Witney Mills Cricket Club

Witney Mills Cricket Club
Sponsorship Opportunities
Witney Mills CC take great pride in providing a safe, fun &
thriving environment for adults and children alike, in the
Witney/West Oxfordshire area to both play and watch cricket.
Without the kind support of volunteers, and above all the
sponsors we simply wouldn’t be able to survive.
We want to carry on making a positive difference in the local
community. However as the costs of running a cricket club
rise, we are very keen to reach out to local businesses and
offer a number of sponsorship opportunities with the club.
This brochure highlights a bit more about our history, what
we’re aiming to achieve as a club & how you could support us.
We hope that you will be interested in sponsoring us, and in
turn help play a big part in allowing a very important part of
the local community to thrive.
A little about our history
Home to Witney Mills Cricket Club is a picturesque ground in Newland, Witney. Cricket has been played on ‘the Mills’
for well over a hundred years: on 16 September 1903, W G Grace – perhaps the most famous cricketer ever – played
on the ground when he turned out for a Witney blanket-makers side against Oxford University. Other famous players
followed him. Sir Jack Hobbs scored two hundreds on the ground. Later still came Fred Trueman and Colin Cowdrey.
Early in the twentieth century, the ground was acquired by the Early family, of the world-famous Early’s of Witney
Blanket Company; in 1921 it was rented to the company sports club and became the home of Witney Mills CC – the
company cricket team. Times changed, and we have been an independent club for nearly thirty-five years.
Unfortunately, we don’t own the ground.
Blankets are no longer made in Witney, but the cricket club is proud to maintain the historical links. We continue to
use the name ‘Mills’, and we still use the original crest and motto ‘Weave Truth With Trust’ on our club kit, to reflect
the club’s origins in the weaving and blanket-making industry.
The club today – our hopes and ambitions
We run two teams in the Cherwell League. As a feeder league for the ECB’s Home Counties Premier League, it is
considered to be the leading league in the region, not just the county. The Cherwell League covers Oxfordshire and
Buckinghamshire, and extends into Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Northamptonshire.
For the coming season, the First XI will be in Division 4 and the Second XI in Division 8. Both sides have been in
higher divisions in the past, and our aim is to see them rise back up the divisions, with the First XI targeting Division
1. In 2014, the First XI narrowly missed promotion when it finished third, but the Second XI achieved a second
promotion in three years.
2014 also saw the club selected to host the Oxfordshire Cricket Board 20/20 Finals Day. It was an exciting and
memorable day, with several hundred people coming to watch back-to-back games. The great bonus was that the
First XI reached one of the finals – in a thrilling game, we lost by just four runs to a team from Division 1.
We want young cricketers from the local area to develop and thrive at the club. Last season, three players under the
age of 17 played regularly for the First XI – and two of them represented Oxfordshire. We are excited by our growing
youth section, and we hope that in years to come we will see a number of young players learn the game and go on
to represent the club at senior level.
Youth cricket
In 2014, we re-launched our youth section with ECB-qualified coaches. We had a really successful summer, with
close to twenty young players, both boys and girls, playing cricket for the first time.
We’re expecting numbers to double this year, with groups at Under 9 and Under 13, and more club members are
gaining ECB coaching qualifications. We think it’s great for Witney that there’s a vibrant youth cricket section in the
town. We want to develop our youth section further, and provide a safe and fun environment in which youngsters
can play cricket.
What are we aiming to raise funds for?
Members pay an annual subscription, and players pay match fees. We don’t pay players. As we don’t own the
ground, grant opportunities are limited. Many club members and volunteers work very hard, and will continue to do
so.
We are planning to improve our facilities and develop our youth section. We are raising funds to:
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upgrade our training facilities – we would like to refurbish our nets and buy a bowling machine
improve the ground – we would like to buy covers and renew our ageing sightscreens
develop the youth section – we want to provide equipment and support our coaches
How you could help – sponsorship options
We hope you think that supporting Witney Mills Cricket Club would a great way for you and your business to
encourage something positive that is happening in the local community.
Outlined below are four ways you could help us – but we would be very happy to discuss any ideas you might have.
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Main Sponsorship: It would be great if you could support the club for the whole season. We would ask for a
sponsorship payment of £400 plus the cost of a banner promoting your business – we would then display the
banner at the club on match days throughout the season. We will get the banner made for you, using the
artwork you require.
We would also promote your business and acknowledge your support on our club website and via our
Facebook and Twitter pages. We would welcome flyers promoting your business or offers to potential
customers – we would keep these on display at the club throughout the summer.
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Match-day Sponsorship: Alternatively, you might like to sponsor individual matches – there are 18 home
league games played during the season. We would ask for a sponsorship payment of £40 for a match. We
would promote your business and acknowledge your support at the ground on match day, and on the club
website.
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Player Sponsorship: To sponsor an individual player for the whole season we would ask for a contribution of
£20 – of course, the money would go to the club. We would promote your business and acknowledge your
support on a board in the clubhouse for the whole season, and on the club website.
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Project Sponsorship: You might like to sponsor one of the projects outlined above – we would be happy to
discuss how this could be done. In return for any support, we would promote your business and
acknowledge your contribution in an appropriate way.
If you would like to play a big part in helping the club develop, and particularly local young players to learn the game,
then please call either Mike Dove on 07896 423712 or Pete Claridge on 07754 496774.
Witney Mills Cricket Club
‘Weave Truth With Trust’
www.witneymillscc.co.uk
www.witneymillscc.co.uk