SIX cricketers will look to complete a marathon a day as they set off on a sponsored walk.
Highnam Cricket Club’s youth coordinator Antony Gerken, second team captain Jim Homer, club coach Jason Mosley, social media manager Alex Howard plus players Tom Holbrook and Tim Gordon will visit all 17 rival cricket clubs in the Gloucester, Cheltenham and Forest of Dean League’s West divisions in the 2023 season.
The group will set off on April 28 aiming to walk the equivalent of a marathon a day for four successive days – a total of 107 miles – to raise funds for the historic club as well as the Pied Piper Appeal. A £3,000 target has been set.
Jim said: “Our roller broke down and died at the end of last season, and thoughts about how to fund raise for a replacement were how all this started.
“Someone then came up with the idea of visiting all the grounds our two Saturday teams play, and that’s where we are!
“In the event, we’ve had to go ahead and buy a roller with the start of the season so close, but the walk will hopefully cover the money we’ve had to spend and we also want to fund raise for a charity and the Pied Piper Appeal is perfect as it was started years ago by people from Highnam.”
The ‘strollers for a roller’ are in serious training for the walk, putting as many miles into their legs as possible, but are already bracing themselves for day three and what Jim describes as several “ridiculous” hills!
He added: “We’ve got five days to recover after the walk before we’re all due to play our first games – hopefully we’ll be OK.
“We’re hoping to get permission to camp on the outfields of the last clubs we visit on the first three days, but fingers crossed they might let us bunk down in their clubhouses!”
Highnam Court CC, in its current guise, was formed in 1976 but cricket has been played at the ground, which adjoins Holy Innocents Church, since at least the 1850s.
The Pied Piper Appeal is a local charity whose mission is to improve the quality of life, well-being and social development of any sick or disabled child in Gloucestershire by raising the level of care; providing access to quality services so children do not need to travel out of the county unnecessarily and focusing on supporting the whole family.
The walk schedule is:
Day one: Highnam Court to Redmarley, via Ullenwood Bharat, Woodpeckers and Corse and Staunton.
Day two: Redmarley to Ruardean Hill, via Dymock, Newent, Aston Ingham, Huntley and Cinderford.
Day three: Ruardean Hill to Alvington & Woolaston, via Penallt & Redbrook, and St Briavels.
Day four: Alvington & Woolaston to Highnam Court, via Lydney, Parkend and Westbury-on-Severn.
To donate to the appeal, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/highnamcourtstrollers