White Coppice Cricket Club launches £150k fundraiser to help secure its future
One of the UK’s oldest and most picturesque cricket clubs is using its 150th anniversary to launch a campaign to raise £150,000 to secure its future.
White Coppice Cricket Club located near Chorley is a popular venue for passing walkers and photographers.
This year the club has entered two Saturday teams in the Palace Shield Cricket League but say their biggest challenge will be off the pitch.
The cricketers have been hit for six with a bill for £29,000 to repair a leaking septic tank that services their clubhouse.
The club also want to install proper training facilities to help attract new players and introduce a junior division.
In desperation the club has decided to use the year of their 150th anniversary to try and raise £150k and secure their future for the next generation.
White Coppice earned the nickname ‘the club that wouldn’t die’ when they survived the 2017 season despite only having the minimum seven players in one match.
The players kick-started their campaign to raise £150,000 with a sponsored run in full cricket gear around Astley Park and the 16th Century Astley Hall, in Chorley.
1st XI captain Jake Smalley said: “The £29k bill to fix the leaking septic tank really underlines the challenges facing cricket clubs like ours.
“To put that into some sort of context we survive on £10 match fees from the players so £29k is the equivalent of 2,900 match fees!
“Last year we spent £4,000 on lawnmower repairs alone and cricket balls cost us nearly £1,000 every season.
“A lot of cricket clubs have gone under and we won’t let White Coppice go the same way.”
He added: “Fixing the septic tank is the priority but we desperately need our own training facilities to be able to retain and recruit players as we’ve entered a second Saturday team into the Palace Shield League.
“We’ve asked each player to try and raise £150 from individual events and we’ve had a really good response.
“The players like a laugh and we’ve had some madcap suggestions already so keep an eye on our social media platforms for more details.”
The club was founded in 1875 by a local businessman called Ephraim Eccles for his workers to enjoy playing cricket and the ground has been used for playing the sport ever since.
It has also provided the setting for the 1994 TV show Sloggers, which was written by famous darts commentator Sid Waddell and launched the TV career of actor Ralf Little.
If you would like to make a donation to the club’s GoFundMe page click HERE.