Folkestone Cricket Club’s crowdfunding appeal exceeded expectations.

The club smashed their £10,000 target - raising over £12,500 in just 58 days.

Chairman Laurence Ward says the money will be used to ensure the club has a bright future to look forward to.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted the way our members, whether it be current ones and many past ones supported us and I could not have asked for any more, it was fantastic.

“It now gives us the chance to plan forward for a change, rather than living season to season, hand to mouth.

“Despite the fantastic surroundings we have at Folkestone it is not our building and we don’t have the bar takings, so we do have some large overheads.

“To have this money in one lump sum, effectively, gives us the chance to plan for the next two or three seasons and that is something we haven’t had the chance to do for quite a

while.”

Particular emphasis will be on the colts section, expanding the opportunity for junior members to take part in specialised coaching.

Money will also be used to replace ageing equipment and plug the holes that the Covid crisis created.

The club lost revenue on match fees and sponsorship. They are also conscious of what Mr Ward described as a “fragile environment” ahead.

The club, formed in 1856, may well have survived without the funds but now they can thrive.

“We were never in danger of going under,” said the chairman. “But it would have been a case of cutting our cloth accordingly.

“With only having half a season, with greatly reduced incomes, we had to reduce membership fees because we could only offer a limited amount of cricket.

“People were fantastic in responding to that. Once we announced our fees people were paying quicker than they have ever done before! Parents, in particular, were very supportive.”

The club may be able to thank those members in the pocket by keeping membership fees down, rather than increasing them to cover costs.

“This now allows us to plan,” the chairman continued.

“What we won’t be doing is rushing out to spend it now, just because we have got it. Some of it will be used to plug those holes that we had.

“It could still be a fragile environment ahead, those sponsors might not have disposable income, especially if the businesses have had to shed people or shrink a little bit. We have to be careful and this money will help.”

The club did manage to resume play in the second half of the summer, taking part in the hastily-arranged NHS Heroes League and finishing second in Division 1.

Mr Ward said: “A lot of hard work went on behind the scenes in a fairly short space of time and it’s a credit to all those involved at the various clubs.

“Everyone made a real good fist of it in the cricketing community and people were playing with a smile on their face without there being too much of a threat of relegation or whatever. It worked out pretty well and that’s credit to a lot of people.”

Folkestone have around 150 members and many of those will now be able to benefit from improved winter coaching.

The funds will help the club continue their community involvement too, having run free coaching sessions for junior schools over the last decade. The club are also keen to increase female participation.

A club raffle included an England match-worn shirts from Zak Crawley and Joe Denly, signed photos and other gifts, some donated by local companies such as the Torbay of Hythe fish & chip restaurant, Bigjigs Toys, the Three Hills Sports Club, C&M Hayes Fruit & Veg, Wingham Wildlife Park and Sprinks Construction, who donated six bottles of wine.

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