Geoff’s outstanding service is rewarded with legendary status

A Buckinghamshire cricket club secretary has been recognised for his decades of service in the maintenance and growth of the club, after being named as one of the winners of a national grassroots cricket award.

Bledlow Village Cricket Club secretary Geoff Bishop has been named the latest winner of the Voneus Village Cup Club Legend award.

The award celebrates individuals who show dedication and passion to the sport and their communities.

Bishop’s involvement with the club goes back for a quarter of a century, with the Bledlow Village secretary having moved from playing on the wicket to being involved with everything the club does.

Currently seven years into his second stint in the role, Bishop also prepares the grounds for play, works behind the bar, helps maintain the facilities and acts as the club’s scorer for the village’s First XI.

Bledlow Village CC committee member and nominator James Shirley said: “Geoff has been a key member of the club for years and without him the club would not be where it is today.

“He is the club secretary, which is one of the hardest and most painstaking roles to have, and he does it all in his own time.

“He is the main organiser and doer for work which is required around the ground during the off-season, painting fences, chopping trees, putting up or down netting.”

Bishop is also one of the key organisers behind the club’s Bledfest celebration, a local fund-raising event held each September, featuring local bands and beer.

Now in its eighth year, Bledfest has raised around £50,000 for the club, with the money used for a range of projects.

The funds raised have allowed for the purchasing of an electronic scoreboard, the expansion of the clubhouse by 50 per cent and building a range of new facilities, such as girls’ changing rooms and new ladies and disabled toilets.

Bishop said: “This year in lockdown we put in two new nets replacing the old ones. They were 20 years old and worn out.

“We’ve got brand new ones now which are being used and are great, so the majority of the money will go towards that.

“Maybe some more ground machinery too, but the clubhouse is mostly finished for now.”

Bledlow’s Village Cup journey ended in round two at the hands of eventual Buckinghamshire regional champions, Stoke Green, but Bishop was on the road with the side, scoring their opening clash against Buckland and Aston Clinton.

As part of Bishop’s recognition as a Voneus Village Cup Club Legend, he has received a £100 voucher to spend at Owzat.

He added: “My playing days are long gone, my knees are gone. But what I’ll do with that money is see what the colts need.

“We run the All-Stars and Dynamos and things like that, so I’ll see what they need too.”

Head of marketing and communications for Voneus, Zoe Day, said: “Geoff is definitely the heartbeat of Bledlow CC.

“His dedication to cricket and his community is truly admirable.

“Hats off to you, Geoff, you’re an absolute legend!”

After each round of the Voneus Village Cricket Cup, clubs can nominate their legend here: www.nationalvillagecup.com/voneus-village-cup-club-legend/

For more information about Voneus, visit www.voneus.com