A COMMUNITY has come together to raise thousands of pounds to improve the facilities of the village’s cricket club.

Over Wallop Cricket Club (OWCC) staged a successful fundraiser on Saturday, September 3, at The White Hart.

Residents and players came together to enjoy a hog roast, cakes, games, a raffle and auction – with plenty of much-wanted prizes up for grabs, including a pair of tickets to England Six Nations Rugby, and to an Ascot Racecourse Family Fireworks meeting, as well as many donated by local businesses and individuals.

In total more than £5,300 has been raised to overhaul the club’s facilities, including new playing and practice nets.

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OWCC development Andy Fox said: “We are very grateful to the loyal club legends of OWCC, such as Roy Cavill, the Macey family and Billy Cullen, who have put in so many years of hard work into keeping the club alive and looking after the pitch.

“It’s now time to refresh the playing and practice facilities, and to do that we need to generate funding ourselves to match grants we are applying for.

“We are tremendously thankful for the kind donations and strong relationship OWCC has with The White Hart, Pinchbecks Garage, and the Shadwell family which we want to maintain, but pitch improvement costs run into thousands of pounds and we have to work hard to secure those funds.”

Club secretary Alex Maydew added: “We were overwhelmed by the generosity of local businesses who donated auction and raffle items, particularly the widespread support shown by those on Stockbridge High Street. Over Wallop residents also contributed so fully and with so many gifts that we had to split the raffle draw into two sections.”

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The improvements are part of the club’s ambition to become a “a thriving centre for men’s, women’s and youth cricket in this area”.

The club is planning to set up a crowdfunding scheme, and approach local large businesses for support through sponsorship to raise further funding.

OWCC treasurer Charlie Russell said: “We are a successful club already with a strong and youthful group of players, but we have ambitions to grow and develop further: new players are always welcome.”