No more cricket at Bank of England's annual summer party

Staff at the Bank of England will play more "popular" sports under Mark Carney

Sir Mervyn King bowls at a Bank cricket match (Reuters)

When Mark Carney arrived at the Bank of England last year, he promised a major overhaul at the 320-year old British institution.

And it seems Mr Carney, the first foreign Governor at the Bank, has made good on his promise.

The Bank of England yesterday confirmed its traditional cricket match has been axed from the annual summer party because it is deemed too exclusive.

Instead, staff at the bank will play more popular sports such as football and rounders at the summer party, which will be held on Sunday in south-west London.

A spokesperson for the Bank said the "arrangements" for the day were left in the hands of staff, stressing that they will play British rounders, rather than American softball.

The move represents another departure from Lord King, Mr Carney's predecessor, who is a big cricket fan and used to be a team captain for one of the sides at the annual game.

Lord King is also president of Chance to Shine, a charity which aims to get more children into playing cricket and promote the sport.

Writing on the charity's website, the former Governor said: "Playing cricket at school taught me the importance of practice and teamwork. Captaining a side on the field helped me significantly in my career in later years."