In Conversation with Sixes in the City founder, James White.

By Jennifer Bailey

On a university ski trip, somewhere between a packed dancefloor and a long conversation about cricket, the idea for Sixes in the City first came about. It was not an idea for a business or a big social event, but a plan to get a group of university friends together for a game over the summer. Even now, as Sixes has grown across the country, the original idea remains the same. The focus is still on bringing friendship groups together. 

The founder, James White, graduated from Durham University in 2024. Like many students here, he had always expected to follow a set career path after university. As he put it, “at 23 I thought I would be in investment banking in London.”

It was in fact the rejection of this pressure and expectation to move to London and find the ‘perfect’ corporate job which makes James’ story all the more intriguing.

Instead, his story took a different turn. Whilst at Durham, he set up a social cricket team with friends called the AB De Villagers. It was nothing serious, just a group of friends “playing for the sake of it”. However, this casual nature was exactly what made the concept work. For James, It was never about the cricket itself, but more the reason behind why they were playing. 

That social experience gradually shaped what Sixes would become. Reflecting on university sport more broadly, James explained:

 “At most universities, sport feels quite all or nothing. Students either commit fully to a team, with training and weekly fixtures, or they do not play at all. Durham, with its collegiate system, makes it slightly easier to play casually. But even then, there is still a gap between organised competition and doing nothing.” 

Sixes’ unique selling point? It sits perfectly in that gap. It is social sport rather than serious competition. The focus is not on who wins, but on everything around it. The group chats that turn into teams, the mix of friends who would never usually play together, and the people who have not picked up a bat since school but decide to turn up anyway. Those are the moments Sixes is built around. 

He describes the idea as a way of “bringing groups of friends together through cricket” and “creating great stories for them.” This quote has become the thread running through everything Sixes has developed into. 

The first version was relatively small. In 2023 and 2024, Sixes ran as a charity tournament in London, raising just over £10,000 for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. It was something people enjoyed and wanted to return to each year, rather than a business with long term ambitions. 

“Bringing groups of friends together through cricket”

James White

After graduating, James decided to take it further. In the summer of 2024, Sixes expanded into a business venture with five university events, attracting over 6,000 attendees. A year later, some of the numbers went well beyond expectations. Exeter reached around 1,800 people, while Durham brought in about 1,300 in its first year. 

Durham 2025 felt like a test run for James and his team. It proved the idea worked, while also showing what could be improved. This year will reflect a shift. On 31st May, Sixes will return to Durham, bigger and more ambitious. The cricket remains central, but the day is being developed into a full event, with live music, brewery partnerships, and a marketplace element. There will also be a focus on bringing in homegrown Durham brands, giving students the chance to showcase their own ideas alongside the event. 

Meanwhile, as it grows, the focus will remain the same. The aim is not to build the most competitive cricket tournament, but to create something people genuinely want to be part of. At Durham, that will come through more clearly this year. The cricket is only one part of the day. Marquees will be filled with groups of friends, music will be energetic, and the atmosphere will feel closer to a summer social than a traditional sporting event. At first, people may arrive to watch their friends play, but they will stay for everything else happening around it. 

“I’ve realised how much I value friendships”

James White

The structure of the event reflects that balance. This year will include matches on the Friday before, followed by everyone coming together afterwards in the pub. The scores of the day will be read out, and the focus will shift fully onto the social side.  

That sense of connection has become more important to James over time. Reflecting on university years, graduation, and building the company, he admitted, “the hardest part has been the disconnect and loneliness.”  

“I’ve realised how much I value my friendships,” he notes. When everyone around you is on a very different path, James admits the deviation from traditional graduate expectations can be rough.  At the same time, this feeling reinforced what Sixes aims to offer: a sense of connection after we move on from a place, we were once all tied to.  

That idea runs through the entire concept. It gives people a reason to do something with their friends, rather than just talk about it. In a university environment where time is quickly taken up by deadlines and routines, that kind of space matters. 

Looking ahead, Sixes continues to grow. In 2026, it is expanding to nine universities, with Durham remaining one of the key stops. There are also plans to take the concept beyond university, with a London event aimed at young professionals. The same challenge exists after graduation. People are spread out, working different jobs, and it becomes harder to bring groups together in the same way. Sixes are trying to restore these fragmented and lost connections.  

The charity side also remains an important part of the project. What started with the Ruth Strauss Foundation has developed into wider ambitions, including an attempt to play the highest altitude cricket match in the world. In February 2027, a group of 45 will be taking on Ojos del Salado in Chile. Atop the highest volcano in the world, they will play a round robin T10 tournament between three sides. The team are aiming to raise £200,000 for Rays of Sunshine and A Day for Thorpey Fund.  

For Durham students, Sixes will turn into something they can come back to year on year. It will also quietly challenge the idea that there is more than one path to follow after Durham. Not every story has to fit the same mould. Some start with a group of friends, a game of cricket, and no real plan at all. Those are often the ones that end up meaning the most. 

Images by James White