House builder sponsors budding cricketers in Oundle

Cricket bosses and players from Oundle have been bowled over by a new sponsorship deal from Linden Homes – giving youngsters a chance to develop their passion for the sport.

The sponsorship deal, which focuses heavily on the junior section of Oundle Town Cricket Club, is now entering its fifth year – and during that time has helped to fund training sessions, away matches and spread the word about the players and their successes both in the UK and overseas.

This current sponsorship will pay for around 250 training T-shirts, and go a long way to fund Oundle’s overseas professional coach who is employed 7 days a week throughout the summer to manage a huge programme of training and matches.

Established in 1826, Oundle is one of the oldest cricket clubs in the country and has a long association with the town and well-known public school.

Linden Homes sales and marketing director Steve Garton said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this sponsorship deal to Oundle Town Cricket Club - not only in support of the local community, but to encourage and recognise young sporting talent and potential stars of the future.

“Support for the club from a relatively small town like Oundle is amazing - which makes it even more of a pleasure for Linden Homes to be involved.”

The club currently sees around 150 five to nine year olds on a weekly basis for training, added to the 100 older kids of eleven to seventeen who play in the seven junior league teams. On the senior side of things, the 1st XI are the current Northamptonshire Twenty20 Champions and last season all three Saturday league sides won their leagues and were crowned champions.

Club chairman Justin Jeffrey said: “The support for the club from local people and our neighbours Oundle School – from which the club rents its ground on a long term basis - is phenomenal.

“We are thrilled to have Linden Homes on board as one of our main sponsors, and their continued generous support will allow us to continue our work with young cricketers for a long time to come.”