Project will help make Horsham Cricket Club's anniversary picture perfect

Pre-dating the foundation of the MCC, the club started life using curved bats with the score being notched on a stick.

Since then it has made a telling contribution towards the development of the game throughout Sussex and far beyond, producing a conveyor belt of players for the county and hosting Sussex games featuring top international players for more than 100 years.

Club chairman Richard Marshall said: “We shall be celebrating in a number of ways, although, until we return to something close to normality, we are not yet quite a position to firm up on everything that we are planning.

“But we have started the ball rolling by commissioning local artist Paul Talbot to create an oil painting of the ground. At some stage during the year the stunning painting will be offered for sale by a live auction.

“Meanwhile, the club is delighted to extend the opportunity for members and local residents to purchase one of a limited number of unframed prints at the special introductory price of £35.

“We are also offering notelets with the painting reproduced on the front and the anniversary logo on the back. These are blank inside, so they can be used as greetings cards for any occasion. The notelets are supplied in packs of five with envelopes, at £10 per pack.”

Marshall said that like other cricket clubs, HCC struggled during last season, with restrictions, especially social distancing measures, putting paid to league cricket.

“ Luckily, we had six weeks in the late summer where some games were played, albeit under strict Covid-19 guidelines. However, any form of cricket was better than none and we can look forward to 2021 which is going to be an especially memorable year in our exceptionally long history – our 250th anniversary!”

The painting depicts a match in progress on a sunny day with the iconic backdrop of the parish church beyond the tennis courts.

All proceeds from sales, after printing costs, will go to the Sestercentennial Fund to benefit the club in the future, so officials hope the anniversary will be well supported, initially through purchases of the merchandise. The outstanding print and notelets are already proving popular - should you wish to buy either, contact treasurer Colin Mitcham at [email protected]