Clevedon Cricket Club receive Grant Award from the England and Wales Cricket Board

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) partnered by Sport England has made a grant award of £29,000 towards the cost of a three bay synthetic practice area at Clevedon Cricket Club which will give the Club’s coaching programme a boost.  The total project cost was £47,000. 

The ECB’s grant aid programme aims to finance capital projects to improve facilities which contribute to sustaining and increasing participation.  Clevedon Cricket club was identified by the Somerset Cricket Board and the ECB as a club of strategic importance in the general development of the game.

The Club’s Chairman, Paul Jenkins, said: “We were thrilled when we were awarded the grant because we urgently needed to up-grade our practice facilities and the three bay non turf practice area will provide more match play opportunities in addition to the coaching benefits.”

“The new practice area has been sited outside of the actual match playing area which will enable us to stage matches when the practice area and nets are in use at the same time.” 

“This season we shall be able to introduce a much more structured coaching programme through our own ECB qualified coaches and all age groups will benefit.  The non turf pitches are high quality and to ECB specifications.  Importantly, they provide the safe environment which is so important in the development of the young cricketers.”

“In recent times the Club has made good progress as we have achieved ECB Clubmark and Focus Club status and we are also a ‘Chance to Shine’ Club and through this scheme we provide coaching and play opportunities in five local primary schools and secondary schools.  This gives us the opportunity to increase the number of youngsters at the Club.”

“We have two senior Saturday league sides and last year our First XI gained promotion to the West England Premier League.  We have a thriving junior section with over 90 young cricketers.  We also have a Sunday league side which plays in the North Somerset Development League aimed at promoting U18’s into league cricket.  We also help to organise the very popular Clevedon Community League.  This is a locally based eight team T20 league made up of other sporting clubs and businesses from around the town which enables non-league cricketers to enjoy cricket without having to commit times and resources to a formal league structure.   As a community club we have good attendance at all of our home Sunday fixtures.  The Club also stages age group matches for the Somerset Cricket Board and Somerset over 50’s and 60’s also play at the ground.”

“It is pleasing to us that the ECB have recognised all the work we do in the general development of the game and we are very grateful to the England and Wales Cricket Board and Sport England for the generous financial support.  We also acknowledge the donation by the Lord’s Taverners (£3,500) and we are also grateful to Bristol Water for their support and also to the Club President, Mike Cahill, who has been dedicated to the project.  We regard the grants as an investment in cricket at the Club in the future and we also believe that the local community will benefit in the long term.”

Sport England’s Director of Property, Charles Johnston, said “These new non turf pitches at Clevedon Cricket Club will give plenty of cricket opportunities for all age groups, seniors and juniors, to play cricket.   We are confident that ECB’s strategic approach to investing in high quality, sustainable facilities will help cricket to attract and retain many new participants and create more opportunities to develop sporting talent.”

ECB’s National Funding and Facilities Manager, Bruce Cruse, said “The England and Wales Cricket Board is pleased to invest in this worthy project and to give a boost to grass roots facility development.  It has been planned to put new impetus into the playing future of the local community and I am confident that as the investment matures cricket locally will go from strength to strength.”

For further information from Clevedon Cricket Club, contact Paul Jenkins on 07789 941861.

For information about Grant Aid and Funding contact Mike Turner, MBE (ECB) on 0116 283 1615.