Charity cyclists arrive at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence

A team of Kent cyclists battled the conditions to ride over 250 miles between three county cricket grounds inside three days for charity this week, arriving at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence on Thursday afternoon.

The group from Cricket Cubs and Friends took to the roads to raise funds for CRY UK (Cardiac Risk in the Young). CRY was founded in 1995 to raise awareness of conditions that can lead to young sudden cardiac death (YSCD) and sudden death syndrome (SDS) and raise awareness of heart screening. Kent Cricket all-rounder Calum Haggett is just one of the many thousands who have benefited from heart screening.

The team of cyclists began their journey on Tuesday morning, heading off from the 44Two club in Gillingham to Lord’s where they were met by former England bowler Gus Fraser.

After a few delays getting through the London traffic, heavy rain, several punctures and a fall, the team of five cyclists finally made it to Tunbridge Wells for their first overnight stop at 10:30pm.

Following a hearty breakfast, four of the riders then cycled on to Hove, arriving at the cricket ground shortly before Sussex took on Kent in the Friends Life t20 (Kent won by eight wickets).

A further overnight stop in Rye saw the team refreshed and ready for the final leg of the journey – back up through Kent via The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

Further punctures delayed proceedings, but the Cricket Cubs riders made it to Canterbury in time to be met by assistant coach Phil Relf, who offered some words of wisdom and encouragement for the final thirty miles back to Gillingham.

Having made the entire journey, Cricket Cubs founder Jon waite explained how the three day ride had gone; “It was a tough but pleasing outcome with a lot of pedalling, a lot of punctures, and some very sore and aching legs.

“We were thrilled to have got around the 250 miles in the trying conditions and huge thanks must go to everyone at Lord’s for making us feel welcome and Phil Relf at Kent Cricket who met us at Canterbury.”

Another of the cyclists, Steve Waite, explained how the three day ride had been tough both physically and mentally: “We did it, and did it well. It was a tough but thoroughly enjoyable experience. Although there were a few ups and downs along the way and not just in terms of the roads we encountered, we eventually made it.

“The weather made it that bit harder and the first two nights saw us cycling in the dark. Punctures were a real problem with 22 in all between us, but we dug in and kept going as we knew it was for such a worthy cause.”

The team were supported by Steve Short of the South East 4×4 Response Team, who followed the cyclists around for the three days and he was thrilled to have been part of what was a tough three days for the guys on the bikes, commenting; “I was pleased to be part of this event. It was a tough three days for everyone involved!

“We had to keep arranging where to meet up as the guys kept picking up punctures along the route. At one stage Jon had two punctures and we had to make various trips to get more inner tubes.”

To find out more about the ride and how you can donate to the CRY UK charity, please visit the team's Just Giving page:https://www.justgiving.com/Cricket-Cubs2013