Billy Mackay, Marketing Director at AJ Bell, explained how the challenge works:
“We will be placing four ‘Hit for 6K Charity Challenge’ signs around the boundary at Emirates Old Trafford during T20 games. If a batsman hits a six and it strikes any of these signs without touching the ground first, AJ Bell will donate £6,000 to the LCCC Foundation. And it’s not just a one-time opportunity – we’ll pay out up to six times in a season. We are hopeful that the Foundation will significantly benefit from the challenge.”
AJ Bell already has a strong connection to Lancashire County Cricket Club, having acquired naming rights for the club’s AJ Bell Players & Media Centre in July last year. The club’s Royal London Cup shirt will also carry the AJ Bell name over the coming season.
Mackay described his company’s motivation for getting involved:
“Over the last year or so we have developed a fantastic partnership with the club. On the back of this we were keen to find a way of supporting the LCCC Foundation and the great work it does in and around the local community. The Hit for 6K Charity Challenge seemed like an exciting cricket-based way to help them raise money.”
The first NatWest T20 Blast match at Emirates Old Trafford is on Saturday 17 May when Worcestershire Rapids are the opponents.
Commenting on the announcement, Warren Hegg, Business Development Manager of Lancashire County Cricket Club said, “This is a tremendous gesture by AJ Bell who has shown tremendous support for the Club once again. The amount of money potentially generated could make a massive difference to our Foundation’s aim of inspiring communities through cricket. Not only that, but it will be fun to see the lads produce some big shots to try and hit the targets!”
Tickets for all games at Emirates Old Trafford, including the England v Sri Lanka Royal London One-Day International on Wednesday 28 May, can be bought online by visiting www.lccc.co.uk/tickets