A BADSEY-BORN cricket player is swapping bat for bike when he takes part in gruelling 360-mile cycle for charity.
Opening batsman for Worcestershire, Daryl Mitchell, is gearing up for today’s Big Bike Ride 3 event which will see him, along with 60 other riders, cycle for five days to raise money for the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Benevolent Fund and the Tom Maynard Trust.
Daryl, who was elected chairman of the PCA earlier this year, will be joined by England Test players Marcus Trescothick, Geraint Jones, Tim Bresnan, Michael Vaughan, Steve James and Gavin Hamilton, as they cycle from Birmingham to Cardiff via Sheffield, the Peak District, Cheshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, the Forest of Dean and Welsh mountains.
The PCA Benevolent Fund was set up in 2000 to support past and present cricketers and their immediate family members in times of hardship and upheaval.
The Tom Maynard Trust was founded in 2012 after the namesake young cricketer died in tragic circumstances. It support aspiring young sports people.
“I’m a bit nervous at the moment but, when it’s completed, it will be something I will look back on with a lot of pride and satisfaction,” said Daryl.
“At the moment I don’t really know what to expect so there’s also excitement. But the main motivation is to raise a lot of money for two wonderful charities.
“I’m looking forward to the camaraderie. I imagine there will be a bit of dressing room banter on the way round. Obviously, I know the cricketers who are riding quite well, but we’ve also got sponsors, cricket fans and keen cyclists who are all very much part of Big Bike Ride 3.
“It’ll be demanding physically and mentally, but the money we’ll raise is the big motivation,” he added.
