
Trading the Gym for Cricket Nets
The gym builds muscle, but the nets build character. Cricket demands patience, precision and the kind of rhythm no treadmill can teach.

Figuring out how to plan a kids birthday party can feel like a lot, but it doesn’t have to be. From fun themes and games to food that keeps everyone happy, a little planning and creativity can turn a simple celebration into the perfect memory.
Words by: Sixes Cricket
There are birthday parties, and then there are occasions: gatherings that carry a note of grace even as laughter fills the air. A stylish children’s party, properly conceived, belongs to the latter. It is not about extravagance, nor about show. It is about proportion, atmosphere, and a certain ease — the sort that suggests good taste rather than advertises it.
The English have always known that true festivity wears a calm expression. One does not bellow one’s joy; one arranges it beautifully, then lets it unfold.

When the aim is to combine energy with elegance, Sixes Cricket offers the rarest of propositions — a children’s party venue that is both exuberant and impeccably turned out. It is a place where craftsmanship meets play, where the gleam of polished timber offsets the lively crack of a bat, and where the day proceeds with all the ease of a well-written sonnet.
At Sixes, children are invited to take the game in hand, testing reflexes and laughter in equal measure, while parents observe from surroundings that whisper of clubroom refinement rather than sports hall chaos. Staff glide rather than bustle; food arrives as though choreographed; glasses sparkle quietly in the light.
The setting itself feels like an homage to good company — open, polished, warmly British. It manages that most elusive of feats: to delight the young without wearying the grown-ups. The children discover the thrill of friendly play; the adults, a measure of tranquillity. A celebration here feels like something out of an illustrated storybook — joyous, polished, entirely without strain.
Sixes understands rhythm. It provides the structure of activity and the generosity of space, the laughter of the game and the civilised comfort of good hospitality. Few places capture the pleasure of a shared occasion so gracefully.
For those who prefer the open air, there is always the English garden — the ancestral stage for celebration. A lawn, a scattering of tables, perhaps a marquee if the sky looks indecisive. The trick is to keep it human in scale. Children run, grown-ups sip, flowers nod in approval. A well-planned garden party feels timeless, not quaint.
Choose muted colours for tableware and fabrics; let the landscape do the decorating. Activities can be simple: a treasure hunt among rosebushes, a round of cricket on the grass, a storytelling corner beneath a tree. The beauty lies in understatement. Nothing shouts; everything smiles.

There is a particular charm in turning learning into spectacle. Certain museums now offer private rooms or family experiences for birthdays, and the result can be unexpectedly chic. Imagine a small gathering beneath vaulted ceilings, the children marveling at fossils or aeroplanes, parents lingering with coffee as though at a private view.
This sort of celebration requires planning and a dash of restraint — one must remember that museums are temples of curiosity, not playgrounds. Still, for a thoughtful child, it is the height of sophistication. A touch of culture alongside cake never hurt anyone.
Before a guest has even chosen what to wear, the tone of your party is set by the invitation. It should read like an overture — refined, concise, entirely self-assured.
Choose cream or soft-toned paper stock, or if digital, a restrained design with crisp lettering. Avoid anything that blinks, flashes, or squeaks. The invitation is your handshake in print: it should convey warmth and poise.
And never underestimate the power of proper punctuation. Nothing says elegance like a well-placed full stop.

A stylish party requires an eye for balance: enough flourish to charm the children, enough order to reassure the adults. Decorations should feel considered, not contrived. Two colours, perhaps three, held together by good materials — linen, cotton, wood, glass.
Avoid the tyranny of theme. Themed parties rarely age well. Better to choose a mood: adventure, curiosity, joy. A cricket bat propped elegantly against a table, or small fielding flags used as place markers, will say infinitely more than walls of cartoon vinyl ever could.
Every stylish party has a moment of theatre. For most, it arrives with the cake. The gathering hushes; candles flicker; faces glow. To elevate this ritual, keep the design restrained. One tier, perfect icing, perhaps a monogram or the faint glint of gold leaf.
The cake table should be dressed with simplicity — neutral cloth, fine plates, a sense of space. Serve swiftly, smile often, and remember that the camera loves calm. The sweetest moments, after all, are rarely the loudest.

Children are connoisseurs of chaos, yet even their play can be guided by taste. The key is rhythm: bursts of laughter followed by pauses of calm. Whether in a batting bay at Sixes or under a garden tree, plan activities that unite rather than divide.
Team challenges, gentle races, small crafts — all encourage participation without competition’s sting. The sound of children laughing together is the finest décor any host could hope for.
A stylish host remembers the parents. Provide them a table, a drink, and the illusion of repose. A little conversation, a touch of shade, and the sense that the afternoon might last forever.
The most elegant parties are those that seem to host themselves. In truth, they are the product of meticulous forethought disguised as ease. If you’ve done it properly, you too will have time for a glass of something civilised.

There is poetry in a small gesture. Send each child home with one thing well-chosen: a simple toy, a packet of wildflower seeds, a bookmark tied with silk ribbon. A gift need not be costly to be gracious; it need only show thought.
A farewell at the door, a thank-you uttered with sincerity, and the curtain falls. The house exhales. You have created not an event, but a memory.

In the end, a stylish children’s party is not defined by grandeur but by grace. It is the sum of many small decisions made well — the light, the table, the timing, the laughter that feels easy because you set it free.
Those who understand this instinctively find themselves at home in places like Sixes Cricket, where the old virtues of play, company, and craft meet the quiet luxuries of modern life. To celebrate there is to be reminded that joy, when properly hosted, is the most elegant thing of all.
Sixes Cricket.

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Sixes Cricket Limited ("the Company") was placed into Administration on 17 December 2025 and Anthony Wright and Alastair Massey of FRP Advisory Trading Limited ("FRP") were appointed as Joint Administrators.
The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Administrator(s) who act as agents of the Company without personal liability.
The Administrators are continuing to trade the Company’s business, and any enquiries should be directed to: sixescreditors@frpadvisory.com
For bookings and other enquiries please contact your local Sixes branch directly.