WITH the delayed start to the 2020 season, Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s men’s first team coach Jim Troughton has swapped his cricket mitt and claw for colouring pencils.
Troughton is supporting local author Rachael Wong with the illustrations for her children’s tale The Legend of Morvidus Continues…. The Bears’ Family, released in May.
Former Leamington schoolboy Troughton and Wong have teamed up again, five years on from the release of their first book – The Legend of Morvidus: The Bear, the Bat and the Ragged Staff.
“It’s been fantastic to work with Rachael again and to help create the pictures for this second book,” said former Stratford Cricket Club ace Troughton.
“We both thoroughly enjoyed working together on the first book and it received a great reaction from the wider Warwickshire CCC network, including our members and supporters.
“With the county season on hold, we recognised a Morvidus follow-up tale could bring some welcome relief – not just for us from a writing and illustrating perspective, but for our young supporters and their parents at home.”
The second book, which will be available to download in PDF format for free at www.birminghambears.com, again follows the fortunes of cricket-mad youngster Alex, who is inspired by the brave Lord Morvidus of Warwickshire and the family values and bonds he develops after a mishap in a game of turnip ball with his sister.
Hard copies will soon be available to order from Edgbaston’s Store 94, with all proceeds being donated to the Edgbaston Foundation to support its combined fund-raising for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity and the NSPCC’s Childline service in Birmingham.
Wong said: “There has been a fantastic team effort from everyone at Warwickshire County Cricket Club in its response to the COVID-19 outbreak and I was very keen to play a part in this by working with Jim to produce a follow-up to our first Morvidus book.
“Whilst it is a small contribution, we hope it will provide some welcome relief to parents at home, but longer-term to raise some funds for two great local charities.”
The fund-raising is part of a wider community response project led by Warwickshire CCC, with the Edgbaston car park donated for use as an NHS COVID-19 testing centre, whilst its exhibition hall is being used as a food storage and distribution centre for the local charity – Thrive Together Birmingham.
