The son and grandson of Welsh cricket star Bernard Hedges are preparing to walk the Boundary of Wales – a 1,000-mile trek to give more children access to cricket in Wales.

Stephen and Ellis Hedges were due to set off from Mumbles on Saturday July 5 and will follow the Wales Coastal Path and Offa’s Dyke – a total of 1,050 miles, climbing a height equivalent to four Everests.

The pair will walk from north Pembrokeshire to Aberystwyth between July 16 and 23, in memory of Mr Hedges who died in February.

They expect the walk to take 51 days, and hope to raise £10,000 for the Cricket Foundation’s Chance to Shine programme, which enables children in state schools in Wales to play cricket, through the work of Cricket Wales.

Bernard Hedges was one of the great Glamorgan batsmen, with a dazzling career which stretched from 1950-68. He amassed nearly 18,000 runs in that time and remains seventh on the all-time run-scorers list for the county.

His son David Hedges lives in Penparc, and will join his brother and nephew on some of the coastal stretches.

“'Whenever I was with Dad we seemed to bump into people who could remember his playing days,” said Stephen. “It reminded me how important sport is to us in Wales and what a great all round sportsman my Dad was. The spirit in which he played was the way he lived his life; honestly, fairly and with humility.

“The way he met his death from bowel cancer was the way he lived his life. Quietly, with bravery and dignity,” he added. “Such a life deserved to be remembered in some way.”

Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/theboundaryofwales and the walk’s progress can be followed at www.facebook.com/theboundaryofwales and on Twitter @BoundaryOfWales.