Lots pouring in for auction at Allin Memorial tournament

FRIENDS and former team-mates of the late Tom Allin are hosting a charity cricket day in his memory on Saturday to get the new season under way.

Allin, a former professional cricketer with Warwickshire, started his career with Bideford and was with North Devon for two years after leaving the pro game.

Allin followed dad Tony into the Devon side before going to Warwickshire and returned to the county team last season.

He died in early January after falling from Torridge Bridge on the A39 between Barnstaple and Bideford into the river below.  He was 28.

North Devon's ground in the Sandhills at Instow will be the venue for a round-robin tournament involving the host club, Bideford and Tom Allin XI. The first game gets started at 10am.

North Devon captain Barney Huxtable will be leading his side, new skipper Paul Heard will be in charge of the Bideford team and Allin's former Warwickshire and Devon colleague Chris Metters is putting together the other side.

Three 10-overs-a-side games will be played, starting with Bideford against North Devon, followed by the Allin XI against Bideford the North Devon against the Allin XI.

Huxtable said when the cricket stops the fund-raising will start on behalf of the Devon Air Ambulance Appeal.

Allin suffered a broken leg in a car accident near Barnstaple late last year. He was treated at the scene by air-ambulance paramedics before being taken to hospital.

"Tony and Beverley, Tom's parents, are keen for any money raised to go to the air ambulance fund and we are doing our best to make it a sizeable donation," said Huxtable.

Tom Allin was a keen horseracing enthusiast and a big part of the event is a race night in the pavilion after the matches.

Huxtable and other event organisers are still sifting through the items generated for a charity auction and raffle during the evening.

These include signed Exeter Chiefs, Harlequins RFU, Warwickshire CCC, Nottinghamshire CCC, Durham CCC, Ian Bell and Craig Keiswetter England shirts and a 2016 World T20 signed Ireland shirt.

Also include are one-to-one coaching session at Glamorgan CCC, tickets to the third day of a test match a Lords this summer donated by the MCC, tickets to a Somerset, Glamorgan and a Birmingham Bears Natwest T20 blast game, a four-ball at Teign Valley Golf Club.

Among the donations received are numerous signed county cricket shirts, tickets to big sporting events and a weekend away at a five-star hotel in Liverpool.