Grants Available For Cricket Clubs Through The ECB For Electric Mowers

February 23, 2023

We have some exciting news about grants that are available for cricket clubs interested in purchasing a battery powered cylinder mower in the UK.

The County Grants Fund aims to support ECB affiliated Cricket Clubs to create welcoming environments, provide enhanced facilities and playing opportunities, and to tackle climate change. Grants for electric mowers will be covered under the climate change grant. The scheme is funded by the England and Wales Cricket Trust (EWCT), a wholly owned charitable subsidiary of England and Wales Cricket Board Limited (ECB), and will run until at least 2025.

Here at Allett we are passionate about going fully electric in the next few years but this will be influenced by our customers. We have a number of mowers suitable for cricket clubs in our PRO range.

The Allett C27E and C34E are perfect for maintaining cricket squares. They both have a cutting height from 8mm-55m which is perfect for squares that are generally cut around 12mm. Both mowers take a range of interchangeable cartridges that can be used to keep thatch levels down, aerate, verticut and brush a cricket square.

The Allett Stirling is the perfect choice for clubs that are looking for a wicket mower to suit a smaller budget. It has a cutting height from 3mm-50mm with most clubs cutting wickets around 5-10mm. It is much lighter than our professional mowers therefore suitable for volunteers at clubs especially those that are elderly. There is a full range of cartridges available for example a Scarifier, lawn brush, aerator, verticut, 10 blade and a dethatcher- all cartridges that would be used on a cricket wicket/square throughout the season as well as pre- season and post season renovations. The Stirling is powered by a 56v 5Ah battery and a 7.5Ah, 10Ah and 12Ah battery are also available for longer mowing times. Find our Stirling video here

What requirements does our club have to meet?

As a minimum, Clubs will need to have the following:

• Affiliation to ECB* via the local County Cricket Board (CCB) in England and Wales

• A Constitution, Articles of Association or equivalent governing document

• Valid Buildings, Contents and Public Liability Insurance

• Security of Tenure - Leasehold, Freehold or Rental (minimum one year)

• A bank account in the Club’s name

• Financial accounts from the Club's last budget year

• Adoption of the ECB Safe Hands Policy

• Adoption of the ECB Anti-Discrimination Policy

How many grants can we apply for?

Clubs may apply for up to one grant per ECB budget year (which runs from 1st February 2023 - 31 January 2024). Clubs will not be able to apply for a second grant for the same project before 2025.

What can we use the grant for?

Electric mowers / rollers

Think about the following electric mowers from Allett...

Allett Stirling (Wicket and Square)
Allett C27E (Squares)
Allett C34E (Squares)

How much can we apply for?

Each application will be assessed on its own merit. Clubs can typically apply for between £1,000 (minimum) and £10,000 (maximum) per application. The grant may not be used to retrospectively fund projects. The amount of grant offered may differ from that requested by the Club. Each CCB has a pre-determined budget so the amount of funding they allocate may vary.

Key Dates

The scheme will be open to applications from 1 February 2023 - 30 November 2023 (or until the funding runs out, whichever is first). • All projects must be completed and the grant claimed before the 31 January 2024.

For projects with a total project cost of up to and including £24,999, Clubs are required to submit official ‘like-for-like’ quotations (or tenders) from two different suppliers. For projects with a total project cost of £25,000 and above, a minimum of three quotes will be required.

Official quotations can be obtained by contacting Allett direct or if for standard purchases the ECB will accept a screenshot from our website.

All quotations must be legible and contain the following information:

• Supplier’s details

• Date of quote (must be no more than 6 months old)

• Details of the project or items to be purchased

• Total price including VAT, delivery fees and any discounts

• If a quote includes multiple items or options, the preferred items, size and quantity must be shown. Where available, the ‘shopping basket’ facility should be used.

It is in all Clubs’ interest to shop around for quotations prior to submitting an application. The cheapest option may not necessarily be the best for the Club’s needs. Choose the quotation that offers the best value for money. Please give us a call and we can talk you through your options and provide a quote for your application. We don't want you to be buying a mower that is not suitable for your cricket club.

Find the details from the ECB here including how to contact your local cricket board

Do you need more help choosing your mower? Find more advice here