Essex county cricket will boast a younger outlook next season following an exciting initiative by captain Ronnie Irani.
The outward thinking skipper took full advantage of a trip to Layer Road to parade the totesport League Trophy - won by Essex in the summer - at last Saturday's Colchester United against Gillingham soccer match where he hurled a number of balls into the crowd for children.
Inside the balls were kids' memberships to the county for next year worth a total value of around £3,000.
Irani said: "There was no concerted effort to catch what could be Essex fans of the future. I just felt it would be great to give the kids an early Christmas present.
"It was a wonderful occasion because so many of them remembered me from the Castle Park cricket festival."
Irani, meanwhile, will be linking up with his Essex team-mate Graham Napier tonight (Friday) to show off their nifty footwork with professional dancers Karen Hardy and Hanna Haarala on BBC Two's It Takes Two screened at 6.30pm.
The Essex duo are lending support to their team-mate Darren Gough - who is currently wowing the judges in BBC TV's hit Saturday evening show Strictly Come Dancing - by learning a routine of their own.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Friday, December 2, 2005
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article