Cricket legend Graham Gooch returns home

Emdad Rahman

LEGENDARY CRICKETER Graham Gooch was guest of honour at Leyton County Cricket Ground where the England great officially opened the new outdoor cricket nets, the NTP Pitch and launched the Leyton Wicketz Programme. 

In attendance were 50-60 local youth who have been taking part in the Wicketz youth cricket programme, which has been taking place at the ground since July 2016. Among the participants were cricketers from the local Norlington School, where Gooch himself was once a pupil.

East London Cricket Co-ordinator Arfan Akram said: “I’d like to thank all the local partners and participants for highlighting and showcasing the power cricket has in the local area – and huge thanks to former England and Essex Cricket legend Graham Gooch for re-visiting Leyton County Ground for the official opening today.”

Gooch is England’s second highest test run scorer, with 8,900 runs – a record which stood from 1995 to 2015. He said: “It’s always great to be back, and this ground holds some fabulous memories for me. I’m glad to see great interest from youngsters, and with the good standards of coaching they have there is no reason why many can’t create a cricketing career. What we need is commitment from the youngsters and their parents, and with great facilities like we have here the future looks promising.”

National Cricket League Co-ordinator Sajid Patel, who oversees the Wicketz programme, concluded: “We have been running this programme for a while now, and what motivates us is the smiles on the faces of the young people. For me, enjoyment is the greatest factor and it makes me immensely proud that the participants have a good time. I really enjoy listening to stories from the parents who are woken up at the crack of dawn by eager youngsters excited about attending the sessions!”

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