BRETFORTON Cricket Club will be playing host this Sunday (June 22) to a fourth annual charity T20 match in memory of a former junior player who died aged 22.
The event will see Bretforton take on Keele University Cricket Club in honour of Laurence Chinn-Brown who lost his life to a brain hemorrhage in 2021.
Laurence was a keen cricketer who played for Bretforton as a junior and was a member of the Keele University cricket team where he gained a first class honours degree in law.
He was due to spend a year in Madrid studying international law but tragically died a few weeks before starting.
The annual fundraiser came about when the university contacted Bretforton to play a match in his memory and it has since raised thousands of pounds for charities which would have been close to Laurence’s heart.
Last year £5,000 was donated to Project 3580, a charity set up by Neil Morland one of the teachers at Chipping Campden High School, where Laurence had been a pupil.
The charity was set up following his visit to a refugee camp in Sierra Leone 15 years ago, and over the years has provided wells for clean water, thousands of mosquito nets, several school blocks, a small clinic and a church.
The teacher was moved to set up the charity when he realised how many children under 12 were dying of malaria – 3580 at the time of his visit.
Laurence’s dad Stuart, who lives in Bretforton, told the Observer: “Last year’s match enabled a new school block to be built which now teaches 420 young children.
“Believing education is the best way out of poverty for these children, we will be continuing to raise money for Project 3580 in order to build more classrooms and educate more children.
“This year’s match is being held on June 22 which would have been Laurence’s 26th birthday, so we hope people will come along, support a worthwhile cause, and enjoy a great afternoon with some good cricket.”
He added: “All proceeds will go directly to the charity, there are no expenses or salaries meaning that every penny raised goes directly to the front line.”
The day will also feature a barbecue, refreshments, a charity auction and raffle.
