Cricket club gains support

The fire at Sicklinghall Cricket Club on October 8 destroyed the clubhouse, scorebox, toilets and equipment store, along with machinery and irreplaceable memorabilia.

Club officials say that the incredible support received from local residents, businesses and the wider cricketing family means they will be ready for action when the new season gets underway in April.

Jean Tennant, Secretary of the Wetherby League club, explained: “The reaction to our situation has been overwhelming.

“In addition to our own fund raising efforts people have stopped us in the street to hand over money, cheques have been received from hundreds of miles away and the local school even donated proceeds from a bun sale.”

Among the packed calendar of fundraising events is a Gala Dinner at Wetherby Racecourse on Saturday February 18 which has been supported by the local branch of Manning Stainton.

“Manning Stainton has very kindly offered to sponsor the table decorations and hopefully this generous contribution, along with the money raised on the night, will take us a step closer to being able to rebuild our facilities and give this sad episode in the club’s history a happy ending,” added Jean. Ben Furnell, Manager of the Manning Stainton branch in Wetherby, said: “We were all horrified and saddened when we heard about the fire.”

He added: “It is essential clubs like Sicklinghall survive and prosper for the benefit of current and future generations, so as a community minded company we were keen to do anything we could to help.”

Donations at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/Sicklinghallcricket.