Uphill Castle’s leading run scorer from the past three seasons has challenged himself to take part in the Weston Super Half marathon and play for the club on the same day.

As part of his training for this year’s half-marathon, Ben Castle, who has made over 1,800 runs in the last three years, needed challenges along the way to keep him focused and motivated.

Castle got the idea after running past The Castle, a place that he calls his second home in the summer, and he thought about how it would be to run to the ground instead of driving like normal to play a game.

This idea then developed into a real challenge to run a half-marathon around Weston before arriving at the ground to play a game.

“With lockdowns, I found that running has helped me stay active and it’s been good to get out and about while listening to some of my favourite tunes,” Castle said.

“I love cricket and the club I play for. So I thought it’d be great to kick off the new season with something a bit different.

“Especially after missing the majority of last season. If we can raise a bit of money along the way for an awesome local charity, then even better!

“Local sport is important for so many reasons and plays a massive part in people’s lives and should be celebrated and supported.”

With the challenge now set, discussions with the club resulted in the idea of trying to raise funds for Weston Hospice, a charity close to many members' hearts, as well as for the youth section at the club.

Therefore, on Saturday, May 22, Ben will running a half-marathon before playing a game of cricket against Kilmington & Stourton CC firsts.

Starting at 10am, from his home on Weston Hillside, Castle is looking to complete his run by midday.

He will then make a quick change of running gear to cricket whites to potentially open the batting for the second XI.

A Justgiving page will be be set up, and you can follow Ben’s progress via the clubs website at www.uphillcastle.cc.