Porterfield helpsIreland team-mate

Gary (26), who lost his mum Iris to lung cancer earlier this year, is using the 380-mile challenge over five days to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

He enlisted the help of best friend Porterfield (27) and they will set off in October, starting from Mardyke cricket ground in Cork and finishing at Stormont.

On the face of it, you might think it shouldn’t amount to too stiff a challenge for two fighting fit young international cricketers.

However, Gary readily admits that both he and Porterfield are absolute novices when it comes to cycling. “We are doing a bike ride from Cork to Belfast, with stops in Kilkenny, Malahide, Armagh and Derry along the way. We are going to try and do it in five days. In fact we are going to do it in five days, we don’t have an option, because we are having a dinner at Stormont on the last night,” said Gary.

“It could be interesting because we are not keen cyclists exactly. I think the last time I was on a bike I was 10 or 11. I don’t even think William knows how to ride a bike. He says he can’t ride the length of himself!”

Gary and William have already received much support, with welivecricket.com sponsoring the Big Bike Ride and taking on the project management. The company should have two state of the art bicycles secured for the next week.

“We are lucky we have a sponsored involved. welovecicket have decided to project manage it for us and pay for everything. They are going to get a couple of bikes sorted for us in the next week or so and we are going to get on the road and see what we can do.”

It has been a hugely difficult time for Gary. Iris was diagnosed in October 2010, but she fought back courageously and a year later was well enough to see Gary marry wife Jennifer. However, in April she passed away.

Wilson said: “Obviously with losing my mum in April, Cancer Research is a charity that’s very close to my heart. The first thing I thought was to do this bike ride. Chris Adams (the Surrey manager) did one last year for leukemia. He rode to 18 first-class counties and I got the idea for the ride from there. I just gave William a ring and said would you mind helping me with something, and he was straight on to it, no problem.”

It’s thought that fellow Ireland team-mate Boyd Rankin along with other international team-mates will join the duo on the road at some stage, with a question and answering session thought to be pencilled into the schedule at Bready CC next week.

To donate to Gary and William’s Big Bike Ride go to www.justgiving.com/gary-wilson14 or text to 70070 with the code CRIC50.