A man whose love of cricket has boosted his mental health over the years, has expressed his thanks to supporters as his Sunrise to Sunset Bat-a-thon challenge smashed its original £2,000 target, following a one-day event.
Martyn Hill (30) from Farndon, Nottinghamshire, took on the 17-hour challenge of batting from sunrise to sunset on Summer Solstice (Saturday 20th June) and raised £2,460 to be split between his beloved Farndon Cricket Club and local mental health and wellbeing charity, Shaw Mind.
More than 50 people, including 15 Farndon juniors, bowled 2,557 balls throughout the day, which is the equivalent of four one-day games or ten T20 matches.
He said: “Despite the blisters, I really enjoyed the Sunrise to Sunset Bat-a-thon. There was a great community spirit on show throughout the day and it was great to see so many of my friends and their families turning out to support the challenge.
“I was hoping to raise £2,000 for my two charities, but thanks to everyone’s generosity we’ve already raised well over that. At Farndon, we’ll put the fundraising to good use, improving the training facilities and our clubhouse.
“I cannot thank everyone who supported the event enough, but I have to say a special thank you to Sam Brown, Josh and Will Feehily, Roderick Howlett and James Oldbury for helping me put the bat-a-thon together, like on the cricket field this was a huge team effort.”
During the Bat-a-thon challenge, which ran from 4:43 am until the sunset at 9:21 pm, Hill was only out-bowled or caught out 29 times and Matt Trueblood took the record for the most balls bowled during the event, with 106 during his 20-minute slot.
Mark Everington, Chairman of Farndon Cricket Club said: “As a club, we are extremely proud of Martyn for his efforts at the bat-a-thon. With everything happening in the country at the moment it is important to have positive things to focus on.
“The event enabled the local community to come together and put a smile on lots of faces, whilst also raising money for worthy causes.
“While Martyn deserves our gratitude for his efforts, our thanks must also go to the other members of the bat-a-thon team – Sam, Will, Josh, Rod and James – who helped organise such a successful and memorable day.
“I imagine this event will be talked about for years to come. We are extremely grateful that even at a time when no cricket is possible, we still have people willing to make the effort to keep the club as an integral part of the local community.”
Hill, who is a Chance to Shine Schools Officer and Junior Outlaws coach at Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, has been a member of Farndon Cricket Club since he was 11 and has found comfort in the game and its community during some difficult periods of his life.
Peter Wingrove, Operations Director at Shaw Mind, said: “What an outstanding effort! Team activities, particularly sports, are a great way for people to support one another when it comes to mental health and wellbeing and Martyn has highlighted that perfectly with this event.
“He’s raised a great deal for us and his club and we couldn’t be more grateful. The funds raised will go towards our community outreach work, particularly mental health training for teachers at local schools.”
Donations are still being accepted until Friday 10th July, and anyone wishing to make a contribution can do so here: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/sunrise-to-sunset-batathon
