Wolverhampton
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Wolverhampton
CRICKET CLUB
Wolverhampton CC is a fine example of the important role that a club can play in their
local community. Cricket Club Magazine recently caught up with Club Chairman Mike
Elphick to find out more about the good work they have been doing lately.
He told us, “I was originally
involved
at
Wolverhampton
Cricket Club back in 2014 when I
joined the committee as community
development officer with the brief
of increasing the club’s profile. In
collaboration with Staffordshire
Cricket we launched an initiative to
support those individuals with sight
impairment who wanted to play
cricket.”
“We now have our own
established,
visually
impaired
team Staffordshire Wolves playing
competitively in the BCEW Midlands
Regional League. We had the honour
of hosting a Visually Impaired Royal
London ODI international match
between England and India in May
2015 and we will be hosting again The
David Townley Memorial Twenty20
Cup 2019 Finals Day in September. I
feel very proud to have contributed
to the success of VI cricket.
“I became chairman twelve
months ago. Wolverhampton is a big
cricket club with five senior teams,
eleven junior teams, two girls teams
and a visually impaired team.
48 Issue 49
“I wanted to move the club
forward in a commercial way,
whilst respecting the traditions of
the club. Investment in the essential
equipment was required and we
needed to achieve that. Therefore,
I contacted local businesses for
support as sponsors and organised a
Sportsman’s Dinner last September
which raised £8000 for essential
improvements to our pavilion.”
“I want to make positive changes
to the club. Being proactive, doing
the things that make a difference,
listening to people and focusing
on what is right for the club is my
priority. It is a demanding but
rewarding role, particularly when
changes are made at the club that
will make a difference in the future.
“I was particularly pleased with
the success of the first Sportsman’s
Dinner last September that was very
well supported by the local business
community. I am planning the 2019
dinner shortly where David Gower
will be our guest speaker.
“Another challenge that we
face is to encourage more people to
support the committee in bringing
new ideas and energy to the club.
We would love to have more junior
parents and senior players getting
involved in shaping the club’s future
and suggesting ways that we can
raise money to ensure the club has a
sustainable future.”
Amber Sandhu captain of our
Women’s section is optimistic about
the future.
“The Women and Girls’ section
at WCC has gone from strength
to strength over the past decade.
Having England Women’s Player
Georgia Elwiss come through the
pathway at WCC and Baroness
Rachael-Heyhoe Flint being such
a pioneer for Women’s cricket in
Wolverhampton, the women at
WCC play their cricket with such
pride and enjoyment.
The section consists of over 40
females including a U13’s team
and Women’s First XI. The U13’s
Girls’ team who are managed by the
Women’s captain, Lauren Cousins
will be entering a boys league for the
second time this year. The First XI
team have been playing competitive
league cricket in the West Midlands
league for nine years and have a
number of county players, Level 2
coaches and females that regularly
play men’s’ cricket on a Saturday.
The section has thrived due to
their dedicated manager Arthur
Pickering who has coached, led
and managed the section for over
ten years. His strong links with
the local schools, predominately
Wolverhampton Girls’ High School
has meant that many players have
joined the club and gone on to play
league cricket due to the school
sessions he’s delivered.”
Steve Lighfoot from Staffordshire
Cricket who runs our visually
Impaired team feels the off-season
has given the team real enthusiasm
for the coming season.
“Staffordshire Wolves Visually
Impaired cricket team are based
at Wolverhampton CC. Outdoor
training sessions and home matches
take place at the ground through the
Summer. The guys have been training
hard at Wolverhampton University
for our indoor programme and we
have been delighted to welcome
some new players.
There has been a restructuring
of the Regional Leagues by Blind
Cricket England & Wales and
Staffordshire are now in the new