Bailliefield cricketers bowled over by Falkirk Distillery donation

Baillifields Community Hub, a charity formed last year from Westquarter & Redding Cricket Club, has been given a barrel of whisky by George Stewart, founder of Falkirk Distillery to raffle.

All money raised will go towards the redevelopment of the Bailliefields site.

Funding of over £200,000 has already been secured to install a new fully accessible modular building to house changing rooms and community activities, along with the extension of the car park.

The charity is now fundraising for phase two which will see the old changing rooms and adjacent barn converted into a function hall, kitchen, toilets and will also include a Changing Place to ensure it is A Place For All.

It is hoped the whisky barrel will bring in lots of funding for the project.

But this is no ordinary barrel, it is 111 - a number which has a long association with cricket.

Stephen Sutton, a trustee, explained: "The number 111 has long had significance in the game of cricket with it being referred to as 'a Nelson' after Admiral Nelson, who allegedly only had "One Eye, One Arm, One Leg" near the end of his life.

"This is in fact inaccurate—Nelson never lost a leg. Nonetheless it has been a tradition for cricket umpires to avoid standing on 2 legs while the batting team's score was 111 or any multiple thereof."

The tickets for the raffle will be £10 and go on sale at 10am this Saturday, April 30, the date of the club's first 2022 league game and they will remain on sale until 11pm on Friday, July 8with the draw taking place the following day.

Tickets will be available here with all proceeds going towards funding the new hub.

Stephen said: "We would like to thank Mr Stewart for his support of the local community and hope that the raffle will raise a good sum of money for the hub while providing someone with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own one of the first Falkirk Distillery barrels of whisky."