A record-breaking number of Derbyshire cricket clubs have registered for this weekend’s NatWest CricketForce event.
The three-day event, which will see facilities rejuvenated and prepared across the county for the forthcoming cricket season, will see thousands of club members and volunteers coming together to clean, tidy, repair and revitalise clubhouses and cricket grounds.
Local Derbyshire cricket clubs have once again got behind the initiative in huge numbers with a record 94 clubs registered to take part.
Derbyshire Senior Cricket Development Manager, Mick Glenn said: “It is fantastic that so many Derbyshire clubs value the initiative as a way to make sure they start the season on the front foot.
“NatWest CricketForce can make a real difference and acts as the perfect platform from which to start the summer. It can energise the club and build team spirit while everyone can enjoy an afternoon at the club.”
Derbyshire clubs have been rewarded for their commitment over the years. In 2005, James Anderson and Matthew Hoggard visited Wirksworth and in 2011 Sawley and Long Eaton Park took centre stage as a National Showcase club.
They were able to totally refurbish their facilities with the help of some 200 volunteers. Belper Meadows Cricket Club were the beneficiaries of ECB support in 2013 with former England captain and Ashes winner Mike Gatting lending a hand.
And the England & Wales Cricket Board will be back in the county for a fourth time this weekend with a visit to Denby Cricket Club on Sunday 2 April.
The club will be using the weekend to redevelop part of their existing pavilion into a new changing room for their women and girls section. In addition, they also plan to finish building a new scoreboard and replace fencing around their pitch.
Among the special guests lending a hand will be current England internationals Jonny Bairstow and Anya Shrubsole, along with former England skipper Mike Gatting.
It is anticipated that between two and three thousand volunteers will be involved at clubs all over the county during the weekend.
Join your county cricket club. The Club has reduced its price and simplified its categories to offer one single Club Membership at only £159. Buy today and enjoy a great summer.
