4:30pm Friday 27th January 2012
By Dan Barnes
THE newly-formed Beanacre & Melksham Town cricket club says it was formed to get town’s best cricketers playing under one banner.
The club was created in a merger between Beanacre and Melksham Town cricket clubs and will run three sides in the Wiltshire League, one Sunday side, one midweek side and three youth sides next season.
Beanacre & Melksham Town will use the King George V playing field and the ground at Melksham House, which faces an uncertain future as part of a redevelopment plan by Wiltshire Council.
Secretary Andy Footner said: “For about 10 or 15 years, Beanacre and Melksham Town have been fighting for the same players and we’ve seen some of the best players from the area go to play for Trowbridge, Corsham, Westbury and Warminster.
“That’s why we decided to join together and create one strong cricket club for the town. The discussions went on for a long time and there were people who were initially against it because both clubs have proud histories, so that’s why we decided to go with the name Beanacre & Melksham Town.
“At the moment we don’t know what players we’ll have in the different sides but we’re hoping to be strong and we’d like to be in at least the Wiltshire Division of the WEPL in five years.
“We want to be playing in the same league as the other big local teams.”
Gary Burns, ex-Melksham Town chairman, will undertake the role of chairman, while ex-Beanacre chairman Rob Brown is vice-chairman.
Beanacre & Melksham Town will begin nets next month.
For club information email anfootner@blueyonder.co.uk.
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