In this month's column Halesowen and Rowley Regis James Morris shines a light on the good sporting work being done in the constituency.

It has been a busy summer of sport in Halesowen and Rowley Regis. I ran in the Black Country Fun Run at the beginning of July. Organised by the Halesowen and Rowley Regis Rotary Club – who do a fantastic job – this event has become an annual fixture.

It was inspiring to see well over 1000 runners take part raising money for local charities. I managed to complete the 5k course in a reasonable time; but it does make me feel my age when I am occasionally overtaken by someone dressed as a banana.

I also attended the re-opening of the cycling track at the Halesowen Athletic and Cycling Club. The cycling club has been hot house for cycling talent over many years and I was proud to present a cycling jersey to Graham Rees who was the 800 metre British Cycling champion in 1971 and to hear stories about the history of the club. Cycling has become one of Britain’s top sports and it is good to know that there are places like the Halesowen Cycling Club where future talent can be nurtured.

Halesowen and Rowley Regis also has some top quality cricket clubs. Both Halesowen CC, Old Hill CC and Coombswood CC plays some very competitive club cricket. I try to get to watch at our local clubs when I can. For the second year running I played for Halesowen CC in their annual charity match for the Paul McCann fund for needy children. It is always an enjoyable day and always good to see youngsters getting involved and families coming down to enjoy the game. Though I didn’t cover myself in glory with the bat I did manage to pick up a decent catch in the slips!

I also managed to get to the local football derby between Halesowen and Stourbridge during the recent election campaign which was a passionate and competitive derby. I am always impressed by the committed following for The Yeltz.

Local sport in Halesowen and Rowley Regis is thriving and we should be proud of our local clubs. Grass roots sport is alive and well here.

If there are any local clubs out there who need help raising funds or need help in any other way please email james.morris.mp@parliament.uk