Sidbury recruit alpacas to help fund-raising drive

Alpacas on the loose!

SIDBURY Cricket Club are gearing up for a major change this year as they prepare to return to league cricket after a break of 16 years.

Sidbury’s first game back in the Tolchards Devon League is a H Division East encounter at home to to Woodbury and Newton St Cyres 2nd XI on May 4.

The Millfield, Sidbury’s home venue since the club was formed in 1972, has not seen a league fixture since the final day of the 2003 season. Hemyock were the visitors.

Sidbury had been members of the old East Devon League and moved into the county competition in 2001 when the two leagues merged.

Since leaving the Devon League – they finished bottom of the bottom division that summer – Sidbury’s focus has been on playing other village sides and touring teams.

Over the last few years, the club has developed a successful junior section, for boys and girls, and has increased the membership of its senior team and number of fixtures.

At the end of the 2018 season the players and committee felt it was the right time to continue with the development of the club – hence what was ultimately a successful application to join what is now the Tolchards Devon League.

On-going projects include maintenance of mowers and rollers, repair and refurbishment of boundary fencing and hedges, and improvements to pavilion and changing facilities.

The club’s Simon Rowe says: “In the last five to six years we have cobbled together a growing mix of players, ranging from cricket-loving parents, who have not played much since school, to some younger players previously at other local league-playing cricket clubs.

“As they have started to get more game time than have enjoyed their cricket and have been looking to take - a little bit - more seriously. 

“The feeling is the club still wants to encourage participation and maintain the village cricket atmosphere, but provide opportunities for some more competitive cricket also.”

With regard to the club continuing to play regular Sunday cricket on top of their new league commitments, Rowe says: “Of course, the club doesn’t want to over stretch itself in the first year back in the league, but is still keen to provide some fixtures for players not wanting league cricket, plus it has a long-standing history with many touring sides and where possible wants to maintain the links with these clubs, so if fixtures can be fulfilled they will be.”

There is one area of the clubs being that they are very keen to develop and that is in the world of sponsorship.

Rowe says: “We are on the look out for more sponsors and we are running a couple of schemes. The first is one where £150 gets a company a sponsorship board on display at the ground throughout the season. 

“Another is through match-day sponsorship – hopefully we will be able to get each of our home games sponsored. 

“There’s also what we believe to be something fairly unique in terms of fund-raising, which we are running at the local pub: the Red Lion.

“One of the players has blown up a giant picture of the ground and divided the outfield into squares, the squares are being sold for £1 each – tickets can be purchased from the bar in the pub. 

“Prior to the season starting, a couple of local alpacas will be dropped off at the ground and where first alpaca decides to do his business will be linked to the appropriate square for someone to win!”