CLUBS in the HPH York Vale Cricket League will be hoping for a glut of runs on the opening day of the season to boost charity.

A Cash For Runs day will be held on the weekend of Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 when clubs will be asked to donate 10p for every run they score to help send members of Special Olympics City of York (SOCY) to the Special Olympics GB National Summer Games in Bath later this year.

SOCY is made up of local athletes with learning disabilities, their parents and other volunteers, who want to make a difference.

The National Summer Games take place every four years, and 1,700 athletes will compete in the event between August 28 and September 1. York, who will be representing the Yorkshire and Humberside region, will be sending a squad of 26 athletes and 14 coaches and supporters.

SOCY is one of the chosen charities of the Lord Mayor of York, Coun Keith Hyman, a former Vale League player, who attended the league’s annual presentation and dinner last September.

Since its formation in 2007, SOCY has worked closely with voluntary sports clubs across the city and runs weekly training sessions in athletics, boccia, bowls, multi-sports, new-age kurling, swimming and tennis for its 120 athletes, whose ages range from eight to 60-plus. It will cost SOCY about £1,000 to send each of its athletes to go to the National Games.

Paul Ramskill, chair of SOCY, said: “It is great to have been recognised by the HPH York Vale Cricket League and to be able to benefit from the Cash For Runs initiative.

“These valuable funds will be used to purchase team kit and equipment for the athletes involved.”

The National Games will be based at the University of Bath where 12 sports make up the event – athletics, artistic gymnastics, football, boccia, badminton, short-mat bowls, golf, rhythmic gymnastics, table tennis, tenpin bowling, tennis and swimming.

The sports village of the university at Bath was used as a base for a number of countries competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Those clubs not in action on the opening weekend – Ovington II and Thorp Arch & Boston Spa II – are requested to take part in the Cash For Runs initiative the following week.

It is the league’s third Cash For Runs in recent years with Hearing Dogs For The Deaf and York Hospital’s Guardian Angels being previous beneficiaries.

Pocklington CC will host the Vale League under-16 six-a-side competition on June 30.

Balls and handbooks were handed out at the league pre-season meeting last night.