STOKES & THE MASTERS HELP COCKERMOUTH RAISE £ 25K England all-rounder Ben Stokes repaid Cockermouth CC for starting him out on his cricket career by bringing a star-studded PCA England Masters team to their Sandair ground which resulted in £ 25,000 being raised. Stokes played his formative cricket for the Cumbrian club where he was spotted by Durham but he has never lost touch with his roots. When Cockermouth’s ground was submerged under floodwater during Storm Desmond in December 2015, Stokes vowed to do something to help the club recover. The visit by the PCA England Masters, who are supported by Greene King IPA, attracted a crowd of 2,000 and helped Cockermouth generate £ 25,000 that will be invested into future ground developments. {{Stokescockermouth}} ” Without grassroots cricket the higher levels would not be around because it’s where everyone learns their trade. It’s where they get their opportunities and experience from,” Stokes said. ” Without Cockermouth who know where I would be.” The PCA England Masters team was captained by Mark Ramprakash and included Stokes’ current and former Durham team mates Graham Onions and Steve Harmison. ” When we heard about Ben Stokes wanting to do something for Cockermouth CC after the terrible floods they had to deal with in 2015, the PCA were only too willing to come out and support,” Ramprakash said. ” It’s a cause that is close to Ben’s heart and it’s a club that he played a lot of cricket for as a youngster.” As well as attracting a big crowd to Cockermouth the PCA England Masters team also took part in a coaching session with 70 local youngsters and a question-and-answer session at a fundraising lunch. ” Two years ago we had the remnants of Storm Desmond and the ground was flooded for the second time in five years and was completely devastated, we got a lot of support from the England and Wales Cricket Board,” said Cockermouth committee member John Grainger. ” To see the culmination of that recovery with a magnificent exhibition of cricket from the PCA England Masters was the icing on the cake. ” The generosity of Ben Stokes in helping to make this happen means that we can put a lot of money into reserves and look at capital works in the future. ” This is all about team work but when it pays off in such magnitude I would only recommend the relationship that we have had with the PCA England Masters.” For more information on Cockermouth CC visit their website and to find out more about hosting the PCA England Masters click here.
