Newbury RFC will play its part in the fundraising for the newly-formed Tom Maynard Trust on the evening of 20th August by hosting the participants in the Swalec Stadium – Kia Oval bike ride.
Following the go-ahead from the Maynard family for the establishment of a trust in the name of former Glamorgan and Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, who died tragically on 18th June, the first fund raising event has been confirmed.
A two-day bike ride from the SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff to The Kia Oval, London, will be undertaken on the 20th/21st August by Ian Williams and Martin Loosemore, friends of the Maynard family, Andrew Flintoff and current and former Glamorgan players. The cyclists will break their ride in Reading and a barbecue and Q&A have been arranged at Newbury RFC for the evening of 20th August.
Tickets for the Newbury RFC fundraiser are priced at £30 and £50. Each includes barbecue food and a choice of wine, beer and cider, with the £50 ticket also giving entrance to a reception with the cycle riders and Q&A panellists. Tickets can be purchased by sending cheques payable to the Tom Maynard Trust, for the attention of Martyn Ryan at: 5th Floor, 21 Grosvenor Place, London SW1X 7HU.
Martyn Ryan, a close friend of the Maynard’s and one of the founding Trustees, said:
“We are grateful to all of the people who have committed to undertaking the bike ride and to everyone who has donated, especially to Brewin Dolphin. As the riders were splitting their journey across two days we had an opportunity to put on a separate fundraising event at the halfway mark, and the Q&A at Newbury RFC is a great opportunity to come along and support a really worthy cause. We’re delighted that Andrew Flintoff and the Wales and British Lions fly half, Stephen Jones, have agreed to take part. Hopefully it should be a really fun evening.
There have been so many offers of help from professional cricketers past and present and we’ve got a number of ideas and projects being considered. The whole process of establishing the Trust has been a real help to Matt, Sue and Ceri.”
The riders for the fundraiser, who are also expected to be joined on the trip by Matthew Maynard, will aim to arrive at the Kia Oval shortly before the start of the Clydesdale Bank 40 match between Surrey and Glamorgan on Tuesday August 21st, which will be a tribute match to Tom Maynard (3.40pm start). The proceeds from that game are being donated to the Trust. The group of riders will include a number of Glamorgan players, past and present, such as Will Bragg, David Harrison, Steve James, Darren Thomas, Andrew Davies, David Brown and Ryan Watkins who left the staff a couple of years ago, and through a Surrey connection, Andrew Flintoff is also involved.
Ride organizer Ian Williams said:
“At the start when it was just two of us cycling, I thought it would be great to raise £1,000, but with more riders involved time to go, we’re well past that. We’ve also had a substantial sponsorship figure from Brewin Dolphin and others are collecting on sponsorship forms on our behalf so we’re now confident of raising more than £25,000.”
To make a donation towards the cycle ride, please visit the Just Giving page http://www.justgiving.com/Surrey-County-Cricket-Club
Richard Thompson, Chairman of Surrey County Cricket Club, who will be one of the four Trustees, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to support the Trust and, of course, the cycle ride. In addition to his considerable talent, Tom was an incredibly popular young man and the establishment of a Trust will ensure that his name will not be forgotten. It is fitting that the objectives should focus on helping aspiring young cricketers and I am sure that an enormous number of people will benefit in years to come.”
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