BOLA sponsors the National Village Cup

More than half of this year's 300 participant clubs in 'The Cricketer National Village Cup' are owners and users of BOLA Bowling Machines. A typical example is last year's National Village Cup (NVC) winners, Reed Cricket Club from Hertfordshire.

"We bought our BOLA in 2005, it has been in constant use ever since and it certainly doesn't owe us anything," enthused club secretary Peter G Baker. Reed CC uses their BOLA for indoor and outdoor practice sessions both for grooving stroke play and fielding drills.

Reed field three league sides on Saturdays with the Firsts competing in the Hertfordshire Premier League, the club also has three age-group colts teams and can boast seven ECB qualified coaches.

"We change our actual colts age groupings to suit the number of players of specific ages that we have in any one season," explains Peter. "We are lucky in being situated close the Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire border which allows us to always find competitive cricket for our youngsters in one or other of the leagues."

Reed CC has been ever present in the NVC having participated in the inaugural event in 1972. The Cricketer Magazine has administered the NVC since its inception and this year's competition begins with regional fixtures and ends, as all other NVC competitions have, with a final at Lord's in September..

"Reed won the competition in 2012 and 2017," says Peter, "so we are all hoping to make it three victories this year."