Locals invited to try out cricket at launch of reformed Tullamore club
New club returns to historical venue
INTERESTED locals were urged to give cricket a try at the launch of a reformed Tullamore club on Sunday afternoon.
The plea was issued at an open day by the Tullamore Cricket Club at their home in Tullamore Rugby Club's ground in Spollanstown.
The venue for their home games is particularly poignant as the venue was known as the Tullamore Cricket Grounds in the early 20th century when cricket was quite popular in Offaly – it has had a storied history since then as it was later the venue for the Tullamore Agricultural Show, known as the Show Grounds, before being jointly owned by Tullamore Rugby and Soccer Clubs and eventually taken over exclusively by rugby at the end of the 1960s.
There were several cricket clubs across the county in the 1890s/1900s but the emerging strength of the GAA, founded in 1884, ensured that it did not gain a foothold and instead had a very peripheral presence in the county. It was widely played by native Irish as well as members of the English ruling class in those years but the development of the GAA along with the powerful moves towards independence ended its potential of becoming a sport of mass popularity.
Pockets of cricket have survived, most notably in Kinnitty and at Ballyeighan, over the Tipperary border a few miles from Birr.
The Tullamore Cricket Club has been established to mainly cater for newcomers to the town from cricket playing nations in Asia – people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh are included among its members while the chairman, Mick Schnackenberg, is an English native who has been living in Ireland for years.
He has an infectious passion for cricket, telling the decent sized crowd that he has been a lover of the game since he was a small boy and was brought up on it. “It is my bread and butter, it is my hurling, it is my gaelic football. I love it just as much. It is my passion. To be able to move to Tullamore with such a great bunch of lads and I have known most of you from playing cricket over the years, is great.”
Mr Schnackenberg added: “We all want to make a success of this. We want to keep it in the community, to have fun and compete. Hopefully we will make Tullamore a great, successful team.”
One of their members described it as a “milestone achievement” for the community. “The establishment of this club represents more than the opening of a pitch. It represents a community that wants to be inclusive and the integration of the diverse cultures who love the game.”
President of Leinster Cricket, Brian Kelleher said it was fantastic to have a new club with a venue so close to the centre of town. He noted that the cricket clubs that are strongest are the ones imbedded in their community, stating that they have two teams already with plans for a womens' and youth section. Mr Kelleher felt this was crucial to their future, stating that Leinster Cricket want to develop strong, lasting clubs. He concluded that the numbers and enthusiasm of everyone present was an encouraging start.
Offaly TD Tony McCormack welcomed the cricket club to a sports mad town and county, recalling that there was a cricket team in Tullamore in his young days in the 1970s, mainly made up of rugby players who wanted a sport to play in their off season in the summer. “Unfortunately it didn't last too long and I am delighted to see today, the reopening of the cricket grounds here in these new fantastic grounds that have been extended over the last couple of years.”
He hoped that Tullamore Rugby and Cricket Clubs would work together with a cross-over of playing members. He hoped the cricket members of Asian descent would go and play rugby with Tullamore. He concluded by saying he would like to see some players from Tullamore playing for Leinster and Ireland.
Chairperson of the Tullamore Municipal Council, Cllr Declan Harvey welcomed the new club and its members. “I am delighted to see this, a new community, a new beginning, a new start for the whole of Tullamore, not just this community. The clubs can feed off one another with one playing both rugby and cricket. Hopefully ye will come together in different times. Well done to ye all and up Ireland!”