Lea puts best feet forward to help club juniors
EVEN in an era when running a cricket club is an all-year-round undertaking, October is still a quiet month.
But that has not stopped Southport and Birkdale’s Jonny Lea running over 13 miles to ensure the club’s junior cricketers have the best possible facilities next season.
Lea has always been fond of the Portuguese capital of Lisbon and last month he put this liking to a practical purpose when he was sponsored to compete in the city’s half-marathon with the aim of raising money for a set of junior covers for the ground at Trafalgar Road.
No one doubted the merit of the venture.
Junior cricket matches have been called off far too often in recent seasons simply because the main covers have been in use protecting the pitch to be played on in a senior game on Saturday.
This is especially frustrating given that the junior season is short enough already and is often affected by exams.
Now, though, thanks to Lea’s generosity and athleticism, S&B has raised the £3,500 required for the covers and S&B’s junior cricketers – arguably the most important in the club – can look forward to fewer abandonments in 2020.
And the pleasant thing is that Lea’s efforts are typical of the level of effort currently being expended by members at Trafalgar Road.
The diligence and hard work of Neil Crew and his team paid dividends recently when S&B had its ECB Clubmark accreditation renewed.
The Club wishes to thank both Neil and Jonny for their efforts this autumn and is also grateful to Lancashire CCC for their guidance and support during the reaccreditation process.