Tom Maynard Trust Cycle Ride

Glamorgan Player Will Bragg with former player,
now Analyst David Harrison get set for the ride

Following the go-ahead from the Maynard family for the establishment of a trust in the name of former Glamorgan and Surrey batsman Tom Maynard, who died tragically on 18th June, the first fund raising event has been confirmed.

A two-day bike ride from the SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff to The Kia Oval will be undertaken by Ian Williams and Martin Loosemore, friends of the Maynard family, plus current and former Glamorgan players including Steve James, Will Bragg and Ryan Watkins. Also taking part in the ride will be Andrew Flintoff.

The Tom Maynard Trust has been set up to help aspiring and disadvantaged young cricketers and other sportspeople with their career development, including support for training, education, kit and overseas visits to help them gain important experience. The Trustees comprise individuals connected with the two county cricket clubs Tom represented during his playing career – Surrey and Glamorgan – and there is also a Trustee from the Professional Cricketers’ Association, with whom the Trust is expected to work closely as it develops.

The riders for the fundraiser, who are also expected to be joined on the trip by Matthew Maynard, will aim to arrive at the Kia Oval shortly before the start of the Clydesdale Bank 40 match between Surrey and Glamorgan on Tuesday August 21st, which will be a tribute match to Tom Maynard (3.40pm start). The proceeds from that game are being donated to the Trust.

Ian Williams, the ride organiser said: “The cycle ride was my idea, but initially it was only going to be myself and one other, not the number of riders it’s got to now. I tweeted one night what we were going to do and it was forwarded on by a number of people with more followers than me and the interest bloomed from that!

“There’s a lot of Glamorgan players, past and present now involved, including Will Bragg, Matthew Maynard himself, David Harrison who is on the staff at the SWALEC Stadium, Steve James, Darren Thomas, Andrew Davies, David Brown and Ryan Watkins who left the staff a couple of years ago, and through a Surrey connection, Andrew Flintoff is now involved, which increases the profile massively.

“There’s a mix of ability in the group, from regular riders, to Sunday cyclers – as I call myself to people who cycle very little – so it might be a slight wake up-call for some! I cycled to North Wales last year for Mike Powell’s benefit, but that’s by far the furthest I’ve done on a bike.

“At the start when it was just me and Martin cycling, I thought it would be great to raise £1,000, but with more riders involved and about 20 days to go, we’re well past that. We’ve also had a substantial sponsorship figure from Brewin Dolphin and others are collecting on sponsorship forms on our behalf so we now hope to raise more than £20,000.

“We’ve broken the ride into two relatively even days, the first around 95 miles or so and the second, as we want to get there by a certain time, is about 55 miles.

“We’ve had to limit the number of cyclists to 25 for logistical reasons but we welcome not only anyone who wishes to donate but also any offers to support us in any other practical way. Matthew has spoken about the ride being undertaken again next year, so this could be an ongoing thing.”

Richard Thompson, Chairman of Surrey County Cricket Club, who will be one of the four Trustees, said: “We are absolutely delighted to support the Trust and, of course, the cycle ride. In addition to his considerable talent, Tom was an incredibly popular young man and the establishment of a Trust will ensure that his name will not be forgotten. It is fitting that the objectives should focus on helping aspiring young cricketers and I am sure that an enormous number of people will benefit in years to come.”

LV=, sponsors of the County Championship, have started a programme called ‘Batting For Charity’, which seeks to provide charitable donations in return for bat sponsorship. Glamorgan’s James Harris has taken their sponsorship logo for the remainder of the season and, in return, he is passing the £250 donation from LV= to the Tom Maynard Trust.

Mike Fatkin, a close friend of the Maynards and one of the founding Trustees, said: "We are obviously grateful to all of the people who have committed to undertaking the bike ride, and to everyone who has donated, especially to Brewin Dolphin. We are also grateful for the donation from LV=. It will certainly benefit the work that the Trust will do. The support received from current players such as James in championing the trust has been brilliant and we’ll keep a special eye out for him for the rest of the summer.

There have been so many offers of help from professional cricketers past and present and we’ve got a number of ideas and projects being considered. The whole process of establishing the Trust has been a real help to Matt, Sue and Ceri."

Donations to the Tom Maynard Trust can be made by contacting Jon Rees, Carston Accountants, Tudor House, 16 Cathedral Road, Cardiff F11 9LJ. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Tom Maynard Trust’.

To make a donation towards the cycle ride, please visit the Just Giving page www.justgiving/ian-williams15

Cycle Ride Details:
20th August: 7am - Meet at the SWALEC Stadium, Glamorgan CCC, Cardiff. Approximately 96 miles to Newbury arrive 8pm. 21st August: 8am - Leave Newbury. Approximately 55 miles to The Kia Oval, Surrey CCC, London, arrive 3pm

For further information in taking part please contact: Ian Williams, 8 West Orchard Crescent, Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 1AR. Tel: 07721 596783 . All monies raised will go to the Tom Maynard Trust