British forces in Iraq to create cricket centre:equipment leaves Lord's today
Date released: 19 September 2003
British forces in southern Iraq will soon be creating a cricket centre - equipped with items donated by MCC and Dunlop Slazenger.
A large amount of clothing and equipment left Lord's this morning, after being presented to The Royal Logistic Corps by Mike Gatting - an MCC Committee member and former England cricket captain.
The items included gloves, stumps, shirts, bats, balls and a bowling machine. Other pieces of equipment - including a two-lane cricket net and two artificial cricket pitches - are also being provided, and will be transported separately to The Royal Logistic Corps' headquarters.
The equipment is being sent to Iraq in response to a letter that MCC received, last month, from Sergeant K. Braddell, who is serving in the south of the country with 27 Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps. A poll of his colleagues had found that the creation of a cricket training centre was regarded - by a large margin - as the best way of improving the sporting facilities available for their off-duty use.
Helped by speedy and generous assistance from Dunlop Slazenger, MCC is pleased to be providing 27 Regiment with all the equipment that Sergeant Braddell had requested - plus some additional items including cricket clothing, Albion cricket helmets and copies of The Vodafone Dictionary of Cricket (courtesy of Sportsguide).
Commenting on the response to his letter, Sergeant Braddell said: "I'm chuffed the lads will have top-rate kit in theatre. Our thanks go to MCC and Dunlop Slazenger for providing it. We look forward to using it. We never expected such a response; I'm amazed and stunned."
Mike Gatting said: "As soon as we received this request, we were determined to help. We wanted our forces to achieve their ambition of creating a cricket centre for use when they're off-duty. It's one of the more unusual letters that MCC has received, but it's been a pleasure for us to provide a positive response to Sergeant Braddell's request. We hope that he, and his colleagues, enjoy using this equipment in Iraq. We look forward, too, to the troops' safe return when their work is complete."
MCC would like to thank Dunlop Slazenger for responding so swiftly and generously to its request for assistance. (The company responded equally positively eighteen months ago, when MCC sent a large quantity of cricket clothing and equipment to Afghanistan, to help revive cricket in Kabul.)
MCC is also grateful to Nick Hawkins MP for his assistance in liasing with 27 Regiment, The Royal Logistics Corps, which has its British base in his constituency.