Burghley Park cricket week gets under way tonight with Sixes holders Oundle Town in action
Holders Oundle Town will kick-off the popular Burghley Park Sixes cricket week tonight (Monday).
The Northamptonshire Premier League side beat Barnack in the final of the popular event last year.
And they will get proceedings underway in Monday’s opening matches when they face Rutland side Market Overton.
Barnack will play Nassington in the second match of the opening night with Peterborough and Stamford completing Monday’s action.
Ketton take on Ufford Park in the first match on Tuesday night with Castor then facing Uffington before a Rutland derby between Uppingham and Oakham.
Hosts Burghley Park take on Newborough on Wednesday night before Bourne face Whittlesey ahead of the opening quarter-final.
The remaining three last eight matches will be played on Thursday evening before the finals night on Friday which attracts a bumper crowd to the stately home.
Burghley will again be playing day matches during their cricket week with regular fixtures against Free Foresters (Monday), Authors XI (Tuesday), West Norfolk (Thursday) and MCC (Friday).
They have also added a new fixture for this year when they take on a Runs 4 Research side on Wednesday.
This match is an excellent opportunity to further promote an initiative that has been supported by a number of club members since its inception in 2021.
Runs 4 Research is a fundraising initiative set up by Long Sutton’s captain Jake Burton, raising money to help support research into Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia.
Since its inception in 2021, Runs 4 Research has raised more than £30,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Jake commented: “As a player from the local area who has played and spectated across the Burghley Park Cricket Week for a number of years, it was an honour to be asked to fulfil a fixture with the Runs 4 Research XI.
“Burghley’s first team skipper Alex Ashwin and the club have been involved in the cause across all three years.
“We can only thank Burghley Park Cricket Club for the opportunity and look forward to taking the field.
“We are an invitational team in the company of some well-established sides and hope to bring as much exposure to the cause across the day as well as competing on the field.”
Burghley captain Ashwin has been involved with the initiative from the start, leading the charts in the first year.
He added: “This match is an excellent opportunity to further promote an initiative that has been supported by a number of the club members since its inception in 2021.
“To be able to broaden the horizons of cricket week to not only support the club, but to support an amazing charity was something we couldn't turn down.
“Hopefully this will be the start of a long and successful relationship between Burghley Park and Runs 4 Research with the plan to make this an annual fixture during cricket week for many years to come.
“All at Burghley Park are honoured and excited to be able to assist Jake in honouring his late grandfather and raising crucial funds for Alzheimer’s Research, a charity close to the heart of a number of members.”
Before the cricket week gets underway, Burghley have two matches in the South Lincs and Border League on Saturday. The 1sts travel to Freiston while the 2nds visit Orton Park with both sides looking to maintain their push for league honours.