PCA PRESS RELEASE
PCA England Masters returned to local club for fifth time this summer.
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Keith Brookes of Monton CC has labelled hosting the PCA England Masters, sponsored by Greene King, a ‘win-win’ after his club welcomed the team of international legends back for the fifth time in 2019.
Brookes, who performs the role of Treasurer at Monton, has seen tangible improvements to his club in recent years, much of which has been funded by events such as the Masters exhibition match:
“We’ve hosted the PCA England Masters five times now. It’s been an extremely positive experience so far – that’s why we’ve had five!” he said.
“I went to a similar event at Southport CC, and the penny dropped that we could get sponsored and run a Masters event at Monton. Before we knew it, we were selling tables with players on without the slightest difficulty, we filled the place and managed to raise a lot of money for the club.
“We’re quite a big operation – we have 1,000 members, including 300 kids, playing five sports. Hosting the Masters is extremely financially beneficial for us.
“The money goes into a big pot and a lot of it goes on coaching, as well as things like an all-weather astro turf surface which we recently built.
“Cricket is expensive to run so the money raised at our annual PCA England Masters event helps significantly.”
Since its inception in 2002, the main aim of the PCA England Masters programme has been to raise money for local cricket clubs nationwide. Greene King began sponsoring the Masters in 2016 and, since then, a total of £728,000 has been raised for the host clubs, or around £14,500 per fixture.
The clubs can then reinvest all of the money at their own discretion, with many electing to spend it on improved facilities and coaching.
As well as raising valuable funds, hosting a side of ex-England internationals for the day can do great things for the profile of local sports clubs in the UK. Brookes and Monton CC were particularly pleased to see local legends Glen Chapple, Sajid Mahmood and Warren Hegg in attendance in 2019.
“Having those ex-England players around the place is great for the profile of Monton. Welcoming back local players like Glen Chapple and Warren Hegg is always nice.
“On top of that, you’re able to raise a lot of money, so it really is a win-win.”
On the back of the continued success that the club has already enjoyed as a result of hosting the Masters, Monton is looking forward to welcoming the team of legends back to Greater Manchester in the near future.
“A lot of work goes in to the day so we may be taking a break next year but we’ll be welcoming the Masters back after that for sure.
“Dealing with Stephen and everyone at the PCA is a simple process and we can’t wait to welcome the Masters back in 2021.”
Monton will be hoping for better weather in two years’ time after their 2019 fixture was curtailed due to inclement weather just two overs into the host club’s reply to the Masters’ total of 124-5. The cricket itself, however, took a back seat on the day to the valuable fundraising opportunity that the marquee event offers.
Find out more about hosting our team of international legends.
