A REMARKABLE RISE FROM A CHANCE BEGINNING
A Co Antrim cricket club which was formed initially to fill in for one season in the Boys' Brigade 20-Over Evening League will celebrate its 40th anniversary this summer.
In a remarkable rise from a chance beginning, Templepatrick Cricket Club is now one of the healthiest clubs in Northern Ireland - growing from a gather-up of 11 enthusiasts in 1969 to a vibrant club with more than 120 playing members.
When Robin Beatty, a member of First Templepatrick BB Old Boys football team, volunteered to get a side together that summer, he surely wouldn't have imagined it would have evolved into a thriving club that would still be going strong four decades later.
There were many significant milestones in the club's early history - the decision to play Saturday games in the Belfast Cricket League in 1971 and joining the Northern Cricket Union in 1976 among the most important.
A second team was established in 1984, and with membership increasing season after season, Templepatrick had soon outgrown facilities at the City of Belfast Playing Fields in Mallusk.
In 1994 the club found a permanent home after accepting an invite from Ballyclare RFC and the Old Ballyclarians Association to set up at The Cloughan in Ballyclare. That move, combined with the implementation of an ambitious development plan, triggered massive changes within the club.
The move allowed Templepatrick CC to develop its own home ground, creating playing and practice facilities which enabled it to expand its membership and form Third and Fourth XI sides - the former benefitting from an influx of players from Belfast side Overton.
Later, through the efforts of its qualified coaches, the club added Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 sides, as well as offering Kwik Cricket and primary school coaching programmes.
Successes on the field over the years, while not quite matching the impressive achievements off it, have included an Ulster Junior Shield, promotion for the First XI in 2000, league titles for the Seconds and Thirds and multiple league and cup wins for the club’s youth teams. Several of the club’s talented youngsters have also earned representative honours with a range of regional, NCU and Ireland sides.
The Ballyclare club, which has come a long way from the days of playing on council pitches with no marked boundaries and practicing at a local primary school, will officially mark its 40th anniversary with a dinner dance at the Dunadry Hotel on Friday 29 May.
Club President and founding member Arthur Bowron hopes that a large turnout of former players will help celebrate the milestone. “It's been an incredible journey from the days of playing a match every now and then in the BB Evening League on council pitches to fielding four senior teams and several youth sides each week at our own ground.
“A lot of people - players and officials - have put in a massive amount of hard work over the years to get us to where we are now, so we want everyone associated with the club and their partners and friends to come along on May 29 to celebrate our first 40 years,” he said.
The club's Cricket Development Officer, Andy McCrea added: “We want to get as many players as possible from past and present together on the night to mark four decades of the club. We want to give people the opportunity to talk about the games they played in, share their memories, have a laugh about victories and defeats and renew old friendships. We also want people to see how their club has moved forward and grown over the years, and how we're planning for the years ahead.”
Indeed, 2009 won't just be about recalling the nostalgia of the past for Templepatrick Cricket Club, they're already looking to the future. Officials are currently finalising plans for the construction of impressive new practice facilities at The Cloughan. Work on the ambitious project is scheduled to get under way in April, and when it's complete will give the club one of the best training facilities anywhere in Ireland - a move that should help Templepatrick continue to grow and prosper in years to come.
Tickets for the 40th anniversary dinner, priced £35 each, are on sale now and are available by contacting
Arthur Bowron - 208 9084 2070, Andy McCrea - 07811 737047, Peter Shepherd - 07762 132191 or Keith Wilson - 07789 677095.
Alternatively, please email andrew0@btinternet.com or petershepherd@btopenworld.com
As part of the event a raffle/auction will be held to raise funds for the Sparks NI children’s medical research charity.
For more information log on to the website: www.templepatrickcc.co.uk