It is no secret that cricket has been on the rise in Ireland in recent years; ever since Ireland shocked Pakistan in the 2007 World Cup, the sport has been generating headlines throughout the country. Longford is no exception and such is the interest here that cricket is back as the new game in town.
Given its history as a garrison town, it is not surprising to learn that cricket thrived in Longford, mainly at the local Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club, through the latter part of the 19th century until the 1950s; it moved into decline in the mid-60s for various reasons.
Leading the revival are two Longford natives viz. Chairperson Noel Egan and Treasurer Ashish Puri (holder of the Pizza Hut franchise for Longford).
Noel and Ashish told us that they were “heartened for a solid start to the club given there are a number of players from the county who already have a solid grounding in the game - practicing regularly at St. Mel's College and playing pick-up games when and where they can – for instance, our irregulars recently won a prestigious tournament at NUIG in the “tape ball” version of the sport; in this way, we have a ready-made squad of somewhat experienced players. We won't rest until we have established a fully-fledged club - complete with Under-Age and Ladies teams”.
Noel and Ashish went on to explain how “A Committee has been formed and, with practical support from the Longford Sports Partnership, we have established playing and practice grounds at Murrayfield, Lisanurlan, Strokestown Road, Longford; practice is already taking place for registered, paid-up players. The Membership Application Form is available on our Facebook page Longford Cricket Club. We will shortly hold an Open Day to include a Twenty20 exhibition game”.
“This is starting up from absolute scratch. We are grateful for the support of Longford Sports Partnership, St. Mel's College, the local Community Gardai (COMPOL), and Cricket Ireland. Current rugby club trustee and former Longford cricket player, Warren Turner, has become President. Warren gives us a tangible connection between the old club and the new one. Coaching will be done by local volunteers such as Willie Godfrey, John Brier and Adnan Sarfraz.”
“The Club is affiliated to the Connacht Cricket Union, Cricket Ireland and Longford Sports Partnership. We are an all-inclusive, Community-based, cricket-focused club; all are welcome. Volunteers for various roles - Coaches, Umpires and Scorers, Field & Grounds personnel - are welcome. Training will be provided; so, we tell people not to worry if they have little or limited knowledge of the game. The emphasis is on participation and fun through cricket”.
“For the moment, we are happy to establish regular practice sessions with occasional friendlies; next year we intend to enter into formal competition – in either the Leinster or Connacht Unions' Leagues,” he added
Further information can be found: weekly on the Longford Leader Sports' pages; by joining our Facebook site under Longford Cricket Club; telephone (086.178.63.44) or email Noel Egan, Chairperson, at longfordcricket@gmail.com or Ashish Puri, Treasurer, at rgunuim@gmail.com.