To Lord’s and back, several times, as club hit funds trail

THIRTY years since their last visit to Lord’s in the final of the National Village Knockout Cup, Dunstall Cricket Club are heading back to headquarters – this time on foot.

There is the added rider that the club members are doing so only virtually, as circumstances dictate, but a target of raising £2,000 for Postate Cancer UK looks set to be surpassed this week.

Dunstall have taken their cue from the charity’s #runthemonth campaign and each participant is attempting to run the equivalent of a marathon distance before the end of January.

The initial goal was to cover the equivalent distance from the club’s Deer Park home to Lord’s Cricket Ground and back but they surged past those 257 miles within the first week of the campaign.

More than 40 people, ranging from under-11 players to parents, senior players, partners and committee members, clocked up 450 miles between them by January 9, so the initial fund-raising target of £1,000 was quickly doubled.

The aim now is to see how many times they can get to Lord’s and back.

All money collected will be split between Prostate Cancer UK and the club as they, like so many other sports clubs, look to bounce back from a challenging 2020.

Long-standing Dunstall player, coach and committee member James Benstead said: “The idea started with a few of our members throwing some ideas around on a WhatsApp group and, almost before we knew it, things had really taken off.

“Due to coronavirus and lockdown we’ve not been able to plan any of our normal indoor pre-season training sessions, so we thought the Road to Lord’s would be a great way to encourage people to both keep in touch and get active during these difficult times.

“The reaction and support from across the whole club and beyond has been inspiring.

“It’s fair to say not all of us are natural runners but there’s been a real determination from people to get out there and push themselves.

“We’ve even got some of our more ‘senior’ committee members walking the marathon distance.

“It’s really brought everyone together and we’re so grateful to everyone who’s donated.

“Every mile and every penny really does count.”

Club chairman Derek Noakes said: “For obvious reasons, 2020 was such a difficult year for amateur sports clubs and for us it was no different.

“We were unable to open the bar and most of our other fund-raising streams were unavailable too.

“There are some significant and essential capital projects that need completing at Deer Park, such as the refurbishment of changing rooms and repairs to the scorebox.

“The money raised by the Road to Lord’s will not only help to safeguard the immediate future of our club but also help a fantastic charity that’s close to many of our families’ hearts.”

Anyone wishing to donate can do so by visiting Dunstall’s GoFundMe page: www.gofund.me/b3fd3757