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Fundraising tops £200k as Ali Brown wins PCA England Legends Player of the Summer.
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A fantastic 2024 summer for the PCA England Legends saw £212,000 raised for local clubs and schools with Ali Brown voted the Player of the Summer.
This season saw the Legends compete in nine matches, from Banstead in Surrey to Edgworth in Lancashire, with the highly anticipated fixtures resulting in five wins.
A packed schedule from June until the end of August saw the Legends raise vital funds for the grassroots game, as 36 players represented the PCA England Legends.
The total money raised by the programme for recreational clubs has now surpassed £1.5 million in the last 10 years.
Former England Women batter, Claire Taylor debuted for Alex Tudor’s side this year. The 2009 World Cup winner was the first woman to be named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year and played an incredible 168 times for her country.
The programme was extended to include local County Legends in 2024, as Graham Napier, Paul Horton, Jack Brooks and Steven Croft made their Legends debuts.
High profile victories came against Toft and Bramhall, both from Cheshire, early on in the season. With the Legends also picking up wins against Mawdesley, Edgworth and Farnsfield.
Host clubs successfully sold out their marquees, enjoyed large crowds, gained money through auctions and raised vital funds through the Legends programme.
Defeat at Banstead included a family affair as Legends opening batter Brown came up against his son Joe, who opened the bowling for the home side. Brown blasted a phenomenal knock of 97 but was dismissed in the end by his son.
Brown wins PCA England Legends Player of the Summer
Following an end of season player vote, Brown was named the PCA England Legends Player of the Summer for a second consecutive year.
The former England and Surrey batter has been awarded £2,000 to donate to a grassroots club of his choice, thanks to PCA England Legends partner, Greene King, having donated the prize to Banstead last year.
Brown also receives an engraved Mappin & Webb trophy, £1,000 as a personal prize and a voucher for Macron, the Official Apparel Partner of the PCA England Legends.
The PCA England Legends opener scored 95 against Madwesley, 97 at Banstead and a brilliant 128 in the final game of the season at Farnsfield, picking up three Player of the Match Awards for those performances.
The 54-year-old was delighted to win the award in successive seasons, being selected by his fellow PCA England Legends players:
“Considering I thought I was going to retire a few years ago it’s an honour to win this award for the second year in a row. The days that we have are great and it’s nice to be able to still perform at a level I’m happy with.
“Having not picked up a bat for nine months, the start of the season is always hard but it was nice to spend some time in the middle early on. Sometimes you find something and think ‘yes, that’s how I used to play’.
“I had a 97 against Banstead, playing against my son Joe, everyone was saying how he was going to get me out in the first over, he did get me out eventually but I was very pleased with that knock. It was great to play there as it’s a club I’ve been lucky enough to support recently having won this award last year.
“I had some unfinished business at Farnsfield as I got a duck against them last year, so it was nice to score a hundred there this season.
“The reason I keep playing for the Legends is because we get such an amazing reception wherever we go. The clubs always have such enthusiasm for the games and to see the money that they raise for the youngsters and for improving their facilities and to see the joy they get out of it, really means a lot.
“The Legends have given me a new love for the game, I get lots out of the programme, seeing old teammates and being in the dressing room is great.
“I also really liked the new Macron kit this year, it was modern and fun to wear and it was a great funky style, I thought we looked very smart.”
The PCA England Legends, gives recreational clubs and schools a vehicle to raise significant funds for their community. Visit thepca.co.uk where you can find more information.
