KELVEDON and Feering Cricket Club secretary Paul Lees is hoping to inspire a brand new generation of cricketers at next week’s ECB Club Open Day.

The festivities form part of the nationwide ECB Club Open Days initiative, supported by Waitrose, which aims to help boost grassroots cricket.

Cricket clubs are being encouraged to open their pavilion doors and welcome guests from their local community for a day of cricket taster sessions and activities.

But Kelvedon and Feering club secretary Lees, 59, says they are going above and beyond, by showcasing the club for the entirety of the first week in June.

A Twenty20 competition kicks off on Wednesday, June 3, before an exhibition match against a two counties over-50s XI, a community lunch, a Kwik-cricket tournament, and a friendly against an “Old Colts” XI rounds off the weekend.

“Rather than one specific day we have a lot of things going on and we’re trying to attract a lot of people onto the site during the week,” said retired headteacher Lees.

“What we’re trying to do is not just target one particular area, but to get all the different elements of the community around and supporting the club.

“The aim is definitely to raise awareness of the club and hopefully attract some more members.

“The way we see it, if we can increase the membership, even the social membership, it will be better for the club as a whole and it doesn’t take a lot to make a big difference.

“We’d love to see people coming to the cricket club more regularly and getting more into the game.

“We’re also trying to involve as many different people as possible.

“In the t20 competition we have a number of ladies who play county cricket playing, as well as colts and the older members, so you have mixed-gender and mixed-generational teams.”

Kelvedon and Feering CC hosted an ICC World Cup under-19 game between the Netherlands and Denmark last season.

After receiving stunning feedback from the ICC, they plan to host three division six ICC international matches in September.

This summer, more than 1,000 cricket clubs will host a Club Open Day nationwide, with every club taking part enjoying a £100 food and drink offer from Waitrose to help deliver their event.

l For more information about Club Open Days, supported by Waitrose, including a full list of clubs registered, visit ecb.co.uk/clubopendays