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Annual cricket match raises funds for SVAS

Annual cricket match raises funds for SVAS

Cricket players compete in the annual fundraiser in Lakeville.

Annie Prinz

LAKEVILLE – The Salisbury Cricket Club hosted its annual fundraising match for the Salisbury Volunteer Ambulance Service Saturday, June 27, and the friendly competition was divided into two teams: Salisbury vs. The Rest of the World. The event took place at Community Field in Lakeville.

Club founder David Shillingford of Salisbury said the club was founded in 2017 and has around 40 active members. While the majority of the athletes live in or near Salisbury, the club does attract players from as far as Philadelphia and Boston for its annual match.

Most of the players were natives of British Commonwealth countries, clad in traditional cricket whites. The club only plays once a year, and always to raise money for SVAS.

Prior to the start of play, Shillingford went over the ground rules, which were part of the fundraising. That is, a ball that went into Herrington’s lumber yard next door would require a $100 donation to the ambulance service.

“It is a safety issue, after all,” Shillingford said.

The SCC’s Ben Gore said on Sunday, June 28 that organizers are still adding up the total from business sponsors, merchandise sales and player contributions, but $3,300 is probably about right. “It will be one of the largest raises yet.”

Gore said the event welcomed some newer high school and college-aged players. “It was a nice addition to the rosters,” he said.

The match attracted local sponsors including Fern, Grasslands Dessert cafe, Lakeville Books and Stationery, Elyse Harney Real Estate, B.Metcalf Paving, in addition to more national sponsors like Gooding Christie’s, goodapple and Integrum.

Patrick L. Sullivan
Senior Reporter
Patrick Sullivan has been a reporter for The Lakeville Journal since 2004, covering everything from town meetings to local characters and the outdoors. He grew up in Northern Virginia but spent summers on Mount Riga in Salisbury, giving him a lifelong connection to the Northwest Corner. A graduate of Denison University, Patrick is also the author of Tangled Lines, the newspapers’ popular fly-fishing column—making The Lakeville Journal, as far as anyone knows, the only newspaper in Connecticut with a regular fly-fishing columnist. He once received a fan letter from England, which he considers sufficient evidence that his work has achieved international acclaim.
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