The team at Balsall Common’s One Stop have been inspired to raise funds to help the children of the terminally ill former Heart of England School pupil Emma Maley, as they face a tragic double-loss after losing their Dad Paul from a brain condition in March this year.
Emma has advanced stage breast cancer and continues to show incredible positivity after being told she had a month to live at the beginning of 2018.
The Maley’s tragic story has been well documented in the media, on TV and in regional newspapers and now that the media coverage has slowed, the One Stop aims to pick up the pace again with a dedicated fundraising day on Saturday 7th July 2018, to help the family:
“We want to raise money towards the future of the children,” explains One Stop’s Victoria Pyke.
“Our fundraising day will consist of plenty of fun and games, plus tombolas, raffle, quizzes and plenty of amazing prizes to be won, all donated by local businesses.”
One Stop Fundraiser Day – Saturday 7th July 2018
The fundraising will take place from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm on the day. If you wish to make a donation, or offer a prize, please contact either Kath or Victoria via email:
3015@onestop.co.uk
Victoria.pyke@yahoo.com
All businesses will be credited for their donations.
Berkswell Cricket Club’s women are preparing for the English Cricket Board’s National T20 Club Cricket Finals in Wales this weekend after winning their Regional Final at The Lant in Balsall Common on Sunday.
Four teams will compete in Newport, Wales for the National Club Cricket title on Sunday 26th June 2018 after defeating J G Meakin Cricket Club from Stoke-on-Trent.
Pictured: The Berkswell side that won the Regional Final on Sunday 16th June 2018.
“The national finals are such an exciting opportunity for the team,” said Head of Women’s Cricket and 1st team Captain Sarah Ginn.
“This will be the first experience of cricket on a national stage for most of them, but if they perform as assuredly as they did in the regional final, they will do themselves proud.”
Last Sunday’s Regional Final at The Lant in Meeting House Lane saw Berkswell compile 128 for 2 wickets from their 20 over allocation, before a miserly all-round bowling performance saw them restrict their opponents to 84 for 8, to win by a margin of 44 runs.
Berkswell won without two regulars who were on Warwickshire duty, demonstrating the strength in depth the Club’s Women’s section has already achieved in only their 5th season.
Berkswell’s success marks a rapid ascent for the squad as Sarah underlined when talking about this season’s progress:
“It has been an outstanding season for the club already, reaching the finals of both the National T20 Knockout Cup and the Midlands Super 8s [8-a-side cricket] and also launching a second team to support the rapid growth of the women’s section which was only founded in 2014.”
National T20 Finals Day, Newport, Wales
Four teams will contest the National T20 Finals at Newport Cricket Club on Sunday 26th June 2018, in a knockout format consisting Semi-Finals and Final.
Berkswell’s women have been drawn against North London’s Finchley Gunnersbury CC in the National Semi-Final on Sunday 26th June 2018. The Middlesex side made the National Finals after defeating Bishops Stortford CC by a narrow 2 run margin in the Group 4 Regional Final.
Berkswell Cricket Club’s Women will be gunning for glory at The Lant in Balsall Common on Sunday 17th June 2018, when they appear in their first major Final since forming their first competitive team in 2013.
Sarah Ginn – Head of Berkswell’s Women’s Cricket.
The Meeting House Lane team will play host to J G Meakin CC at The Lant in Balsall Common in the Regional Final of the English Cricket Board’s National T20 Cup in a game which gets underway at 1:30 pm.
With excitement for the game mounting, Berkswell’s Head of Women’s Cricket Sarah Ginn told us:
“The girls have never been so excited about a game as this weekend – it’s the most important game since we started the women’s section. We have the talent and capability to win it, we just need to keep a cool head and execute our skills well.”
There’s plenty to play for beyond regional honours, as Sunday’s winners will progress to the National Finals.
Berkswell’s short history of properly organised Women’s Cricket tells a story of solid progress as Sarah explains:
“We formed the Women’s section in 2013 with a mixture of girls and women new to the game and who had previously played at other local clubs. We first entered into the Women’s Midlands League Division 3. We won the division in our 2nd year and last year came a narrow second in division 2.”
Berkswell’s Women will be aiming to emulate the men’s section by playing Premier Division cricket in the not too distant future.
“We started with a single team,” says Sarah,
“But we now have two teams and would like to make a complete offer for women across the board from softball to new players right up to our first team playing premier league cricket.”
