NORCROSS CRICKET CLUB NAMED NATION’S GREATEST AMATEUR CRICKET CLUB
Norcross Cricket Club from Thornton-Cleveleys, Blackpool, has “Bowled Over” sport enthusiasts across the country and an independent judging panel to be crowned the nation’s greatest amateur cricket club.
“Bowled Over” is designed to celebrate the best amateur cricket clubs across Britain with Norcross Cricket Club claiming the top spot, closely followed by Churchtown Cricket Club in Southport, Merseyside and Oakmere Cricket Club in Northwich, Cheshire.
The winning club received the highest number of public votes and impressed industry judges Guy Evans-Tipping, Chief Executive of The Cricketer magazine, Wayne Greve, Founder of LastManStands.com and Colin Graves, Chairman of the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board). The national “Bowled Over” initiative was organised by BusinessInsuranceFor.com, which provides business insurance services for cricket and other sports clubs.
The winner and final top 10 gallery of entries can be viewed in full at: www.businessinsurancefor.com/bowled-over/
In addition to being crowned the nation’s greatest amateur cricket club, Norcross Cricket Club will receive a commemorative plaque, while Club Secretary, Junior Organiser and 2nd team Vice-Captain, Adam Ball, who nominated the club, wins £300 to spend at sporting equipment site Morrant.com.
Colin Graves, Chairman of the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board), said: “Overall the standard of entries was exceptional, and showed that the benchmark of recreational cricket in England and Wales is very high.”
Guy Evans-Tipping, Chief Executive of The Cricketer magazine, added: “The 10 finalists are all fantastic sporting establishments and represent a wonderfully diverse group of clubs, in terms of geography, longevity, stature and success. They all possess the most important ingredients in common: a perennial enthusiasm and love of cricket, and a desire to see this grow, placing them all at the hearts of their respective communities. They’re all to be congratulated and we hope that their stories and successes will inspire other such clubs to achieve similar accomplishments.”
Adam Ball, who nominated the club, said of the win for Norcross Cricket Club: “We are delighted with the public and judge’s support, thanks for the opportunity to get our club’s name out there. We have a very hard working committee, most of whom have multiple roles in the club as well as full time jobs. It is down to their hard work that we are where we are today.
“The prize will greatly assist us with buying new equipment for our members. We have so much potential and I want to see us grow and grow.”
Jeremy Goodacre from BusinessInsuranceFor.com, commented: “Congratulations to Norcross Cricket Club for its close-knit, family feel, where participation, enjoyment and playing in the spirit of the game are highly promoted, and for playing its part in inspiring our nation to pick up the bat. We received some fantastic entries but our judging panel and voters felt that Norcross Cricket Club epitomises the best in amateur cricket clubs across the country.”
Wayne Greve, Founder of LastManStands.com had this to say of the winning club: “Their ethos of bringing families together really caught my attention, as some of my best memories of my childhood are of watching my dad playing cricket at our local cricket club. I believe all clubs should make an effort to integrate family lifestyle into their development plans!”
BusinessInsuranceFor.com provides a range of insurance solutions to cricket, golf, rugby, and other sporting clubs that can often face a unique set of business challenges which require bespoke cover. For cricket clubs alone, its insurance policies can protect areas such as damage to contents and buildings such as timber pavilions, and also covers public and employers liability. For further information, visit BusinessInsuranceFor.com.
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