Snowball mayhem in Sussex

Sussex mascot Sid the Shark gets a bit of a snowballing

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Watch ECBtv's report from the club - as Chris Adams and Luke Wright have to face some tricky deliveries of the snowball variety

And view our very wintry photo gallery from the day

Heavy snowfall across Sussex transformed the scene at St James's Montefiore CC into one of festive winter fun as NatWest CricketForce turned into a giant snowball contest at the bucolic setting at the foot of the South Downs.

Definitely a good day to be painting inside!

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"Weeks and weeks of meticulous planning gave way to a memorable day of activity, though not necessarily of the DIY variety," said St James's NatWest CricketForce coordinator Liz O’Neill, as she watched more than four inches of April snow fall on the ground.

“Everyone is chucking snowballs so apart from some painting indoors, nothing has been done today. It doesn’t really matter because we had 150 people here yesterday and got a lot of the jobs done. And besides, seeing all this snow is amazing. It could not have been nicer.”

O'Neill and her team of volunteers were joined by England sensation Luke Wright and his Sussex captain Chris Adams along with members of the England women’s Ashes winning team Laura Marsh and Holly Colvin.

“They were doing interviews and getting bombarded with snowballs by the kids and Sid the Sussex Shark was rolling around in the snow and getting frozen so I’m sure everyone will remember this day,” O'Neill said.

But there were downsides to the unseasonal weather. The NatWest cricket roadshow was not able to set up in the snow and the club’s hopes to combine NatWest CricketForce with Chance to Shine were abandoned when 60 children who were at St James's for coaching were unable to attend.

“It was a shame but hopefully we will get the NatWest cricket roadshow down here in the summer.”

St James's Montefiore CC was one of 1,375 cricket clubs around the country – 225 more than last year - who were using the NatWest CricketForce initiative to spruce up their facilities ahead of the 2008 season.

Luke Wright presents club chairman Clive Voller with a commemorative bat

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The list of ‘to do’ jobs was exhaustive as O'Neill, who the club dubbed ‘the rottweiler’ due to her tenacity in securing supplies and services from local companies, drew up plans to renovate the pavilion, install new drainage, lay a new patio, build new picnic tables and benches, repair the scorebox and erect new fencing.

“None of the work would have been possible without help from Parker Building Supplies, Travis Perkins and the Build Center who have all been absolutely brilliant,” said O'Neill.

“They have come forward and given us loads and loads of supplies and even some labourers so we couldn’t have done it without them.”

The snow meant that the floor covering to the lounge area, three changing rooms, showers and toilets in the clubhouse, all supplied for free by Buxton Carpets, had to wait to be laid but by the end of the weekend, the bulk of the jobs had been completed and all the food eaten.

“I organised for £150 worth of bacon and sausages plus 300 bread rolls and we had a really posh buffet laid on yesterday but all the food has gone. We are expecting a curry for 200 to arrive any minute so I hope it turns up.”

For weeks, O'Neill and her team have been working towards NatWest CricketForce, spending hours on the phone, visiting suppliers, making lists and recruiting volunteers. It had been stressful and extremely rewarding, she said.

“This is a lovely club. My husband has played for lots of clubs but he says this one is the best and my two sons play here so my motivation for doing this is to provide better facilities for the youth and create a club that people, especially young people, want to be involved with.

“We want people to come into a lighter and brighter clubhouse and just feel good.”