THIS summer may have been a largely forgettable one for Weymouth Cricket Club on the field, but the 2013 season was certainly brought to a close in style at the Riviera Hotel.

The Seasiders’ inaugural sports and social evening proved a resounding success with a hefty sum of money raised for the club – and plans are already in place for next year’s follow-up event.

Guest speaker, former Surrey and England batting great Graham Thorpe, delivered some humorous tales from his distinguished career, while a couple of club awards were also handed out.

It was a welcome return to Weymouth for Thorpe, who visited the town as a youngster, and the 100-Test batsman, now the lead batting coach with the ECB, is thrilled to see the national team enjoying so much success.

Speaking to Echosport, he said: “I was lucky to have some good knocks and from a team perspective, winning series in Pakistan and Sri Lanka stand out.

“We had Duncan Fletcher as coach and Nasser Hussain as captain and a great squad with a balance of experience and young stars coming through.

“From then I think England have been going in the right direction and Test cricket has been excellent over the last few years. We won the Ashes 3-0 this summer and I’d have bitten someone’s hand off for that when I was playing.

“Australia certainly had their moments against us and I don’t think England are under any illusions that when they go down there they have to be at the top of their game.

“It will be an exciting series again and I would be surprised if England lost but it won’t happen if the players don’t perform.”

As for Weymouth, they will be hoping for a big turnaround in fortunes next year after the first team’s relegation this term.

However, there were still some memorable moments and Ben Lawes (performance of the season), Tom England (fastest 50 of the season) and Joe James (young cricketer of the year) received awards on the night.

“The event was a resounding success,” said organiser Paul Payne. “We raised around £2,500 and Graham Thorpe was fantastic.

“The whole night couldn’t have gone any better and a big thank you goes to everyone who made it possible, especially Dave Trotter, Simon Browne, Tom England and Laurie Whyte.

“The Riviera Hotel was a great venue, their service was first class, and we raised more money on the night than in 10 previous events we’ve held.”