Big Bash 2021 - Another great day

Saturday 26 June was the “Big Bash” for charity, an 8-a-side tournament of only six overs an innings. Fifty players from six teams took part, two from the Club itself – The Old Fonthillians and The Knightwatchmen led by Ewen Moore and Simon Prior respectively, two from Ploughmans CC on tour all the way from Dulwich, Chilmark CC and The Weeping Willows led by the founder of the event Charlie Nicoll. It was a great day weather-wise, starting at 10.30 and finishing at 7.30, and – incredibly - over a thousand runs were scored in the day overall, with each innings averaging over 50.

Ploughmans Blue beat Chilmark, and Old Fontillians beat Weeping Willows in the semi-finals with the cup eventually won by Ploughmans Blue. Founder of the event and organiser on the day Charlie Nicoll presented the cup to the winning captain Matt Spencer and also a ball to Daniel Bazen as the outstanding junior on the day.

Apart from an enjoyable festival of cricket, the aim of the day was to raise money for local charities

with a £10 match fee from each of the players and also profits from the raffle and sales at the bar and barbecue. A total of £1260 was raised and donations will be made to The Wilts Air Ambulance Appeal, Seeds4Success and ACE SMA (Awareness, Cure and Exercise for Spinal Muscular Atrophy).

A big thank-you must go to all those who supported the day and especially to those who helped run the bar and the barbecue, in many ways the most important team on the day! We are also grateful to Club members and local businesses who generously donated raffle prizes including The Fishmongers in Tisbury, The Grosvenor Arms in Hindon and Higher Park Dairy in Mere.

Everyone enjoyed themselves and the event worked well and very nearly ran perfectly to time! It was good to see some of our newest members taking part and also to see Ray Hayne again racing round the outfield and returning the ball over the stumps from the boundary!

Ploughmans CC secretary said, "We’ve played on some interesting ground over the years. Our own “Hollies” ground in Dulwich, has an oak tree inside the long boundary. However, I don’t think we’ve played on a hill before! Watching some of our best batsmen play glorious cover drives that would be fours pretty much anywhere else, only to see the ball stop short and roll back down the slope, was absolutely wonderful!

On behalf of our club, please pass-on my greatest thanks to all involved, especially the ladies who catered for us tirelessly all day." A good result.