CRICKET club members from Bucks cycled to Yypres in Belgium to commemorate a former player who lost his life in The Great War.

Frederick Wingrove died in the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) in the summer of 1917.

He played for Penn Street Cricket Club, which was actually founded by his father and uncle, before joining the Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry.

To mark his sacrifice, 14 club members made the 180-mile bike ride in time to join the official service at the Menin Gate on August 4, exactly 100 years after the outbreak of the war.

Led all the way by five outriders from the Royal British Legion, the group stopped at Lord’s CC before cycling through France amidst cheering crowds.

After a friendly against Lille CC, they arrived in Ypres on the morning of August 4 and proceeded to walk through the town to the Menin Gate, carrying the club flag.

They had expected only to lay a wreath in memory of Wingrove, but got more than they planned for when three of their number, Mark Lander, Simon Briggs and Richard Spooner, found themselves incorporated into the official guard leading the dignitaries.

Richard Spooner said: “It was incredibly moving and a real privilege to be allowed to be involved in the ceremony and to march up and lay a wreath.

“And it was even more poignant because we later discovered Ernest Wingrove’s name was also on the Menin Gate.”

Ernest Wingrove was a great uncle of Dave Lander, who has been a club member for more than 50 years and carried the club’s flag through Yypres. Ernest died in Flanders just five days after Frederick Wingrove.

Spooner said: “The entire experience was amazing. Firstly, it was amazing just that we achieved it. We’re not experienced riders.

“Some of us didn’t even have bikes at the start of January and none of us had done 50 miles and then woken up the next morning and done it again.

“There was a massive determination to complete it and the will to get there was amazing.

“I think it sums up what this club is all about. We’re a small club with a fantastic spirit.”

In total the club raised nearly £8,700 for Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion – in its history Penn Street has raised upwards of £100,000 for charity.

Spooner said: “Our motto is that we’re a little club with a big heart.

“We didn’t have a target in mind, but that was more than we expected.

“People were very generous and it was obviously very poignant this year because it was the 100th anniversary.”

Caption: Penn Street members are: Steve Knight, David Lander, Callum Semphill, Poppy Mascot, Simon Briggs, Richard Spooner, Mark Lander, Paul Goodchild, Nina Kilander, Jon Franklin, Rob Chisholm, Rob Sutherland, Mark Gloyens, James Semphill, Matt Egan, (Tyler Armitage, Matt Reavey, Nick Loftus, Peter Johnson, Boris Burnett and Jack Mendy