Cricket and football fans came out in force on Wednesday night as Soccer Elite FA raised over £2000 for two great charities.
Both Demelza Hospice Care for Children and Teens Unite Fighting Cancer will benefit from the event that saw a thrilling game at Leeds & Broomfield Cricket Club.
Hundreds of fans watched on as the Soccer Elite pro stars and Leeds & Broomfield put on a show, with some of the pro stars side wielding a cricket bat for the first time.
It was the hosts that batted first, but they didn’t have it all their own way despite having the more experienced line up with the visitors taking wickets at regular intervals.
Buoyed by having Ashes winner Geraint Jones in the side, Soccer Elite chipped away at the Leeds & Broomfield batting line up with wickets coming thick and fast.
Former Kent and England fast bowler Martin McCague was one of the first back in the pavillion with Simon Beard showing his prowess with the ball, whilst Danny Spiller claimed a wicket in his first over sending a young Leeds & Broomfield lad’s wickets flying.
Some slightly unusual bowling and some superb catching in the deep saw Leeds & Broomfield accumulate 143 in their 20 overs with Jones claiming a wicket with his gentle off spin.
Both KSN’s Steve Wolfe and Tunbridge Wells FC winger Josh Stanford bagged superb catches, with the troops well marshalled by Robin Stanton-Gleaves from Balreed.
When it came to batting, Soccer Elite opened up with brothers Danny and Lee Spiller with the pair showing an array of strokes, some good and others a little unusual.
Like the Leeds & Broomfield innings, wickets were to tumble with Jones coming in at five and playing all manner of shots around the picturesque ground that overlooks Leeds Castle.
Despite their prowess on the football field, Soccer Elite’s Tony Browne, Stuart Bell and former Charlton Athletic defender Richard Rufus found batting somewhat out of their comfort zone, but still managed to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
In the end, Jones was there to see the side through to what was a thrilling tie as the Soccer Elite side pinched three off the last ball.
With the Twenty 20 game proving to be such a success, plans are already being made to make the event bigger and better for next year.
As for Soccer Elite FA, it’s straight back to the day job with the Academy fixtures against Arsenal on Thursday 22nd August and they have a special invite to Cowes on the Isle of Wight to take on Portsmouth on Friday 30th August.
Main pictures supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com