Earlier this summer, Middlesex Cricket announced the launch of a brand-new campaign, Connecting Communities, launched with the aim of helping the Club engage with the many diverse communities that the county comprises, using cricket as a vehicle to unite Londoners and break down barriers, opening up opportunities for the next generation of cricket lovers.
Yesterday, at the Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre, the Club ran its inaugural Connecting Communities event, when it descended onto the Hounslow mosque’s car park, for a fun and engaging morning session of cricket. Close to fifty young cricket enthusiasts from the local community took part in coaching, drills, skills and games, under the watchful eye of qualified coaches from the Club’s Participation team, four of Middlesex’s professional playing squad and two members of the Club’s Disability squads.
The innovative car park cricket session was organised in association with Middlesex Cricket, the UK Asian Business Council and the Hounslow Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre.
The session proved a huge hit and is the first of a number of community sessions Middlesex Cricket will be running within numerous boroughs across the county as the Connecting Communities campaign rolls out.
Speaking at the event, Middlesex’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Cornish commented:
“It’s been a fantastic day here at the Hounslow Mosque, and it makes me really proud to be the Chief Executive of this Club when we do things like this. We’re out in the community, bringing cricket to a really diverse group of people, and that’s really what cricket is all about. It transcends age, gender, religion, ethnicity, and we’ve got it all going on here.”
Adesh Farmahan, who was attending the event as Deputy Mayor for Hounslow Borough Council said:
“Firstly, I’m delighted to be here to join this great event, especially for the kids, and I’m delighted to see their involvement and interaction with Middlesex Cricket. Appreciation also to the Mosque as well, who make a great contribution to the community, and my thanks goes to them for hosting this session.”
Matt Jones, Middlesex Disability Cricketer added:
“It’s been great to be down here at the Hounslow Mosque today, seeing so many kids playing the game, enjoying themselves, and getting involved in what we’re doing. To be out in the heart of this community here in Hounslow, at their mosque, working with so many youngsters is so rewarding, and it’s been a real pleasure to see how much enjoyment cricket brings to them.”
Middlesex Cricket would like to thank all involved in making this event so memorable, and we look forward to rolling out the Connecting Communities campaign to other boroughs across the county in the coming months and years.
To find out more about Connecting Communities, please visit HERE.
Watch the best of the action from a brilliant Connecting Communities event below...