The Journey to the Final
Berkswell’s women’s 1st team has fielded players ranging in age from 14 to nearly 50 this season and included twins, Louise and Rebecca Brazier, opening the batting and keeping wicket. Notable performances, amongst a series of great all-round team efforts, include Jess Crawley’s 47 in the 2nd Round and Philippa Rawbone’s 98 not out, where she came so tantalisingly close to a famous T20 century. Bec Brazier helped ensure comfortable passage to the Final with an excellent 56 not out in the Semi Final.
Play Cricket
In addition to 11-a-side cricket, Berkswell’s Women also field 8-a-Side Teams
Berkswell’s Women’s section is looking to expand. New players are welcome to come along to Wednesday night nets 6-8pm or contact Sarah Ginn for more information.
Women’s ECB Vitality T20 Cup Competition Regional Final
Sunday 17th June 2018
Berkswell CC v J G Meakin CC
Venue: The Lant, Meeting House Lane, Balsall Common, Coventry. CV7 7GE.
Format: 20 Overs per side.
Starts: 1:30pm
Spectators are welcome to come and see the action. There is a bar facility on site which will be open during the game.
The T20 Finalists: Berkswell’s XI
The following XI has been named to represent Berkswell CC in the final:
S Ginn
L Brazier
E Naylor
S Buckton
M Patel
A Stevens
P Rawbone
L Crofts
H Downs
B Ellis
H Bowles
Meriden resident and brain tumour survivor Karen Yardley will be abseiling 200 feet from London’s ArcelorMittal Orbit in the Olympic and Paralympic Park on Saturday 9th June 2018 to raise awareness and funds for The Brain Tumour Charity. The former Balsall Common resident and self-confessed motorcycle enthusiast explains:
“I’m so proud to be able to raise funds and awareness for research. On the 9th June almost a year to the day I had Teresa removed.”
Since then Karen has experienced many trials and tribulations throughout a long and difficult recovery. Yet, despite her difficulties, Karen has managed to expend a huge amount of energy raising awareness and funds for her chosen cause. First Karen participated in The Brain Tumour Charity’s Twilight Walk in Warwick, before coordinating May’s impressive Family Fun Day in Meriden.
“That’s not all though!” says Karen of her abseiling challenge:
“The best part is Sarah Lindsell the CEO of The Brain Tumour Charity is coming down with me. I met Sarah in September last year at the Warwick twilight walk where she pushed me in my wheelchair for about 8 miles. I consider her a friend now and I was honoured and blown away when she found out I was doing the abseil that she dropped everything to be able to do it with me and the others on that day. All I’ve asked for is that Army by Ellie Goulding is playing as we come down as that song is my anthem to you guys and my family and friends because when I’m with you I’m standing with an army!”
The Brain Tumour Charity has a very special place in aren’s heart for the amazing work they do and her plea to the community is simple:
“Please share this news with friends family and anyone else, so we can raise some money!”
Karen has set herself a fundraising target of £5000, which at the time of writing she was just over halfway towards achieving.
Berkswell Cricket Club is all set to welcome Premier Division rivals Barnt Green in the 3rd round of the Birmingham and District Premier Cricket League’s T20 Challenge Cup on Wednesday 6th June 2018.
Berkswell will be hoping to progress to the 4th Round of a competition which they won for the only time in their history in 2010, before falling at the Semi Final stage in 2017.
As always, the Meeting House Lane Club welcomes anyone from the community that would like to witness a form of the game that usually offers some very entertaining cricket. With bar facilities on site and hopefully some good weather too, these fixtures can make for an enjoyable evening in the sun.
Meanwhile, Berkswell’s senior sides appear to be in excellent form at the moment. All 6 senior sides that were in action won their fixtures this weekend, including 5 men’s teams, plus Women’s 1st team who secured their place in the Regional Final of the English Cricket Board’s Women’s T20 Competition with a convincing win at Worcestershire’s Five Ways Old Edwardians.
T20 Challenge Cup 3rd Round – Wednesday 6th June 2018
Berkswell CC v Barnt Green CC
Venue: The Lant, Meeting House Lane, Balsall Common CV7 7GE.
Start: 6pm
Estimated finish time: 8:45pm (for a full-length match)
Bar facilities on site.
