Bear Cricket competition winner and a one-day Test

Our website partner Bear Cricket generously offered a prize of a Polar Bear Bat, Pro pads and gloves to one lucky Cricket Yorkshire reader in our recent competition.

Thanks to everyone who entered and the winner, selected at random, is Gary Bell of Wheldrake CC.

Before we share Gary’s background in the game and a fundraising match, you can shop for Bear Cricket bats, equipment here:

🐻‍❄️ Bear Cricket Bats
🐻 Bear Cricket Equipment
👕 Bear Cricket Teamwear for Clubs

Our competition winner Gary began playing cricket in 2009 in the Nidderdale Cricket League with Burnt Yates before spells with Woodhouse, Fulfordgate and North Duffield.

He has played at Wheldrake Cricket Club since 2019. It’s a village about seven miles south-east of York in a canvas of farmland, punctuated by cricket clubs from Yorkshire Gentlemen to the West, along with Melbourne and Woodhouse Grange to the East.

He tells me how Wheldrake have bounced back since the pandemic: “The Covid years took its toll on the club and we put in a great effort to now have three sides on a weekend. I have been the second team captain for four years.”

“The proudest part of it is the amount of juniors coming through to help win the Division 2 York Vale Cricket League title last season. I also coach the All Stars and Under 9s; it’s great to see so many young players coming through the system.”

Gary’s eye-catching new Bear cricket equipment will be put to good use in 2025 as he aims for the seconds to kick on, while his own performances included an unbeaten hundred against Pocklington.

He is due to play in an important fundraising cricket match on Sunday 22 June at Hemingbrough Cricket Club with the OmniSports Hemingbrough CC XI vs. Microlise World XI. The goal is to play an entire Test match in a day.

It will raise funds and awareness of men’s mental health to support the suicide prevention charity, The Jordan Legacy.

The Jordan Legacy aims to ‘identify and help facilitate practical solutions that will get numbers of suicides on a downward trend as close to zero as is possible.’

Gary said: “I have friends and family who have suffered with this and when I got asked by Charlie, who I have played with in the same side as before to take part in this match, it was a no brainer for me to help out.”

It is an impressive website for a vital cause with opportunities to donate or sponsor players and equipment. More information on this can be found at: onedaytest.org

Good luck to Gary for the cricket season ahead and I’m sure The One Day Test will be a success.

🏏 Thanks again to Bear Cricket – you can check out their cricket bats range and they also offer clubs superb cricket teamwear.