Spaxton Cricket Club - Ground Transformation

Aim

We are looking to transform our ground, facilities & equipment, by purchasing covers for the ground, a sightscreen & a new bowling machine

Our Background

Formed in 1892 we believe, after 130 years of competitive cricket, Spaxton Cricket Club to be one of Somerset’s longest standing village cricket clubs. We are fully affiliated to the Somerset Cricket Foundation and play in the Monmouth Scientific League Division 4. 

Our club has been managed for the last 40 years by life member Keith Bellinger; Keith remains playing for the club and was recently elected our club President.  

Along with his wife Kim, the Bellingers are linchpins of our club and have held many key roles to keep the club thriving; ranging from Club Captain, Groundsman, Club Secretary, Club Treasurer, Tea Lady and all roles in between. 

For many years the club has relied on the generosity of Keith and Kim. Following a kind donation in 1992, from a local farmer, the club has been run on a very modest budget often having to decline progression due to lack of funds. 

The Impact of COVID 

During the pandemic we were unable to play Cricket for the 2021 Season preventing our team the opportunity to meet, exercise and support their physical and mental health.

Throughout this year not only we were unable to meet but also maintain the ground or generate any income for the club putting our already limited finances and resources further stretched for the future.

With this the future of the club was cast into doubt as we feared we would lose members and potentially have to fold the club due to the forced time away from the club and the forced hiatus, Fortunately this hasn’t been the case.

The Last Year

Over the last 12 months we have embarked on the clubs biggest transformation in its history and we’re keen to bounce back from the time away during COVID and build the clubs future. We have built a 3 year transformation plan that focused on and includes the following;

• Attract new members
• Launch new junior and woman initiatives 
• Improve the ground and playing area
• Improve the facilities and equipment 

To support the transformation we have so far taken steps with this by;

• Electing a 9 person committee made up of current players and volunteers  
• Building a club constitution and Safe guarding Policy  
• Implemented a new Membership structure
• Attracted Sponsors for each of our Matchdays
• Launched Social Media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
• Worked in Partnership with the local village hall and  parish council to support our transformation plan by applying for grants and funding.

2023 will provide another opportunity to continue the transformation as we continue to work hard on projects and fundraisers to assist the ground, facilities and equipment projects we are hoping to complete in advance of the new season

This crowdfunder and program will support and fund parts of this plan to keep cricket being played in Spaxton for another 130 years.

Community impact

Our wish is to see cricket being played in Spaxton for many generations to come. 

Due to our local proximity to surrounding clubs of Bridgwater, Taunton and Wembdon we often see our players progressing up through the ranks and joining these clubs to play at a higher level.

This year has seen the club’s largest transformation to date with our newly elected committee, ground improvements, an introduction of a new membership structure and an influx of players that we hope will continue to project the club forward. 

We are in the process of introducing Womens Cricket and a Junior section to the club to provide a space in the community to come together and enjoy cricket, and positively impact many of our players and supporters physical and mental health.

Our Wish 

'We are looking to protect the future of Spaxton Cricket Club by undertaking multiple projects, upgrades to our ground, playing facilities and machinery.  We hope this will attract new members and allow us to introduce a Women's and youth section to the club to provide Cricket for all for years to come'

How we’ll spend the money raised 

With the introduction of the crowdfund we are hoping to add to the facilities at the ground and purchase the following;

• Ball Stop Netting at the far end of our ground we are looking to install Ball Stop Netting to protect the local residents and members of the community during our games.
• New Sightscreens at the far end of the ground situated in front of the trees to improve the visibility from that end
• Covers for our playing surface to protect our newly renovated square and improve the quality of our pitch and reduce the loss of any fixtures to weather
• A New Bowling Machine to support our practice sessions

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 and claim your reward - Take a look at the extensive list of ways you can support the club through this page 

2. Spread the word - Share our project on your social media pages. The project is contingent on the amount of supporters so spread the word and share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter 

3. Offer rewards yourself - 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. Come to the Fundraiser - on Saturday 25th Feb we will be holding a fundraising event at Spaxton to support the club and the MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) . Buy a ticket for a night of music, food drinks and a chance to see a lot of familiar faces.

This project successfully funded on 29th March 2023