Cricket World Cup was a perfect event for us.

“It’s on television, there’s a huge amount of interest and schools can get involved and have specific lessons structured around the competition.

“It’s going to be a great year for cricket in Wiltshire and across the whole of the country.

“After getting the chance to see the Trophy in our county, it would be absolutely perfect if England could go on to win the thing – we love sport here and it would be another massive boost.”

Over 40,000 Wiltshire residents have taken part in the Big Pledge Challenge over the last three years, each participant completing a time challenge on their way to a century across six weeks.

Participants in the scheme have reported back that taking part has had major benefits to their health including weight loss, better mental health and even a reduction in diabetes medication.

Williams, Portfolio Holder for Communities and Area Boards, takes a key role in the scheme and extolled its virtues for keeping people of all ages and abilities active.

“It’s a great way of encouraging young people to get involved and stay involved in sport,” he said.

“We take great pride in what we’ve been able to do with the programme.

“Exercise is about a way of life and we’re doing what we can to help people keep healthy and stay out of the doctor’s surgeries.”

ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, commences 100-day tour of England and Wales and will be at over 100 locations and events before arriving back in London ready for the opening match on May 30