13/06/2026
Wow. What can we say?
What a turnout. What a spectacle. What a showpiece for our club.
After months of planning, plenty of sleepless nights and checking weather apps more times than we care to admit, the day had finally arrived – the Coaches T20 Club Fundraiser.
And what a night it turned out to be.
The cricket itself certainly didn’t disappoint. There were some fantastic displays from both teams… and a few moments that perhaps won’t be making the highlight reel! Wickets tumbled, sixes sailed into the crowd and the sledging reached ferocious levels throughout the evening.
In the end, it was Yellow Storm who came out on top, proving once and for all that you don’t need an eight-week training programme like Blue Thunder to win a game of cricket 😉
But in truth, the result was secondary.
The real reason for the evening was to raise money for our club, and before a ball had even been bowled, we were off to a flyer thanks to the incredible support of our sponsors & local business shouting about the event.
Firstly, a huge thank you to Adkins Bakery for coming on board as our headline sponsor and helping take the event to another level. Having your name proudly displayed front and centre on both teams’ playing shirts made the occasion feel truly special, and the shirts looked absolutely fantastic.
To Renshaw Wealth - Mortgage & Financial Advisers, W H Fryer, The Newdigate Pub,The White Hart, stanley village, under new management, Ilkeston Life, Sounds Commercial, The Print Knot, Ilkeston, Erewash Sound, Cantaloupe Lodge, Unicorn and TEAM – thank you for backing our vision and supporting this event so generously. Local businesses and organisations like yours are the lifeblood of community sport. Your support doesn’t just help make one evening possible; it helps create opportunities, memories and experiences for people of all ages at our club. We genuinely can’t thank you enough for believing in what we were trying to achieve and helping turn an idea into such a successful reality.
A huge thank you must also go to everyone at Nutbrook Cricket Club for giving us free rein of the facilities and nets, not just on the night itself but throughout the build-up to the event. We saw first-hand the amount of hard work that went into preparing the ground, particularly from the ground staff, who worked tirelessly to get the pitch ready despite a few weather-related headaches along the way. Thank you for hosting us and helping make the evening such a success.
A huge thank you also to Keepers Kitchen for keeping everybody well fed in testing conditions amongst a jam-packed crowd. The queues were constant and the demand never seemed to stop, but your hard work, organisation and friendly service throughout the evening were hugely appreciated. You played a massive part in the success of the event and helped keep everyone going.
A special mention also has to go to Harry, our DJ and compère for the evening. The music, the energy and the way you engaged with everyone in attendance elevated the event to another level. You helped create an atmosphere that people were talking about all night long. Your classy professionalism and enthusiasm shone through from start to finish, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the evening wouldn’t have been what it was without you. Thank you for playing such a huge part in making it such a memorable occasion.
We were also honoured to welcome the Deputy Mayor of Erewash to the event. Thank you for taking the time to join us, perform the toss before the match and present the trophy at the end of the evening. Your support for grassroots sport and community fundraising is greatly appreciated, and your presence helped make the occasion feel even more special.
Thank you also to our umpires Drew & Mitch and our scorer Charlotte. In the middle of all the chaos, banter and competitive spirit, you kept the game flowing and made sure everything ran smoothly. Giving up your time to support the event, often without much recognition, is hugely appreciated and we simply couldn’t have done it without you.
To all of the players – thank you for volunteering your time, for everything you do behind the scenes at the club throughout the year and for throwing yourselves wholeheartedly into the spirit of the occasion. Whether you were smashing boundaries, taking wickets, diving around in the field, keeping the banter flowing or simply making sure everyone had a smile on their face, you helped create an evening that people will remember for a long time. Thank you for giving up your own time to support the club and helping make the event the success it was.
Perhaps the most special part of the evening, though, was seeing just how many of our juniors from the football club were there. The club is, and always will be, about them.
Seeing so many youngsters playing football and cricket around the boundary edge, cheering on their coaches, soaking up the atmosphere and wanting to be part of it all was genuinely fantastic to see. Those are the memories that last. If Friday night showed anything, it’s that this club is far more than what happens on a football pitch — it’s about community, togetherness and giving our young players experiences they’ll remember.
Friday night was a brilliant reminder of why we do it: for the kids, for the families and for the future of the club.
And finally, thank you to everyone who came along to support us. Whether you sponsored, donated, helped organise, worked behind the bar, cheered from the boundary edge or simply came to enjoy the cricket, you all played your part in making this such a special night.
This club is built on volunteers, generosity and community spirit, and Friday night was the perfect example of that.
Stay tuned tomorrow when we’ll reveal the total amount raised… 👀💙💛
