Horley Cricket Club pick up top trophies at Reigate and Banstead Sports Awards

The Borough Council received 83 nominations for the awards, the highest since the event began, so for Horley to carry off two was a major achievement for the 230-year-old club and a recognition of the fantastic work which the committee and the wider club put in during 2021.

“I was very surprised. There were some great clubs and individual up for the awards,” said a beaming Colin Terry.

“We are a club deeply rooted in the community. We have got a massive membership for a little place, with men’s, women’s, girls’ and colts’ teams and we are growing every season.”

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Horley excelled on and off the pitch in 2021. They set up a new girls’ section, which around 25 players aged 10-13 signed up for and this year they will play in the Surrey Girls Smash-It league.

The women’s team, which started in 2019, played in a league for the first time in 2021, in conjunction with Outwood Cricket Club.

The Colts section fielded an under-7s team for the first time – there were already teams in every year group from under-8s to under-18s – and the club welcomed players age five and up to weekly Fun Cricket sessions. The under-9s and under-14s won their respective Surrey Leagues in 2021, the under-13s won the Surrey Cup and reached the Sussex Festival final, while the under-16s won their Sussex Festival. The Development XI – a mixture of colts and adults – reached the final of the Surrey Trust League.

The men’s section also broke new ground in 2021, fielding a Saturday 3rd XI for the first time. They played 15 friendlies and have entered the league for the first time in 2022. The first XI – many of whom came through the club’s own colts’ section over the last decade – missed promotion to the Surrey Championship for the first time by one place, having been promoted into the Surrey Premier Division the season before.

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Off the pitch, Horley ran a huge fund-raising campaign to pay for improved facilities and in October 2021 brand new practice nets were installed, costing £49,000. The club were fortunate to receive grants from Sport England, Reigate and Banstead and the Gatwick Community Fund, plus a very generous donation from their main sponsor, Keymex, while the rest was raised through fun days, raffles and member donations.

Enough money was also raised to re-lay the square, increasing the size of the playing surface for 2022.

Chairman Terry leads a dedicated and enthusiastic committee and said: “This is my third year as chairman. There is a great vibe in the club from the tiddlers all the way through the senior teams. Everyone is enjoying their cricket and we have some excellent fun days; we are a snowball rolling down the mountain, growing every year.

“Oakwood School are starting cricket this year with input from us and our network keeps growing.

“We welcome new players of all standards and ages, men, women, girls and boys.”

If you are interested in joining Horley Cricket Club, go onto the club website at Horleycricketclub.co.uk, or email [email protected].

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