Cricketers will be competing for a new trophy this summer in memory of two well-known Hartlepool sportsmen.

Hartlepool Cricket Club’s Over 40s football team will take on Hartlepool Cricket Club’s Over 40s cricket team on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31, in the annual 20-over charity match for the Danny Shurmer/James Parkinson Memorial Trophy.

The over 40s football team launched the Park Drive charity event last year and raised £5,500 for Hartlepool’s Alice House Hospice.

Danny Shurmer, a former first teamer at Park Drive and a goalkeeper, passed away, aged just 43, following a cardiac arrest in 2021.

Late Hartlepool sportsmen Danny Shurmer, left, and James Parkinson.

placeholder image — Late Hartlepool sportsmen Danny Shurmer, left, and James Parkinson.

His parents, Bill and Pam have since led a campaign which has resulted in almost 100 defibrillators being located throughout Hartlepool.

James Parkinson, a talented footballer and local firefighter, died suddenly last September aged just 47, just days after scoring the winning runs in last year’s charity cricket match.

The event sponsor is Mega Clearance Outlet, which is based on the town’s Tofts Farm Industrial Estate.

Nic Smith, the manager of the Hartlepool CC Over 40s football team, said: “Danny Shurmer and James Parkinson were exceptional, well-liked local sportsmen who both had close connections to Park Drive so it is very fitting to have a trophy in their memory.

“All the proceeds from the event will once again go to Alice House Hospice who do an amazing job caring for local people at a time of great need and we are delighted to have Mega Clearance Outlet onboard as main sponsor.”

The trophy has been donated by financial adviser Harrison Smith. He said: “Danny Shurmer and James Parkinson were both brilliant sportsmen and incredibly well respected throughout the community.

“I was very fortunate to play cricket with Danny and football with James and they were both good friends.”

Vikki Winspear, of Mega Clearance Outlet, said: “As a Hartlepool business, we feel it is important to support the local community and there is no better cause than the local hospice.”

There will also be a Player of the Match award in memory of Park Drive stalwart John Rae, who died earlier this year.

A bumper bank holiday weekend is promised at Park Drive as the annual double wicket competition in memory of club legend Ian Jackson takes place on Sunday, August 30.

Both days begin around noon.