Brunt comes to Cheadle Hulme

23 March 2007 | By Justin Goulding

Katherine Brunt © Getty Images

England fast bowler Katherine Brunt is joining forces with Cheadle Hulme Cricket Club as it prepares for the biggest day in its history.

Brunt - named England Cricketer of the Year in 2006 alongside Andrew Flintoff - will swap her cricket whites for painting overalls when she teams up with with local volunteers to give the club a once-in-a-lifetime facelift on Saturday, March 31.

The day marks the start of the ECB's eagerly-awaited NatWest CricketForce weekend, the biggest volunteering event in British sport with more than 75,000 people taking part.

Cheadle Hulme, in Stockport, has been selected from more than 1,000 clubs around the country to showcase the two-day extravaganza, cricket’s very own version of Ground Force.

England captain Michael Vaughan, currently on World Cup duty in the West Indies, is backing NatWest CricketForce to be a huge success. “Every member of this England squad started out by playing club cricket,” he said.

“Club cricket is at the heart of the national game and NatWest CricketForce is fantastic at making sure families and communities up and down the country get behind their local clubs and get involved.”

Mayor of Stockport Peter Burns and Mayoress Margaret Burns will attend the event at Grove Park, along with Liberal Democrat MP Mark Hunter, MEP Sajjad Karim, Elaine McLean, assistant chief executive of Stockport Council, and Chris Brindley, regional managing director of NatWest.

Michael Vaughan hailed the effect of NatWest CricketForce

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The TV cameras will beam the event into people’s homes, while a film crew will make an official DVD of the fun and games on a weekend which also features bouncy castles, professional coaching and non-stop music.

Donations have also been pouring in from local businesses and residents as the event goes from strength to strength.

Top of the range nets are being fitted thanks to funding from Stockport Council, a family BBQ area will be built with materials from Jewson, Hazel Grove, and the clubhouse, sightscreens and fences will be given a much-needed lick of paint.

A state-of-the-art bowling machine will be be presented to the club, while the ground and wicket will be tended to by Lancashire CCC's professional groundstaff.

Waitrose, Monkhouse, Hire-Equip, Ashfield Healthcare, Greggs, T&R Properties and Mark and Splendour have also signed up as partners for the event.

Cheadle Hulme chairman Garry Hambleton said: “The amount of interest we’ve had in the event has been incedible – it just goes to show that people do care about their local community.

"We've been overwhelmed by the support we've received and, by the end of NatWest CricketForce, we'll almost have a brand new club."

If you are interested in lending a helping hand, why not come along, get yourself on TV and do your bit for the community at the same time?

Anyone wishing to offer their services, donate materials or sponsor the event should contact Bob Bailey on 0161 439 9648, 0161 330 4738 or bob.frankbailey@btinternet.com.