BUILDING materials firm, Lafarge, is backing a Derbyshire club in one of the biggest community cricket events in the sporting calendar.
Almost 20 tonnes of roadstone and washed sand has been donated to Sawley and Long Eaton Park by Lafarge Aggregates & Concrete UK to boost this year’s NatWest CricketForce.
The aggregate, from Lafarge’s Lockington quarry and Mountsorrel granite quarry in Leicestershire, will provide the foundations for a new patio around the club’s main pavilion.
The patio is just one element of a major refurbishment programme planned as part of CricketForce, an England and Wales Cricket Board volunteering initiative aimed at rejuvenating the nation’s cricketing facilities.
Taking place over the weekend of April 8 to 10 CricketForce encourages cricket supporters, their friends and family to give something back to their local community cricket club by volunteering to help with major renovations to clubhouses and grounds.
All community cricket clubs can register to take part but each year just three from the eight counties signed up to the ECB are chosen as ‘showcase’ clubs.
This year Sawley and Long Eaton Park Cricket Club carries the showcase banner for the Midlands.
David Dooley, Volunteer Development Officer for the club said:
“We were delighted to be given the status of showcase club for this year’s CricketForce.
“This is an honour which our county may not see for a good few years so we want to make the most of it.
“We have had a huge amount of support already from local people and businesses such as Lafarge for which we are extremely grateful. We are hoping the weekend itself will be a great success and help bring our facilities into the 21st century.”
As the club’s refurbishment plan is ambitious some works have already started but the aim is to ensure an enthusiastic crowd of volunteers pitches in on April 10 to complete the transformation.
Decorating, cleaning and assembling will all be among the tasks needing willing hands.
Once finished the programme should see the club with new facilities including a girls’ changing room, modern kitchen, new windows and score box at the old pavilion and a larger patio area and new furniture and trophy cabinet at the new pavilion.
While there is practical work to be done there will also be plenty of opportunities to have fun, practice cricket skills, play games of kwik cricket and mingle with Derbyshire test players and even England internationals.
