Friends Provident International (FPI) recently sponsored a toy pig racing event to raise money for Castletown Cricket Club.  More than 90 supporters trotted along to help when the club organised a fundraising night with FPI donating prize money for one of the races.

Rob Karran, IT support officer at Friends Provident International, is a batsman and captain (for the C team) of Castletown Cricket Club, and he was delighted that the evening raised ?2,200 for the club.

He said, "The cricket club has been without a main sponsor for the last two seasons.  We regularly have to organise our own events to raise funds and the pig racing night was our major event of the year.

"Fundraising is important as we are trying to avoid raising membership fees for the 80 junior members we have. 

"It has helped the club assist its talented junior players, one of whom is Richard Jackson who was voted the club’s junior player of the year in 2009 and has represented the Isle of Man at under-17s level."

The pig racing night took place at Castletown Football Club.  Castletown Cricket Club does not have its own ground and plays its home matches at King William’s College.

Funds were raised by the battery powered pigs being auctioned to 'owners' and from bets being placed on a series of races.  To make sure the competition was unpredictable, each pig had its racing colours changed after every race.

FPI’s parent company, Friends Provident, sponsor the 20 English county cricket competition and the Isle of Man office will play host to the trophy this year.

Pictured: Rob Karran, IT support officer at FPI and captain of Castletown Cricket Club’s C Team, right, with the club’s 2009 junior player of the year Richard Jackson.