Barry Athletic Cricket Club, one of Wales’ oldest cricket clubs, welcomed the beginning of their 130th cricket season with a T20 Macey cup game against South Wales Sri Lankans.
At the start of proceedings, the club, with special guest Alun Cairns MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, announced an impressive £1,040.00 had been raised for the local NHS charity by both the junior and senior sections of the club along with one of the club sponsors Blackford’s Solicitors.
Barry Athletic unveiled their new shirt with a ‘Thank You NHS’ message, displaying their support for the NHS charity and for the tremendous work of healthcare staff during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Club Secretary John Oakes said, “The cricket club is an important part of the community and during these unprecedented times we were happy to support the local NHS charity who have been amazing within the community. To finally be able to get our players on to the field this year is wonderful. From the young 5-8 year olds in our all-stars programme through to the senior men’s and ladies players, you can see the relief of being able to get out and participate. Barry Athletic are in their 130th year and I think the only time we didn’t take to the field was during the second world war.”
The club runs teams through all the age groups from 5-8 years old All Stars and then a full range of age group cricket for boys and girls as well as senior men’s and women’s teams.
During his visit Mr Cairns was impressed with the Junior turnout on Sunday and spoke to both players and parents as well as senior players and club representatives. He congratulated the club on their fundraising efforts and said, “It’s great to see so many young people at the club, it’s clear that Barry Athletic is embedded in our community. Their initiative to support the NHS charity is fantastic and I pay tribute to all involved with the Club who have played a role. As a group, they are enthusiastic, dedicated and this shows through all of their hard work.”
With the 130th celebrations being limited for 2020 the club will be looking to host some events during 2021, maybe an invite to the Parliamentary cricket team to play on the historic Barry Island ground.
