STAND-IN captain Joe Leach is urging Worcestershire fans to turn the ground yellow in support of batsman Tom Fell and first-team scorer Dawn Pugh who have been battling cancer.

The NatWest T20 Blast match between Rapids and Derbyshire Falcons will be played under the banner of #YELL4FELL and Cricket Versus Cancer on Friday, July 1.

The Rapids will be wearing a special one-off yellow kit provided by Canterbury, including a yellow badge, and black bottoms.

Yellow T-shirts to mark the occasion will be available for supporters to buy for a donation with all proceeds being split between various cancer charities.

Fell, Worcestershire’s leading scorer in the County Championship last summer, is playing second XI cricket after suffering from cancer.

Pugh, the only female first-team scorer on the county circuit last summer, has also been fighting against cancer.

Vice-captain Leach, who has been leading the County in the absence of the injured Daryl Mitchell, said: “It is one of those things as a club we want to support.

“We are a very close-knit community here, a family club, and, with seeing our own in Felly and Dawn go through a really tough time, it is nice to show a bit of solidarity.

“Hopefully, it is not just us and it’s the people of Worcester who turn out for them both as well and make New Road a mass of colourful yellow in support of them.

“With Felly, it’s been an eye-opener and a real reality check and for some of his really close mates like Tom Kohler-Cadmore and George Rhodes, who share a house with him, it’s been really tough.

“He has dealt with it so well and this is a chance for us to show our support and how much we think of him. Hopefully, it will be a really good day.

“It is a celebration for Felly and Dawn just to show them our support.”

Leach added: “Cancer is one of those things many people are affected by in terms of either suffering from it themselves or having relatives suffering from the disease.

“If everyone could show their support in their own way, then that is a fantastic thing for the community.

“Hopefully, it is a celebration for those people who have beaten the disease but also people who have lost loved ones to the disease and hopefully we can all rally around behind it.”

Worcestershire general manager Jon Graham said: “I really hope we get a sell-out for the Cricket versus Cancer game.

“Sometimes things are more important than cricket and we really want to make the day a success.”