Toyota bowls ’em over again

Toyota Bowls 'em over again

Cliftonville Academy are in the running - is your club?

Our new partner, Toyota, understand that clubs rely on volunteers and fundraisers to keep the scoreboards ticking over. That’s why Toyota are committed to helping – through the Toyota Good For Cricket Prize Draw – supporting clubs raise funds to ensure more people can enjoy the game now and in the future.

That’s good for players, good for communities, and good for cricket. The Prize Draw is only open to clubs from Northern Ireland, and will look to be expanded to Republic of Ireland in 2026. But note, the opportunity closes 30 September 2025.

Find out how the programme works here

Meet one club looking to benefit: Cliftonville Academy CC

We spoke to Dr Darshan Kumar – a player and Committee Member at Cliftonville Academy CC. He is also a representative of Cricket Ireland’s EDI Working Group and a Northern Cricket Union Board member.

Cliftonville Academy CC in Belfast features five Senior Men’s sides, a Mid-week team and youth teams for boys and girls across the Under-15, Under-13, Under-11, and Under-9 age groups.

You’re fundraising for the Club, what is your target so far?

We have set an ambitious target to raise £5,000. Initially we have put a £2,500 target as we wanted to get a sense of the level of interest from our members and supporters. As of today, we are over £1,300 to date. In our experience the bulk of fundraising comes in last minute close to deadlines, so we are really excited to see how much we can raise by the end of September!

What the funds will go towards?

Funds raised will support across two key areas that reflect our Premier League status. The first is growing our network of coaches to support the Overseas Club Professional and ensure our senior cricketers as well as the girls and boys progressing through our pathways have the necessary skills and expertise at their disposal so that all our players can reach their potential! We are also investing in our facilities with a focus on better equipment and resources around our match pitches, as well as investing in the surrounding cage, improving bowler runs up and providing better equipment for our practice areas.

Any challenges your club is facing or has overcome?

What’s great about cricket is the role clubs can play towards equality and while there has been great progress, there are some critical areas we are determined to address at Cliftonville Academy CC. We need to look at our changing and washroom facilities and ensure these cater for our growing female membership, as well as ensuring we are truly accessible for all-comers.

What has been most useful about the club dashboard / marketing hub?

The website is great! After we received our club ID from the NCU, the club secretary registered the club and since then it’s been easy to use the social media toolkit and promote Good for Cricket!

Remember, you’re also in the running for those fantastic Toyota prizes. Why not share this incredible initiative with friends and family? Every ticket helps a club, and every ticket is a chance to win.