For more than six decades, Ron Pearson has been the beating heart of his local community.
From scorer and player through to captain, groundsman, secretary, and chairman, he’s held almost every conceivable role at Gwersyllt Park CC. But, more importantly, he’s also been a driving force in putting the club at the centre of village life.
Ron, who is currently acting club secretary but admits he is now “into succession planning in a big way,” first joined Gwersyllt in 1961. “I don’t do any of it for recognition,” he says. “It was a surprise to be nominated for the award. It was an even greater surprise to win.”
The club has changed dramatically since he first arrived as a 14-year-old boy. In the early 1970s, it was forced to move ground after its original site was bought by a gravel excavation company. “In hindsight, that was a wonderful thing,” says Ron. “We moved back towards the village and closer to the entire community.”
“A big turning point came in 1981,” he adds. “A team came to play us, and they were overheard saying ‘this is the pits.’ A team-mate said he was going to have a word, but I said ‘no, they’re right.’ That was the moment that kickstarted some major developments.”
Within six years, Ron and a friend had raised enough money to fund the construction of a clubhouse. He says: “Soon afterwards, we had to appoint a steward, and everything took off. For the first time in the club’s history, we had money.”
At the time, the club hoped its new facilities would attract an influx of players. That didn’t happen – but Ron had other ideas. “My sons were 10 or 11 at the time,” he says. “I remember as a club we said: ‘If we can’t recruit, we’ll grow our own.’ We were in the vanguard of youth development, and we’ve been doing it ever since. From that day to this, our teams have been predominantly made up of our local youths.”
He adds: “That’s what pleases me most, really – the development of local youths and maintaining that local, family atmosphere. The majority of our players in each team live in the local community. In last year’s first XI, we had two players from Sri Lanka and a player from Essex who have settled in the Wrexham area. Everyone else had come through our junior system. It’s remarkable, really.”
So too has been Ron’s dedication and commitment. He has fundraised tirelessly for the club, put in thousands of pounds of his own money when a developer overspent on the club’s budget in the late 1990s, and at one stage even took out a mortgage on his own house to keep the club moving forward.
“I’ve never publicised that, and I wouldn’t encourage people to do it, but thankfully within two years we’d paid it off,” he says. “Today, the club’s extremely successful. Just in the last few years, we’ve gone from 400 members to 700 plus. We’ve had to close new applications and build a waiting list. And here’s the best thing: of those 700 members, most are families. It’s so enjoyable going down to the club house to see kids and parents spending time there.”
Gwersyllt Cricket Club is now firmly established as the village hub. Different groups use its facilities throughout the week and functions take place regularly. “Involving the local community has always been on the agenda,” says Ron. “The community values us, and we value the community. It’s a two-way thing.”
In the coming weeks, the club will open its new £1m pavilion development, which Ron proudly believes will offer the biggest and best changing rooms in Wales outside of the First-Class clubs.
He says: “The club will go forward without me. This award is going on display in the new clubhouse and when I look back, I’ve had such a deep enjoyment out of cricket. My friendship circle has been based on cricket. My best friends were cricketers with me. I’ve lived in this village since I was a small boy. Cricket doesn’t owe me anything. It’s given me everything already.”
The 2025 season will see another opportunity for the brilliant volunteers at the heart of recreational cricket to be celebrated in next year’s Cricket Collective Awards. Cricket Boards in England and Wales will soon begin collecting nominations for this season. For more information on how you can nominate in your local area, check out your Cricket Board’s website or contact them for more details.
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