Club Week: Kia initiatives, arson attacks and chairman honourings

The Cricketer rounds up some of the more unusual stories of the past seven days from across the local cricket scene...

Sponsorship gets Shropshire women’s cricket team rolling

Shropshire motor dealers Furrows has agreed a deal to back the women's cricket team at a county club. 

As part of Kia’s Gift of Kit initiative, the company has signed a deal to sponsor the women's side at Beacon Cricket Club in Shrewsbury.  

The club launched its women and girls' section last year and hosted and entered soft ball festivals around the county, with an under-13 girls' team managing to win the North Shropshire Forum League.

Beacon Cricket Club development officer, Steve Reese, told Shropshire Live: "We're delighted that Furrows have chosen to sponsor the kit for our ladies' team, and we're very grateful for their support.

"We are indebted to all our sponsors and volunteers, and we're looking forward to a busy year ahead for cricket both locally and internationally. It's a great time for businesses like Furrows to become part of our team."

Emma Sheekey, marketing manager at Furrows, added: "We're delighted to be backing the Beacon Cricket Club ladies, as we're always keen to support local organisations and causes that make a real difference in the community."

Tributes flow in for Sedgefield stalwart

Sedgefield Cricket Club in County Durham have honoured a former chairman who devoted over 30 years of his life to the club.

Duncan Moss initially began at the club as a swing bowler on the way to becoming a fan favourite. After his playing days he embraced a number of roles at the club including stints as barman, groundsman, umpire, secretary and finally chairman.

He died following a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease aged 63.

A Facebook post from Sedgefield Cricket Club read: "As some of you may have heard the sad news already, our much loved former chairman Duncan Moss sadly passed away.

"Our thoughts are with his family at this time."

Whitstable Cricket Club in hot water after passing car hit by ball

A cricket club in Kent is to pay for the damage to the driver of a passing car which was hit by a ball.

Sue Montgomery was driving past Whitstable Cricket Club when she heard "an almighty bang" as the ball dented her car.

Ms Montgomery was startled and pulled over and saw the ball rolling away from her car, before a player ran out of the Whitstable Cricket Club ground to retrieve it.

She told Kent Online: "If it had smacked someone walking by on the head it could have killed them.

"Or if it had hit someone in the face they could have lost an eye. What if it had hit a child?"

Arson attack rocks West Midlands 

The pavilion at a West Midlands cricket club is believed to have been deliberately set on fire on Sunday evening, causing "significant damage".

Five domestic garages near Oldswinford and Stourbridge Social Cricket Club were also damaged by the heat from the fire, according to West Midlands Fire Service.

A spokesman told Express & Star: "We were called at 6.32pm on Sunday evening.

"It was a 999 call, the address given was Stourbridge Cricket Club. We sent three crews, 13 firefighters in total.

"The stop message came in an hour later at 7.30pm which says one metal container unit which contained cricket equipment was totally destroyed by the fire.

"The heat from the fire spread to a row of five domestic garages. It was believed to have been started deliberately."

Pavilion fire in Cirencester

A fire at Tarbarrow Cricket Club in Cirencester, east Gloucestershire, has damaged their club pavilion.

Police reported fire damage to the pavilion's wooden veranda at some point between 12pm on Monday and 10:30am on Wednesday.

The fire damage is thought to be the result of fires being lit on the wooden decking.

The incident was the second time that Tarbarrow Cricket Club has been damaged in the last week, with a wooden post holding the roof of the veranda also being broken between 2pm on Saturday and 8am on Monday.