Cricket match tribute for Jack Bland (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Odiham teenager died in an accident

11:10am Sunday 26th August 2012 in Local By Chris Gregory

A CRICKET match will be held in honour of an Odiham teenager who died in an accident.

Jack Bland died on September 11 last year after he was hit by a car while walking along the A287 to his home in London Road. He was 19.

The Jack Bland Memorial Cricket Match will take place on Bank Holiday Monday at Odiham and Greywell Cricket Club, in King Street.

An Odiham side will play one from Hook and Newnham Basics. Jack, a keen cricketer and opening bowler, had played for both clubs.

Weeks after his death, his parents Tim and Lorraine set up the Jack Bland Memorial Fund to help fund redevelopment projects at the two clubs.

Mr Bland told The Gazette : “There was a time certainly during his young teens when cricket was his whole life. He loved it so much.

“He was quite a good player, was in an academy for a few years and was opening bowler when Robert May’s won the under-15 cup.”

Mr Bland added his thanks to businesses in Odiham, who backed the event by donating prizes for a raffle.

Money raised will go towards the rebuilding of the pavilion at Odiham, which was destroyed by fire earlier this year, and towards a plan to refurbish the current pavilion at Hook.

The Hook side will feature Jack’s 21-year-old brother Josh, as well as first team captain Ben Thane. There will also be a hog roast, ice creams, a raffle and a silent auction.

Parking at the club will be for players, officials and helpers only – alternatives include the car park in Buryfields.

Last month, Henry Stangroom, of Rye Common, Odiham, was given an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, after admitting dangerous driving.

The court heard he did not realise he had hit Mr Bland, but he continued driving with a damaged windscreen.