Taking on a challenge quite so gruelling was never going to be straightforward, but, with the spirit of Josh Baker at the forefront of everyone’s mind, the 24-hour bat-a-thon was this weekend completed!
Organised and put together by Academy Head Coach, Elliot Wilson, supported by Lead Pathway Coach, Ryan D’Oliveira, the challenge saw participants from across the club face the bowling machine for an hour at a time, in an attempt to hit the most cricket balls in succession for 24 hours, in memory of the beloved Josh Baker.
Bringing people together in such a unique way, the 24 hour ‘bat-a-thon’, held at Malvern College Indoor Centre, was held to raise funds and spread awareness of the JB33 Foundation, after the passing of Josh, in 2024.
A much-loved player and teammate, Josh was a product of the Club’s Pathway system, where he made the successful transition from Junior cricket through to the Men’s Senior side, later making his debut in 2021.
Boys and Girls from the pathway participated between 8pm Friday and 8pm Saturday, with the Senior Academy players digging in for the ‘graveyard shift’ between 1am and 7am!
With eight people to a lane, the participants alternated between feeding, counting and hitting, whilst the lane next to them waited to for their counterparts to finish before starting themselves.
The final count of balls hit stood at a whopping 11,394, averaging just under 500 balls being hit per hour, in a gargantuan effort!
Elliot, who landed back from an Academy trip to India just the day before the ‘bat-a-thon’, said there was a palpable positivity and emotional awareness throughout the duration of the challenge.
“It was so noticeable the feel-good factor that was present by everyone who got involved with the challenge last weekend, whether that was some of the young kids grabbing a bat and getting stuck in, or our older pathway players coming in during the middle of the night to play their part.
“As much fun as we had on the day and putting the event together, the underlying reason we all came together was for a very poignant reason, which was ultimately to raise funds for the incredible JB33 Foundation.
“It was great to see so many friends, family and teammates with smiles on their faces and help do their bit through Josh’s biggest love – cricket.”
A massive well done to everyone involved and who participated on the day, but your chance to donate isn’t over!
Just follow the link below to make your donation today – thank you.
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