A 24-HOUR sponsored cricket marathon – with England women s captain Charlotte Edwards captaining a side – and a gala dinner dance are part of a fundraising weekend for Eaton Socon Cricket Club. The club, which has a dazzling youth section, is aiming to ra

A 24-HOUR sponsored cricket marathon - with England women's captain Charlotte Edwards captaining a side - and a gala dinner dance are part of a fundraising weekend for Eaton Socon Cricket Club.

The club, which has a dazzling youth section, is aiming to raise £20,000 for new, English Cricket Board approved, nets and has launched its Net=Success Appeal.

The indoor cricket marathon takes place over the NatWest Cricketforce Weekend of March 30 to April 1. The dinner dance will be at Wyboston Lakes on the Friday night and the sponsored 24-hour indoor cricket marathon at St Neots Recreation Centre will run from 8.30pm on the Saturday to 8.30pm on the Sunday.

Charlotte Edwards is to captain the side for Hunts County Bats, who will play Hunts County Over 50s on Sunday at noon.

Other matches are between Longsands and Kimbolton Schools, Hunts County Girls Red and Girls Blue, Eaton Socon Youth Cricket Lads v Dads and teams from St Neots businesses, including Thomas Morris v Cryovac - who will open the tournament, and 02 v St Neots Round Table.

There will also be a team from The Hunts Howzats, which is open to anyone aged 10 and over with a disability. The final match will between Eaton Socon Cricket Club and NatWest.

There will be 13 matches with cricket teams of six or eight-a-side and each match consisting of one innings per team.

The club has developed its youth cricket to a high standard and Huntingdonshire Cup and League winners include Eaton Socon Cricket Club's under 11s for four years running, in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. The under 13s triumphed in 2000, 2003 and 2004. The under 15s won in 2001 and the under 13s bagged the KO Cup in 1999, 2004 and 2005. Programmes are £1 each and each one has a number which will be entered into a prize draw for a hamper. They are on sale at shops in St Neots High Street, including W Johnson, jewellers, Brittains Furnishers and the Eaton Oak pub in Eaton Ford.

The campaign has already held a series of successful fundraisers including a race night, Christmas float, raffles, match day burgers, a balloon race, a 70s disco night and a bag back at a Rainbow store.

There are still some tickets left for the dinner dance on March 30 at the Willows Centre at Wyboston Lakes at £45 per head for three courses, plus coffee and dancing to Soul Patrol. The 24-hour cricket marathon is free for spectators (donations welcome). It is hoped that the new nets, with a state-of-the-art practice wicket, will be installed in April with an official opening in May.

INFORMATION: The marathon match is at St Neots Recreation Centre, Barford Road, Eynesbury. Eaton Socon Cricket Club plays at Peppercorn Lane, Eaton Socon. For a programme or tickets to the dinner dance, call Steve Brown on 07771 624576 or email stephen@sb-print.co.uk