As soon as Nick Cockburn became a Warwickshire Member, he "found the whole Club really welcoming" - and Nick admits that "it's nice to really feel a part of the Club."
A lifelong cricket-lover and Bears fan, Nick was a regular England-watcher at Edgbaston but then, five years ago, decided to make a real effort to see more county cricket.
He became a Bears member – and loves it. So much so that he has donated his membership fee to the Club this year despite having been unable to attend his beloved Edgbaston due to the pandemic.
” I’ve always liked cricket and had been to England games at Edgbaston,” he said. “Then a few years ago I thought I’d get down to see a few county games. I bought a half-year membership to start with and, from the first few county games I went to, I thought it was brilliant.
“Everyone was so friendly. All the fans that I talked to were really nice and I found the whole club so welcoming. Me and my wife Julie starting coming down to as many games we can.
“As a Member, I feel really valued because I get some money off the beer and we know the stewards and always have a laugh. It’s like a family feeling, to be honest.
“I’ve donated our membership because, while I know my membership fee is not going to make a massive difference, if I can help just a little bit, that’s great. To have Warwickshire cricket to watch in the future is the main priority because it’s one of the things I enjoy most.”
Nick was made to feel part of the great Bears family right from his ‘debut’, against Worcestershire.
“The first game I went to was a one-day game against Worcester,” he recalls. “It started at two o’clock in the afternoon and I was working round the corner and went on my own. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive, because you always go to football with your mates, but I got talking to a few of the other members and it was a great experience.
“That’s where it started from and then when I started to go a bit more regularly I became a Member and it’s nice to really feel a part of the Club.
“I love the way you can sit next to fans from the other team and talk and there’s no animosity. In cricket, I think you can appreciate the quality of the cricket, even if the other team’s doing well. It’s just a nice experience, a couple of beers, something to eat, a coffee in the afternoon and make a nice day of it.
Nick Cockburn
“If you can’t make it along to Edgbaston, the livestreaming of games is brilliant. Warwickshire, as a Club, interacts with the fans really well through social media and the rest.”
