Two Lancashire SPAR independent retailers have teamed up to support their local cricket club by funding new ground covers.
Jonty Collinson and Mark Follen have jointly covered the cost of the new equipment at Shireshead and Forton Cricket Club, with the lightweight, wheelable covers branded with SPAR and Cheeky Coffee logos.
Collinson sells Cheeky Coffee at his nearby Cabus and Scorton stores, while Follen stocks the brand at his Brock and Forton forecourt sites.
The new covers form part of the club’s ongoing investment programme to keep its facilities and equipment up to modern standards.
The club, which dates back to 1909, plays in both the Palace Shield and Westmorland Cricket League and currently fields four senior men’s teams, a women’s team and five junior teams. Its women’s side won the Northern Premier Super 8s competition this season.
The ground is also used to introduce cricket to up to 40 children through the ECB’s All Stars Cricket programme and hosts practice sessions or matches daily during the regular season, averaging four games a week.
Collinson said the covers were an opportunity for both retailers, who have supported the club in different ways for many years, to extend their backing.
“The covers really stand out and look fantastic on the ground,” he said. “One of the downsides of the fantastic summer we have enjoyed, however, is that they have hardly been used so we have had to wait until September for the rain!
“Cricket covers are an expensive purchase, and you need to invest in quality to ensure the ground is properly protected from the elements when it rains. They stood up to the sharp showers we have had this last week or so, and they will be great for many seasons ahead.
“Mark and I are both long-standing supporters of the club, having been involved different ways for many years. We saw the covers as an opportunity to extend our support, and we are both delighted with the outcome.”
Around 80 to 100 matches are played at the ground each season, including league representative and Lancaster University fixtures.
The club also has plans to develop its clubhouse facilities and support the next generation of junior players, while meeting the needs of a growing population in Forton.