Opening day win for Banbury CC as solar panel funding revealed

Banbury skipper Kieran Coyne won the opening toss of the campaign and put the visitors in to bat, that decision quickly paying off as Rob Farina was out with just one run on the board off the bowling of Brad Taylor, who also accounted for the other opener Rhys Lewis 17 runs later.

Isaac Humphries steadied things for Wargrave with a fine knock of 66 but other than Neal Robinson’s unbeaten 42, others largely struggled and Wargrave were all out for 176, Taylor’s 3-30 the pick of the bowling.

In reply, Banbury lost opener Lloyd Sabin early on but then half centuries from Joe White (50), Arjun Ramkumar (69*) and captain Coyne (51*) saw Banbury home.

Banbury go to Stoke Green on Saturday.

Meanwhile, leading housebuilder David Wilson Homes has helped to fund the installation of solar panels at Banbury Cricket Club, close to its development, The Pavilions.

Since the installation, the solar panels have managed to save over 19.15 tons of CO2 emissions which is equivalent to 10.6 trees being planted and overall have generated a yield of 19,212 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy.

Jack Lambden, honorary secretary at Banbury Cricket Club, said: “Our efforts were recently recognised by Oxfordshire Cricket in its annual Grassroots Awards in the category ‘Tackling Climate Change’.

“At a time when sustainability has never been more important, we are proud to be at the forefront of the efforts of local sports clubs in Oxfordshire and simply couldn't do so without the support from David Wilson Homes.”

Helen Lewis, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said: “We are delighted to have been able to offer our support to Banbury Cricket Club. It’s a great hub for the local community and we are incredibly proud to be able to demonstrate our commitment to helping those close to us.

​“We hope this donation can inspire others to consider green issues and think about how we can all take part in building a sustainable future.”