WERRINGTON Cricket Club’s Linda Cobbledick has been named as chair of trustees of the newly formed Cornwall Cricket Trust.

The trust is a charitable organisation, which is governed by a board of trustees who are independent of the Cornwall Cricket Board.

Their objective is to promote and sustain cricket in Cornwall by encouraging participation in the game at club level and across communities. Former England Test cricketer Clive Radley has agreed to be the trust’s first patron.

The trust aims to help the existing club network in the county survive by providing financial and other support to individual clubs. The trust will also seek to promote the growth of women’s and girl’s cricket — providing assistance and funding to enable new competitions, activities and programs to be launched.

They will also aim to provide enhanced financial support to aid the development of emerging young cricketers in the county, through the provision of additional coaching and practice facilities.

Lastly, the trust will also fund a programme to enable new opportunities for disability cricket within the Duchy.

Many of the clubs in Cornwall sit at the heart of local village communities but, in recent years, many of these clubs have been struggling financially — the number of league clubs is currently at its lowest level since 1968. A key aim for the new trust will be to sustain, and ultimately grow, player participation, which numbered around 2,500 registered players in the 2016 season.

The trust will consider applications for grant funding from any of the 69 individual clubs in Cornwall — or from any new club, which is currently outside the League pyramid — from the Cornwall Cricket Board, from any of the associations which are affiliated to Cornwall Cricket or from any ‘cricket in the community’ applicant. Applications will only be considered providing certain criteria are met.

Cobbledick said: “We are really excited about the launch of the Cornwall Cricket Trust and we have some ambitious plans for the future. We now have the opportunity to provide new opportunities for existing and aspiring players at all levels of cricket in the county. At the same time we will aim to sustain the club community and also provide a framework for it to grow and to flourish.”

Speaking ahead of the trust’s launch, Radley said: “When the trust asked me to be its first patron I jumped at the chance. I hope that all Cornish cricket lovers will join me in supporting the new venture so that as many aspiring cricketers as possible can benefit.”

Further information about the objects of the Cornwall Cricket Trust and its trustees, including details of how to donate to the charity, is available via the Cornwall Cricket website at www.cornwallcricket.co.uk/support-us-2/Cornwall-Cricket-Trust or by emailing [email protected]