Cricket at Cadman's Meadow, Selling

Aim: 🏏 What we'd really like to do is: Buy a new heavy roller ... and keep cricket thriving in Selling

🏏 But, if you'd like to know more about us, please read on:

Selling Cavaliers Cricket Club – Our Past, Our People, Our Pavilion – and Why We Need You

How we’ll spend the money raised

We're wanting to raise £4000 to help us with:

• Getting a new motorised heavy roller

Perhaps something like this photo (maybe a little bit smaller)

Every single donation makes a difference!

[Selling Cavaliers and other not-for-profit organisations like us, are not charged a plaform fee, so any 'tip' you can add to your donation will help us all.  The 'tip' can be increased or reduced (even to £0) by clicking on 'Enter Custom Amount' or using the slider]

Our Story – Cricket in Selling Since the 1860s

Cricket has been part of village life in Selling for well over 150 years. Early scoresheets from the 1860s show matches played in fields long since turned over to other purposes. Local names like the Neame brothers appear in these records – a reminder that this club has always been rooted in its community.

Fast-forward to the 1960s: Selling Cricket Club was officially formed, setting up stumps at what is now Cadman’s Meadow. From informal Sunday friendlies to becoming a founding member of the Kent Village League in 1972, the club grew in both ambition and reach.

By the 1990s, however, things were looking bleak. With only five regular players, Selling faced the very real possibility of folding. But in 2000, the story took a hopeful turn when the club joined forces with the Canterbury Cavaliers. They had players; Selling had one of the most beautiful grounds in Kent. The merger gave birth to the modern club: Selling Cavaliers Cricket Club.

Ups and Downs, but Always Together We’ve had our moments of glory, including a rise to Division 1 in the Kent Village League. But like many village clubs, we've also faced setbacks: players moving to London, careers taking priority, and the inevitable ebb and flow of village life.

Now in 2025, we’re back in the Kent Village League and playing Sunday fixtures – a better fit for today’s players. Our goal is simple: to play competitive cricket, draw in younger local talent, and strengthen our role at the heart of the community.

A Community Club – And Proud of It We’re not just about cricket. The club already hosts the village’s annual Church Fete, the Big Lunch, and the monthly Coffee Morning Club. Selling School holds its Sports Day on our ground, and even the Brownies get involved.

We want to do more. With three new volunteers leading the way, we’re exploring how our excellent pavilion and grounds can serve the whole community even better.

We genuinely have the finest facilities for miles around. Our practice nets are the envy of other clubs. But all of this needs care, attention – and help.

The People Behind the Pavilion Our club is run by a dedicated volunteer committee: Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Club Captain and Director of Cricket. They manage everything from league fixtures to liaising with banks, utilities, schools, and the Kent Cricket Board.

We employ a groundsman, whose work often goes above and beyond. Cleaning and other tasks fall to volunteers – sometimes players, sometimes villagers, and often the kind-hearted Coffee Morning ladies.

If you'd like to lend a hand, we’d be delighted to welcome you.

Why We Need Your Support Now Maintaining the ground and pavilion costs us over £12,000 a year. We just about manage, thanks to sponsorships, donations, venue hires, and the kindness of our landlord. But any one of those lifelines could fail, leaving us with costs our modest membership fees couldn’t possibly cover.

Selling Cavaliers is the only mainstream sports club in the village. No football. No rugby. No tennis. Just cricket. And we want to keep it thriving for everyone, now and into the future.

One Immediate Need – Our Roller Last year, our trusty auto-roller broke down. Repairs are estimated at £8,000. We’ve found a used motorised roller in good condition for £4,000 – far more realistic for a club of our size.

Without it, we’re relying on an awkward makeshift setup involving a water-filled tank and a tow rope – not sustainable, not safe, and certainly not ideal for preparing a proper pitch.

This is where you come in.

Your contribution, however small, will help us roll out a better future – literally. With your support, we can continue to offer fantastic facilities, a welcoming community hub, and a place for cricket to flourish in Selling for generations to come.

Thank you.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Like many grassroots clubs, we've struggled to recover fully from the effects of COVID, when little or no cricket could be played. Our dedicated volunteers and generous local supporters have kept us going, but running a club takes resources — and the bills haven’t stopped.

That’s why we’re launching Friends of Selling Cricket Club — a new initiative to gather community support, donations, and practical help to keep this treasured village club alive and thriving.

Community impact

One of our aims is to keep cricket going in Selling.  It's the only sport played here, and the roller will help us achieve this.  With all that history behind us we should do our best to maintain the Club into the future!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 16th July 2025 at 6:39pm