Monmouth will be alive with Ashes fever when Marcus Trescothick, Tim Bresnan and Geraint Jones are among six former England Test cricketers cycling into town later this month.
Former England Test players Steve James, Matthew Maynard and Gavin Hamilton are also involved in the fund-raising cycling event called Big Bike Ride 3.
Old Monmothian Steve James, who enjoyed 17 seasons with Glamorgan and played two Tests for England in 1998, will be in familiar surroundings.
Monmouth School for Boys will be hosting around 75 riders who are raising money for the Tom Maynard Trust and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Benevolent Fund.
The group of current and former cricket stars, support staff and volunteers are expected to pedal into Monmouth School for Boys’ Sports Ground between 4pm and 5pm on Monday, 16th October.
Somerset batsman Trescothick and former wicketkeeper Jones helped England to a thrilling series win in 2005 – the country’s first Ashes triumph over Australia in 16 years.
Yorkshire all-rounder Bresnan has been involved in a series triumph in Australia and will be hoping England can repeat the heroics when the Ashes get under way in Brisbane next month.
Head of Cricket at Monmouth School for Boys, Mr Andy Jones, said: “We have a rich pedigree of sporting achievement at Monmouth and are proud to be hosting the riders who are raising money for two important causes.
“We are very proud of the professional cricketers that we have produced for Glamorgan in recent years, including Jeremy Lawlor, Huw Waters, Kyle Tudge and Steve James and, of course, Reuben Spiring who played professionally for Worcestershire.”
Mr Jones added: “With anticipation growing ahead of the Ashes series in Australia, we are also delighted to welcome three players who have helped England to win the famous urn.
“We will be inviting some of the schools’ leading cricketers along and I am sure they will enjoy having the opportunity to meet their Ashes heroes.
“We hosted the Queen’s Baton Relay at the school last month, which was hugely successful, and this is another opportunity for us to inspire the next generation of sporting stars.”
Monmouth is the final stop on the fourth and penultimate day of Big Bike Ride 3 which is due to start at Edgbaston in Birmingham on October 13.
The cyclists will be travelling to Monmouth from Worcester, taking in the Malvern Hills and the Forest of Dean with stops at Ledbury, Ruardean Hill and Lydney cricket clubs.
After an overnight stay in Monmouth, the group will head to the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff where Tom Maynard, who died in tragic circumstances in 2012, played his formative cricket and where the Trust set up in his name is based.
The cyclists will visit Abergavenny, Newbridge and St Fagans cricket clubs en route to the Welsh capital.
The PCA contingent will include chairman Daryl Mitchell, an opening batsman who has just helped Worcestershire to the County Championship Division Two title.
PCA chief executive and former Worcestershire all-rounder David Leatherdale and personal development and welfare managers, including Mark Wallace, the former Glamorgan captain, are also taking part.
The first two Big Bike Rides in 2013 and 2015 raised more than £320,000.
The Tom Maynard Trust was set up in 2012 and supports aspiring young sports people in a number of ways including sponsorship of the PCA’s annual Rookie Camp.
The PCA Benevolent Fund was set up in 2000 and supports past and present cricketers and their immediate family members in times of hardship and upheaval.
