FORMER England star and local lad Jon Lewis is bringing a handful of his first-class friends to Swindon next month for a charity game at the County Ground.

Lewis, a product of the Swindon youth system who went on to win one Test cap and make 13 One Day International appearances for his country, has recruited Gloucestershire’s Alex Gidman and Hamish Marshall for the event - which is due to take place on Sunday, July 13 in aid of End Polio Now and the cricket club.

Gidman, who has racked up 21 first-class centuries, has previously been captain of the England A side while Marshall made 13 Test appearances and turned out 66 times in ODIs for New Zealand.

The trio will headline the match, with a host of local club cricketers ready to pit their wits against them, and Lewis reckons it is about time some top drawer cricketing talent was back on show at the County Ground.

He told the Advertiser: “I remember when I was a youngster at Swindon and there were 40-over games on a Sunday at the County Ground when Wiltshire were playing against first-class counties.

“You got to see the likes of David Gower playing here, and I can remember bowling at Jack Russell in the nets before Gloucestershire played here. It’s great for the town to have that sort of calibre of cricket here and hopefully they’ll embrace this event.”

A place on each team has been reserved for silent auction, with Adver readers given the chance to submit bids. Anyone interested should email their bid to smorshead@swindonadvertiser.co.uk before June 27 to be eligible, with the donations split between End Polio Now - the chosen charity of organisers The Rotary Club of Swindon - and the cricket club itself.

On the day, entry to the game - which is scheduled to start at 2.30pm - is priced at £5 for adults and £3 for juniors and concessions, while a handful of VIP tickets, which include a pre-match meal and reserved seating can be obtained from Swindon CC or Deacon’s on Wood Street for £20.

Children’s activities will be on offer to keep the younger generation entertained during the cricket, while refreshments will also be available on the ground.