Macclesfield: Prestbury Cricket Club raise £11,000 with help of ex-England batsman as they seek new members
Article by Tim Taylor
A fundraising do championed by a former England cricketer will be used to help a cricket club near Macclesfield find new members.
The phenomenal success of Prestbury's Cricket Club 150th anniversary dinner shortly before Christmas, at Macclesfield Rugby Club, made a profit of more than £11,000 which will go towards new nets.
That is around the same amount as the club's usual total annual income and reflected well on the generosity, enthusiasm and hard work of its members fuelled by the affection they feel for their club.
That passion put into the donations will now hope to attract new batters and bowlers.
A true community club, many local families are part of Prestbury Cricket Club across generations.
Andrew Worswick, along with his teenage son Will, are two of them who recently posed for the camera to model Prestbury's 2023 clothing.
Will, 18 years old and studying sports science at Staffordshire University, is Prestbury's opening bowler and No 5 bat.
He's been Player of the Year two seasons in a row, each time scoring the most runs and taking the most wickets.
Andrew, 55, who lives in Prestbury, manages the club operations. He has helped to coach his son since Will started playing for Prestbury's junior team at the age of eight.
Club members old and new are eagerly anticipating the arrival of new nets costing £35,000, which they expect will be erected in September.
"It has been a joy watching Will grow up over the last ten years in such beautiful surroundings and in a sport we love," said Andrew, who is now an occasional second or third team player.
"Ours is a small club with a big heart. The new nets will encourage parents of the young players to be able to walk to the ground and enjoy even more the wonderful atmosphere created here.
"The nets will make a massive difference. Partly due to the lack of such a facility of a high enough quality, we didn't have an Under-15 team last season, the first time that has happened for a very long time.
"This could have a knock-on effect as after playing for the Under-15s, our juniors normally move on to the men's teams. The youngsters need the facility of high quality nets."
Prestbury Cricket Club has a picturesque ground, and prides itself on inclusivity.
So there was already much to celebrate before the £11,000 funds were raised, and a ball has even been bowled this season.
Club chair Nick Taylor said: "One reason the anniversary dinner was so profitable is that it was organised by one of our members, Bryn Thompson, who is among the UK's leading experts on sales skills.
"Bryn has written a book on the subject called Transformational Selling.
"While everything that went into putting on the dinner was a team effort, Bryn was a wonderful motivator and organiser."
It was also a special occasional personally for Geoff Miller, twice voted Sports Speaker of the Year and a former England all-rounder who went on to become the first man to hold the title of National Selector.
This was because he used to enjoy watching his son Jamie, now a sprint coach, play rugby at the Macclesfield club, where the Prestbury Cricket Club fundraiser was hosted.
Miller stole the show with a performance more comparable to a highly entertaining stand-up comic, rather than a pedantic cricket speaker.
Geoff said: "The atmosphere at the dinner was excellent and the reaction splendid. I hope the forthcoming cricket season is successful and enjoyable for Prestbury Cricket Club."
The speaker created one of the anniversary dinner's unexpected highlights when he proposed a toast to young Prestbury cricketer Will.
For a man of Test cricket standard, both as a player and selector, to lead a toast to the teenage star turn of a village team was a meaningful compliment.
Will said: "That was an honour and a privilege. It would never have happened had it not been for the way our junior cricketers – there are 59 boys and girls who are members – are fully integrated within the cricket club and are treated with respect by the adults.
"The youngsters are always given an opportunity to move up the batting order and to bowl, with all the other team members constantly encouraging them and providing valuable advice."
Macclesfield: Find more about Prestbury Cricket Club on their website and social media.
Additionally, any enquiries can be emailed to [email protected].
Article by Tim Taylor
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