A charity cricket match featuring a team of famous authors has notched up a respectable first innings total to help protect some of Suffolk’s most treasured landscapes.
The Alde and Ore Estuary Trust’s most recent fundraiser for its Save Our Suffolk Estuary campaign saw the Authors Cricket Club – one of the world’s oldest wandering cricket teams – take on Sudbourne Hall.
The Authors team, whose players include Sebastian Faulks, Tom Holland, Richard Beard, Anthony McGowan and captain Charlie Campbell, scored 154-6, which was beaten with three over to spare by the hosts, Sudbourne.
However the important scorecard on the day was the total raised for the campaign. Around 70 spectators turned up to watch the game at Sudbourne Hall, on Sunday September 2, and were encouraged to donate to the AOET’s campaign, with the total now standing at £540.
The Authors, whose past players have included PG Wodehouse, Arthur Conan Doyle and JM Barrie, had accepted the invitation to play in light of the campaign’s important work to protect the Alde and Ore Estuary.
Before the match, captain Charlie Campbell said: “With its historic landmarks including a 12th century castle, pagodas on Orford Ness and largest single spit in Europe, Orford is unquestionably one of the prettiest villages in Suffolk, enjoyed all year round by villagers and visitors alike.
“It is important we all play a part in helping to reduce the risks the Alde and Ore estuary faces from tidal surges and the devastating impact this flooding would have on the area.”
Michael Woollard, chairman of Sudbourne Hall, speaking after the match said: “It was a honour to host such a prestigious team of writers at this charity cricket match in this, our 125th year of the club.”
The AOET was set up to highlight the need to make the river defences more resilient to the threat of devastating flooding, such as those of 1953 and the 2013 storm surge which breached the Hazelwood Marsh.
Trust chairman Jane Maxim said: “We are enormously grateful to Sudbourne Hall Cricket Club and all the renowned authors supporting this fundraising match and highlighting the important fundraising work of the Trust as the Save Our Suffolk Estuary campaign continues to gather momentum.”
It is estimated £12m is needed for upgrading the river defences, with £2m expected to come from statutory funding and £5m from farmers and landowners. The remaining £5m will need to be raised through donations, applications to charitable foundations and local businesses.
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