Minister joins CricketForce

9 April 2006

ECB chief executive David Collier (right) joins Paul Goggins in lending a helping hand at Wythenshawe CC

Home Office Minister Paul Goggins joined the NatWest CricketForce bandwagon as he visited his local club in Wythenshawe to join in with the massive nationwide volunteering effort over the weekend.

The Wythenshawe & Sale East MP - whose portfolio at the Home Office includes responsibility for the voluntary and community sector – was able to see at first hand the benefits that NatWest CricketForce can bring to clubs like Wythenshawe.

Lancashire's Gary Yates and Luke Sutton get in the NatWest CricketForce spirit at Wythenshawe

He was joined at his constituency club by Lancashire players Luke Sutton and Gary Yates, as well as ECB chief executive David Collier and his Lancashire counterpart Jim Cumbes – who were all able to help out with the club’s refurbishment project, and find time to deliver some coaching tips to the local juniors.

In total, 1,050 clubs across England and Wales registered to take part in NatWest CricketForce 2006 over the weekend of April 8/9, seeing around 70,000 volunteers at work, and bringing £25 million worth of investment to clubs from the local community and businesses.

Lancashire’s new arrival Sutton played a big part in NatWest CricketForce in 2005 when still skipper at Derbyshire, helping out a major renovation project at local club Wirksworth.

No stranger to the concept, he was delighted to get the chance to get involved again with NatWest CricketForce 2006: “NatWest CricketForce is a chance for everyone involved with cricket to go along and help out their local club," he said.

"If we create good facilities and get everyone from the local community involved then more and more people, including juniors, will want to use the club.”

Lancashire's Gary Keedy and Tom Smith help with a spot of painting at Darwen CC

Lancashire players were also in CricketForce action the other side of Manchester earlier on Saturday, joining in the day’s activities at Darwen CC.

Gary Keedy and Tom Smith didn’t waste any time getting stuck in with the paintbrushes, helping out with Darwen’s ambitious plan of works, including extending the equipment hut, extending the sightscreens, decorating the new disabled toilet in the clubhouse, rebuilding the nets and scoreboard and generally getting the club ready for the 2006 season.

There was a visit from the local MP too at Darwen, with Janet Anderson, MP for Rossendale & Darwen present at the Mostyn Street ground to witness the club's big day.

With the NatWest Interactive Cricket Roadshow also on site there was plenty of opportunity for the Darwen youngsters to try their hand at various cricket activities, while also pinching some time with the pros to get some pre-season practice in.

Darwen paint makers Akzo Nobel helped out the club by donating 180 litres of white masonry paint - providing enough Sandtex trade masonry paint for the 100+ volunteers on site to paint all the perimeters.