How a small village club in Bognor have become a thriving local hub after an arson attack threatened its existence in 2017.
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Manning the phones in the control room at the local fire station during the early hours in February 2017, Ian Guppy was alerted to an arson attack on the pavilion at his beloved Aldwick CC, where he was one of the club captains. “I instantly put messages out on the club’s WhatsApp group,” he told Wisden, after scooping the national ‘heartbeat of the club’ gong in the annual Natwest Outstanding Services to Cricket awards (OSCAs) this month. “It was one or 2am, so no one got the message until the morning. By the time they got down there it had been destroyed.
“Our clubhouse was a s***hole, but it was our s***hole. It was an old council building that we had already been looking to replace with something cheaper; we looked into some modular buildings but it was pushing us close to bankruptcy. When fire struck we knew our future was touch and go. For a building they hire out once a week for £50, the council understandably didn’t want to replace it with something amazing. We had an EGM with the committee – we thought we’d have to close our doors.”
So this happened on Monday at the @NatWest_Cricket #OSCAS.
It’s amazing to share the experience of @Gupster81 and it’s amazing to see us gaining national exposure.
We’re so excited for next season already with other new ventures happening at our little community club ?? pic.twitter.com/MHmFKdihLM
— Aldwick Cricket Club (@AldwickCC) October 17, 2019
The pavilion at Felpham Oval had stood for fifty years; while the building itself was insured, the contents weren’t, and without Guppy the entire club would have been swallowed by the flames. But the mindless attack only served to strengthen the will of the village club – Guppy in particular. Refusing to admit defeat, the skipper launched a Crowdfunder on day one, raising nearly £10,000 – the amount they had believed to have lost through destroyed machinery and club kit. After the club flirted with a nearby unoccupied facility, a further lifeline was delivered; the council surprisingly revealed they had sourced some funding for redevelopment.
The NatWest OSCAs, run by the ECB, were established in 2003 to reward the valued contribution of volunteers to recreational cricket. They are the lifeblood of the game. A club spokesperson, who nominated Guppy for local and national award, paid tribute: “Ian really is our heartbeat; without him Aldwick CC would likely have gone down with the pavilion when it burned to the ground in 2017 … He is a fantastically fun and energetic [All Stars] Activator who is adored by the children. Thanks to Ian’s infectious enthusiasm, positivity and determination, Aldwick CC is looking forward to the brightest future they have ever had.”
