A village cricket club’s festival weekend to celebrate the sport attracted former England internationals, including Devon Malcolm, Ryan Sidebottom and Chris Read.

In a slight break with tradition, Farnsfield Cricket Club extended its President’s Day to involve all aspects of the club and the wider community of the village over the August bank holiday weekend.

On the Friday, the third team and Sunday development squad enjoyed a fun evening of cricket, a barbecue and quiz at the club’s Acres ground.

The junior players took on the more ‘experienced’ players in a T10 match with the youngsters winning.

Saturday saw the ever-developing women’s and girls’ section take centre stage with an inter-club match in the morning followed by a bottomless brunch in the afternoon, whilet watching the third team beat Harthill 2nds in a league match.

The women’s section now has almost 30 members, but is always looking to recruit new players, no matter what their ability or age.

On the Sunday the club tried to involve the wider community of Farnsfield.

A spokesperson said: “The club has always had a strong community leaning and it was nice to see so many youngsters taking part in the sports day events, enjoying the bouncy castle and tombola.

“For adults there were numerous stalls and a bake-off competition.

“Many people brought picnics and there was a relaxed and family atmosphere around the ground.

“Children participated in egg and spoon races, sack races, and sprints, concluding with a fiercely-fought tug-of-war competition.

“After the competitions youngsters had the opportunity to sponge their cricket coaches, which they did with great enthusiasm!

“At the end of the afternoon there was a Hundred game, played by some of the younger hardball players.”

The event reached a climax on the Monday with Farnsfield taking on a team of England cricket legends in a T20 match.

Before the match three of the England players spent time coaching and inspiring youngsters. This was followed by the President’s Reception, giving people the opportunity to chat with the England players over a meal and take part in a silent auction.

The PCA England legends team included former internationals Devon Malcolm, Ryan Sidebottom, and Chris Read, as well as Nottinghamshire star Samit Patel.
Farnsfield did well to restrict the visitors to less than 140 runs, but were unable to exceed this total with the bat.

All money raised will be used to continue the development of facilities at the club, where the current main project is to extend the clubhouse to incorporate women’s and junior changing facilities — and broaden the general facilities to the wider community.

To turn this ambitious vision into reality, Farnsfield CC is seeking grant funding from a variety of sources. The club is also invitings local businesses, community members, and cricket enthusiasts to contribute to the development project. For more information on how to support the expansion, contact Clint Walker on 07860 907671 or email [email protected]

Farnsfield CC is always looking for new members — senior players, junior players, helpers, or supporters. While the summer season has closed, there will be winter nets and the women’s team has entered the Nottinghamshire Winter Indoor League. Anyone interested in joining the club should email [email protected] for further information.