A HOST of county cricketers, stars of the local leagues and one or two less able individuals helped raise around £3,000 for charity on Sunday, as Swindon Cricket Club hosted a charity T20 match at the County Ground.

Former England international Jon Lewis, who began his career at Swindon, headed the list of a group of five county stars, including ex-New Zealand batsman Hamish Marshall and Alex and Will Gidman from Gloucestershire, who turned out alongside the likes of Goatacre veteran Kevin Iles, Purton’s India Under 19 international Akki Gomel, former Swindon Town footballer Phil King and Adver chief sports writer Sam Morshead in front of a crowd of around 300.

Lewis’s side - Lewy’s Legends - emerged victorious over Miles Better, the XI captained by Gloucestershire paceman Craig Miles, as the Sussex seamer smashed the last ball of the match, bowled by King, for six to see his team past their 147-run target.

Afterwards, he told the Advertiser how pleased he was to see the event turn out to be a success, with End Polio Now set to receive a handsome cheque as a result.

Lewis said: “I have to say a massive thank you to my former teammates for coming out and giving all their time on a Sunday afternoon. They’ve all got families and they’ve given their time to charity and that’s fantastic.

“For me personally, it’s great to see cricket back at the County Ground. There are some good quality players here and some fine bowling. It’s just a bit of fun at the end of the day and we’ve raised some money for a good cause.

“It’s nice to see so many people down at Swindon Cricket Club because it’s a place very close to my heart.

“It was a good game and it’s hard to get all the guys here because of the schedules and the way everything works itself out. We were very lucky that we were all free on the same day but it’s fantastic to see lots of people down at the club, the court case raising some money and the charity benefiting.”