An Ospreys X1 takes on Mumbles Cricket Club in a charity fundraiser on behalf of LATCH, the Welsh Children's Cancer Charity, on Friday Evening.
The 20/20 match gets underway at 4.30pm at Mumbles’ picturesque Marespool Ground on Plunch Lane, with admission costing just £2, with a barbecue available on site.
LATCH is a voluntary organisation set up to support the special requirements of the children's oncology centre in Wales, which is based at the Children's Hospital for Wales to help affected families and promote research in childhood cancer. The charity was formed in 1982 by a group of families and friends who recognised that the children and their families not only needed medical support, but also social and welfare support to ease the huge financial burden placed on families with a child on treatment.
Head Coach Sean Holley has named a 12-man squad for the testing fixture against the SWCA Division One side, which features a mix of youth and experience, following a number of sessions at the region’s Llandarcy HQ to identify the cricketing talent in the ranks.
Ospreys squad to face Mumbles CC:
Sean Holley, Scott Johnson, Ian Evans, Tom Smith, Jamie Nutbrown, Marc Breeze
Marty Holah, James Hook, Filo Tiatia, Jerry Collins, Barry Davies, Jonathan Thomas
Speaking ahead of the game, Filo Tiatia commented:
“We’re all looking forward to Friday evening and testing ourselves at the wicket. We’ve got some pretty decent guys in the team but we realise that we are up against a good team. We know it will be tough, so we are just looking to enjoy ourselves in what will be a different sporting environment to what we are used to.
“There’s a serious side to the event, as we will be helping Mumbles Cricket Club to raise much needed funds for a very worthy cause, so as a group of players we are delighted to be in a position to help. Hopefully, there’ll be plenty of Ospreys fans present on Friday evening to support a brilliant cause.”
Mumbles Cricket Club’s history extends over 100 years and today it fields three League XIs on Saturday’s, a Midweek League XI, and seven Junior League sides. In 2008, the club was awarded with the prestigious ECB Clubmark accreditation. The Marespool ground has Minor Counties status after hosting one-day cup fixtures for Wales.
After weeks of unseasonal weather, the Met Office are currently predicting a dry and pleasant day on Friday (as of noon Thursday), with temperatures at 4pm reaching 18C, making for perfect weather conditions for the match. For the latest Met Office forecast visit http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/wl/swansea_forecast_weather.html
LATCH aims to enable the children with cancer in Wales to have the very best that is available today and see they have a healthy future ahead of them, providing the following
* Emotional and practical support to affected children and their families.
* Parents' accommodation in the hospital to avoid family separation.
* Funding of social workers and community nurses in the development of a support team, together with substantial funds to help families with travelling expenses and extra requirements in the home.
* Support for the purchase of research equipment and funding for a full-time research doctor.
* Holidays and other treats to help compensate the children during the difficult treatment years.
* The provision of £800,000 to build an additional floor on the children's hospital for Wales to provide hotel accommodation for families and a dedicated outpatients department for our children.
For further information on LATCH please visit www.latchwales.org