Sussex couple claim top prize in Hardys Heartbeat of the Club competition

Matt and Julie Bourne’s commitment to Chippingdale CC earned them a nomination from one of their club-mates, an expert panel including England’s Stuart Broad placed them on a shortlist and their story came out top in an online poll

^{Matt and Julie Bourne are Hardys Heartbeat of the Club winners for 2018}

A cricket-loving couple have been rewarded for almost two decades of dedication to their local team by being named Hardys Heartbeat of the Club winners for 2018.

Matt and Julie Bourne’s commitment to Chippingdale CC earned them a nomination from one of their club-mates, an expert panel including England’s Stuart Broad placed them on a shortlist and their story was voted as the most impressive in a public online poll last month.

Now the pair, who have spent 18 years in a variety of roles at the Sussex club, are preparing to welcome the Hardys Pavilion - the mobile wine bar that stops off at each England international during the summer - for a special celebratory party.

The Bournes are worthy winners.

They arrived at Chippingdale just after the turn of the millennium and took no time at all settling into the club.

Matt joined the committee within two years and soon turned his hand to running the colts programme. He played at second and third-team level before recently choosing to hang up his spikes and head into umpiring, while he also manages all communications and organises Chippingdale’s golf and cricket tours on the side.

Julie is just as integral. Like Matt, a lifelong lover of the sport - she attended her first Test as a toddler, she lends her hand to various jobs around the club.

As well as keeping on top of the matchday paperwork, she makes sure the books add up and holding responsibility for pastoral care at Chippingdale.

"We were amazed. With all the great nominations, to be picked out from that lot, is incredible"

It is that substantial cumulative effort which saw the Bournes win the Hardys competition, but they were keen to make sure credit was shared.

“We are small cogs in a big group of people who do a hell of a lot for the club,” Matt says.

“We’re almost embarrassed to be singled out but we’re thrilled.

“We didn’t know about the nomination at all and then we were on holiday and got a message that we had been shortlisted for the final XI. We were absolutely stunned.

“We were amazed. With all the great nominations, to be picked out from that lot, is incredible.

“You don’t do it for the reward, you do it for the love of the game. To be chosen is very gratifying but slightly embarrassing because we know how much everyone else does.”

Cricket is a family affair in the Bourne household.

^{The Bournes' commitment to Chippingdale CC won over the voting public}

The couple’s two children - Josh and Ella - have grown up with Chippingdale and progressed through the junior sections to play for and captain their respective first teams.

“We both had an upbringing of cricket so our children didn’t stand a chance,” Matt says.

“They were always going to be involved.”

And the teamwork that the entire Bourne clan extols extends into the workplace.

Not only do Matt and Julie work together on club matters, they also spend their 9-5s side by side.

Matt is a local osteopath, while Julie manages the practice in which he works. As you might expect, conversation in the office can occasionally drift onto extra-curricular matters.

“We’ll find out that someone can’t play and we’ll talk about who we can get instead,” Matt says. “Then we make the suggestions to our son.

“Luckily we haven’t sent the message to a patient (by mistake) but thankfully I think they all know and understand we’re quite heavily involved with the club.”

“Cricket has almost been like a full-time job,” Matt says. “It’s calmed down a little bit because I don’t coach the colts any more but I still do some work with the ladies and I became an umpire last year.”

Juggling all his commitments to Chippingdale with his day job cannot be easy but Matt gives off the air of a man who loves playing his part in an important aspect of the community.

“I’ve written 250 consecutive newsletters,” he announces proudly. “I didn’t miss a week for 250 episodes. I’ll be doing the wrap-up one this week.”

That bulletin will be able to tell quite some story.