21/03/2023
More than 200 young people from across Liverpool hone their cricket skills down at the nets in Aigburth but after 20 years they are starting to show their age (the nets not the juniors!).
That's why this spring our young players from across the junior age groups at Liverpool Cricket Club are embarking on a series of fundraising challenges to generate enough sponsorship to patch up the astroturf, replace the stumps, mend the fencing and buy brand new nets.
The cricket nets are a vital part of training for all cricketers, providing a hard, dry surface to practice bowling and batting in. They allow cricketers not taking part in a match to practice their skills without facing the wrath of the groundsman, and the nets prevent the odd slog destroying any nearby greenhouses.
Although these photos show members of the under 9s and under 15s making the best of the facilities, a closer examination would reveal astroturf worn down to the concrete beneath, moss and weeds sprouting out of bare patches, stumps fixed to rusting springs, and nets with holes big enough to pass a rugby ball through.
The costs are surprisingly high (between £37,000 and £43,000) but wholesale, comprehensive renovations are needed to give these young player the facilities they deserve.
Last year we hosted visiting junior side from Ireland and Jersey to play at Merseyside's most famous cricket club (the ground hosted Australia in 1930 with the great Don Bradman rating it one of his favourite grounds in the world, and later, in the 1980s, welcomed the West Indies). And amongst our juniors are children who have sought refuge in the UK having fled violence and war in their home country, discovering a welcoming community here in Liverpool and a place to play their most-loved sport.
So how are we looking to raise the money? Well, we believe in youngsters learning the value of money and of hard work so this April we'll be challenging our junior players to "Get Fit to Fix our Nets” by seeing themselves a variety of fitness and cricket-themed endurance tasks in order to impress their family, friends and neighbours so they dig deep and donate.
Some will be throwing and catching a cricket ball a thousand times in a month, others will doing 500,000 steps in four weeks, and some might even do a 24-hour run-a-thon (anything to keep them busy during Easter holidays!). More activities will be posted on this page and we'll be sharing videos and photos of how they are all getting on.
We'll be incentivising them to hit certain fundraising targets by offering Liverpool Cricket Club merchandise and we'll be putting on several community and social events at the club to help players and their families get to know each other better.
If you live locally or run a business in the area and would like to support our junior teams, then all donations however small, are gratefully received and very much appreciated.
Our young players have found a sport they enjoy and are good at and being able to 'Fix Our Nets' after 20 years of use and neglect will make a big difference to their physical and mental wellbeing, and help the club remain an integral part of the south Liverpool community.
To support our Crowd Funder appeal click here https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/lcc-fix-our-nets?tk=MTY3OTU5NTg2MTAxYzA1NzhiMTVkYzE3MzA2YWYzYTYwYzBmOGQwZmM3MDU2MjhjODA=
