CRICKET: IT WAS all hands on deck at Willoughby Cricket Club as players and members of all ages joined forces for the annual ECB Natwest Cricketforce event.
Paint brushes, polish, dusters, shovels and wheelbarrows were the order of the day as the club once again undertook a major spring clean of the Pavilion and changing rooms as well as a variety of maintenance and outdoor works in and around the ground.
Natwest Cricketforce is an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) volunteering initiative aimed at rejuvenating the nation’s cricketing facilities. Cricket clubs encourage their members and the local community to get together to get their facilities ready for the season ahead and to give something back by volunteering to undertake major renovations to clubhouses and grounds.
This year marked the 15th year Willoughby have been involved and having participated annually since the initiative first started, they joined over 2,000 other clubs from around the country who also took part during the course of the weekend.
“Our Cricketforce ‘clean up morning’ at Willoughby has been a great success once again,” said Willoughby chairman Brian Hall
“It has been great to see so many people – young and old – from within the club and also our local community come along, get involved and help us get ready for the new season.
“It shows what a great club spirit we have here, especially when everyone pitches in and contributes.”
As well as free ECB Natwest Cricketforce t-shirts, a BBQ breakfast was provided for everyone, with plenty of tea flowing courtesy of another very sizeable kind donation from Yorkshire Tea.
The club also used the event as a Registration Morning for both adult and junior cricketers interested in playing at the club for the coming summer, which also proved very successful with several new members signing up.
The new cricket season gets underway over the weekend of April 22-23 with senior team friendlies against Oakfield and Bourton & Frankton.
