Our application for support through Crowdfunder is to purchase a new modern outfield cutting mower.
Recent increased activity on the Cricket grounds has created problems in preparing the grounds for matches, with the grounds needing to be cut a minimum of twice a week in order to maintain them in good condition. With a totally voluntary workforce, using our old substandard and unreliable equipment the cutting operation usually takes 10 – 12 hours. Quicker new modern equipment is urgently required to ease the burden on the Club’s volunteer workforce.
The Club has conducted a feasibility study and estimates that a new faster modern mower would be far more environmentally friendly and capable of cutting the Cricket outfields in 6 hours which would allow an increase of 20 hours per month allowing more Junior matches to be played, not to mention making the cutting operation easier for our volunteer workforce.
Who are we?
Newport Cricket Club is a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) situated in the Lliswerry area of Newport with the disadvantaged areas of Ringland, Somerton, Pillgwenlly and Maindee nearby. Children attend the Club from across Newport, to learn about and play the game of Cricket. With little Cricket taught in local Schools, the Club plays an essential role in the education, promotion and development of Cricket in the local community.
The main purpose of the club is to provide young children (Boys & Girls) and adults (Men & Women) with the opportunity to access high quality Cricket coaching programmes. Senior players (Men and Women) and junior players (Boys and Girls) are encouraged to follow pathways allowing them to participate and gain enjoyment from a high class cricket experience, enabling them to develop both their physical and mental well-being. In addition, they will be offered every encouragement to make progress and maximize their full cricket potential. This will be accomplished by implementing well thought out Development Programmes.
The Club is extremely proud of its Women and Girls section and also, the work that it does in the local BAME communities of Pillgwenlly and Maindee, giving the Club a reputation as one of the most diverse and inclusive clubs in Wales – 43% of the Club’s senior membership and 21% of Junior membership come from BAME communities.
Our work with disability Cricket continues, with a Summer Fayre supporting Trevor Palmer’s responsABLEassistance Disability Charity, whilst also holding Disability Cricket ‘Taster Days’ and hosting Wales Disability matches. The club recently created Disabled toilets to cater for the increased disability use.
It’s now 30 years since the enforced sale of the Club’s former Rodney Parade Cricket Ground, which left the Club homeless and penniless and with little prospect of survival. Since the relocation to Spytty Park (Newport International Sports Village), the Club has grown massively and the ground is now one of the best in the Country, with many prestigious matches and high-profile players using the grounds. The full Sri Lankan and Pakistan International teams have used the ground for training and in 2019 County Cricket returned to Newport for the first time for 54 years, when Glamorgan played Gloucestershire. High quality ground maintenance is essential to ensure that such prestigious users continue to use the grounds.
All of these achievements have been brought about through the Club’s volunteer workforce and our Crowdfunder application is about supporting the volunteers with new machinery, in order to assist their work in maintaining the grounds.
Community impact
Although Cricket is Newport Cricket Club’s primary function, we haven’t forgotten the importance of supporting the local community and the Club prides itself on fulfilling a number of very important social roles which benefit others in the surrounding communities :-
Gender Inequality – Women & Girls
Diversity & Inclusion – BAME
Social Inclusion
Children with Special Needs
Mental Health
Disability
Links with local Schools
The Club has brought great credit to the City and Glamorgan CCC are regular visitors. In 2019 Newport Cricket Club hosted Glamorgan’s 4 Day County Championship match against Gloucestershire – the first time County Championship Cricket had been played in Newport since 1965 at the Club’s old Rodney Parade ground.
All of the above groups are encouraged to use the Club’s facilities at Spytty Park.
Why are we crowdfunding?
The Club’s existing mower is 15 years old and has done a fantastic job, helping to create an excellent cricket facility and maintaining the upkeep of the surrounding grounds. However, the old machine has now become unreliable, slow and in need of frequent repair. If the club is to continue to maintain the grounds to the required high standards, a new larger / faster mower is essential.
How we’ll spend the money raised
The club wishes to purchase a new grass cutting mower. In discussion with manufacturers and other high profile groundsmen at Glamorgan and FAW, we have been advised that the Toro Reelmaster, (5 Cutting Units, 100 inch cutting width), would be the machine that they would recommend for such a big area to cut (2 cricket grounds and surrounding areas, covering 7 acres). We hope that you will support our Crowdfunder application to help us to reach our fundraising target.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!