Downpatrick cricket has need of hope for future

Downpatrick cricket has need of hope for future

2 December 2020

I WAS encouraged to write this article a while back by my wonderful mother Ernestine Briggs who is poorly at the moment. 

She loves her cricket and loves to tell me every time she hears ‘mindfulness’ mentioned on the television.

A week or so ago when looking across towards Downpatrick Cricket Club from her Strangford Road home, my mum said that she would put 

her whites on and play herself, if it would help save the future of the famous club.

I write this article with my mum in mind and hopefully make a connection between the two worlds of cricket and mindfulness.

As we know, good mental and physical health have never been more important. In these strange and difficult times, even the strongest and most resilient among us are not exempt from occasionally feeling weary and despondent. 

During the early months of lockdown back in the spring, how many of us enjoyed the slowing down of the hamster wheel of life and took time to enjoy nature at its finest and to reflect on what our priorities really are? 

It all seems much harder this time around as people face the harsh reality of a huge economic downturn and the virus pandemic takes on a different guise. 

We need all the help we can get to keep ourselves as positive and hopeful as possible. This is where mindfulness can come in. It is a term that has become popular in recent times and often is wrongly used. 

It can get a bad press and seem shrouded in mystery — something that requires a knowledge of Zen beyond the reach of ‘Joe Public’ while others claim it to be some kind of panacea that can cure all ills.  It is neither of these things. 

As a practitioner for several years and a Mindfulness in Schools Project trained teacher for five, I can honestly say it is a tool that can help some people (and certainly me) focus on the present and not let the mind wander into unnecessary places, whether that be worries or distractions. 

The analogy of thoughts being like buses is one I like. We don’t need to jump on every single one, instead just watch them pass by. 

An example of a mindful experience could be when a musician is playing a piece and sensing the music, rather than reading the notes.

It is flowing completely naturally and no thinking is involved. Sport is another great example. Novak Djokovic and Jonny Wilkinson are two advocates of mindful practice and both claim their focus and steady performance can be attributed to the discipline. 

Interestingly, two of the most mindful sports are golf and cricket. Being at one with the little white ball as it gets smacked about the greens is said to be as good for mental health as much as physical. 

Our own Rory McIlroy summed it up well when he said: “I’m not about to go and live with the monks in Nepal or anything like that, but I’m making sure that I centre myself and put my head in the right place.”

Cricket is similar.

When you are bowling an over, the focus is on the line of the ball, the position of the field and the feel of the wicket under foot. The batsman is equally focussing on the ball and the fielders; woe betide they lose their concentration. 

The halcyon days of local cricket as a mainstream sport appear to be over at the moment and there are multiple reasons offered for the demise — schools having less time for summer sports in the final term, the attention span of young players not being what it was and fewer people willing to commit to what could be a full day.

Which leads me nicely back to the beginning. 

Remember those lovely, slower days of lockdown when we realised being busy wasn’t necessarily all it was cracked up to be and that many of the things on our mental ‘to do’ list are not that important after all?

Maybe we really need to take time to smell the autumn leaves, the way we did for the daffodils of spring. Maybe we need to slow it down and find things to hope for. 

Local cricket clubs don’t have the crowds around the team boards any more on a Thursday evening after the selection committee when the team lists were pinned up.

There isn’t that excitement of “did I make it from the thirds to the seconds ?” or for me, “where am I serving the sandwiches?”

It is a different era for the game, but those who love it, really love it. If anyone reading this has their whites from a bygone time hidden in an attic somewhere, why not retrieve them and dust them down for next spring? 

If you played a bit at school and just feel like revisiting the sport for a bit of exercise and a bit of craic with new people, then please do it.

Even if you’ve never played, but have walked down the Strangford Road and loved that beautiful setting, then it might be worth a go. 

We all need things to look forward to and we all need hope. Downpatrick Cricket Club needs that hope too. 

Maurice Irvine, a dear friend and colleague and master of cricket at Down High School, is also a former player for the school and the club. 

He strongly recommends anyone to take up the bat again or try it out whatever level you are at.

When I asked him how he felt at the possible closure of Downpatrick Cricket Club, he said:

“It is with great sadness that I learn of this possibility. I have many memories of playing there under the guidance of Roy Briggs, Ken McCammon and many others, developing my love of the game. “Cricket is a great game; educating young people especially in respect, fair play, how to win and lose with dignity and team spirit. 

“Downpatrick Cricket Club, along with Saintfield and Dundrum, is also a great place for Down High cricketers to gain valuable experience and the opportunity to learn from more experienced cricketers. 

“Downpatrick have also been very generous to Down High, allowing us access to nets when they were not available at school and I would add my encouragement to anyone in the area to become involved to help the club at this difficult time.”

For me, the Linehan family are synonymous with cricket in Downpatrick.

Alfie and Hugh will remain heroes of mine always, while current club chairman Paul Linehan hopes that if anyone can assist to keep the club going they will contact him on 07745 574534 or email paul.k.linehan@gmail.com.