The Renfrewshire cricket community came together to celebrate the life of two former Ferguslie players and hit their way to an incredible cash total.
The Paisley club recently hosted their inaugural Spirit of Cricket match at Meikleriggs, developed in memory of Con de Lange and Sandy Strang.
Both men played for both Ferguslie and Clydesdale over the years, so it couldn’t have been more fitting that teams made up of current and former players of both sides took to the field to bat for the trophy.
Set up to raise vital funds for Marie Curie and the Brain Tumour Charity, and to commemorate their lives, the event has already raised more than £3,000.
Ferguslie Cricket Club’s Tim Preston-Jones was delighted with the turnout on the day, and insists the families of both players were very grateful for the support they received.
He told Express Sport: “The event was about raising money for the Brain Tumour Foundation and Marie Curie charities more than the cricket.
“It was amazing to see so many supporters at Meikleriggs for the day, including many from the Scottish cricket archives.
“A combination of raffles, donations and an auction had already raised over £3,100 on the day, which will be split between the two charities for which we and the families are forever thankful for.”
While the match was played in the best of spirits, the competitive nature of both sides couldn’t help but come to the fore during the match.
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Clydesdale included current Scotland player Ritchie Berrington and ex-Scotland players Greg Williamson and Rene Keith, with current club president Colin Mitchell and WDCU top league run scorer Mohammed Awais also in their talented line-up.
Ferguslie included former first X1 players Richard Rutnagur, Ross Dougall, Jamey Carruthers and Preston-Jones.
Current First Division leading run scorer Michael English and star players Riyaad Henry and Taimoor Ahmad, who are second and third top WDCU run scorers respectively, also lined up for the home side.
Ferguslie batted first and scored 205 for nine in their 35 overs, with English 50 retired and Haroon Tahir bagging 53. Preston-Jones knocked out 23 before retiring injured while Calum Dummond picked up three wickets.
Clydesdale chased the total down well thanks primarily to an impressive 60 from Ritchie Berrington and a 51 from Zain Asraf. Jamey Carruthers bagged two wickets.
Preston-Jones added: “We were also honoured to have international umpires Alan Haggo and Alec Dowdalls supporting the day and ex-Scotland scorer David Love ‘on the book’.
“The event was made possible by a number of local businesses and individuals who have generously supported the event with prizes for the raffle and auction.
“We’d also like to thank Cricket Scotland, Paisley FM and the Paisley Daily Express for their coverage.
“The club would like to recognise the efforts of ex-player and current vice President of FCC Stuart ‘Chippy’ Black for his vision in creating the event and leading its organisation.
“What was truly special was when umpire Alan Haggo said to me “it truly was a great day and absolutely played in the spirit of cricket”. That’s exactly what we were aiming for.”
The club plan to take on a different opposition in the second edition of the event next year.
A second auction remains open on Ferguslie’s social media until this Sunday (September 12), as does the text numbers for donations.
Anyone who still wishes to donate money to the two charities can do so by texting CONSANDY and entering the amount they wish to donate to 70085.
