Crispin Blunt

Conservative Party | Reigate

Reigate To Host Inter Parliamentary Cricket

On Wednesday 7th September Reigate Priory Cricket Club will play host to a match between politicians from the UK and India.  The British Parliamentary cricket team, Lords and Commons Cricket, will be taking on the Indian Parliament at Reigate Priory in a return match following the Lords and Commons match in Delhi in January this year.  On that occasion the Indians were victorious by 6 wickets with 2 balls to spare.  Three former test stars helped carry them to victory, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Chetan Chauhan and Kirti Azad.  It is likely all three will be coming to try and keep the Indians victorious.

Lords and Commons will be captained by Reigate MP Crispin Blunt.  He commented,

"The Indian public has an unwelcome habit of electing former test cricketers so we will have our work cut out to win.  If the Indians are captained again by Sidhu and he gets to bat for any time spectators better look out, quite apart from those of us fielding.  However the principal purpose of the event is to reinforce relations between our countries by getting to know their parliamentarians better and to raise money for a good cause in India and the UK.  We also expect 2 senior Indian ministers to be part of the party.  They will be in the UK when Tony Blair is paying a Prime Ministerial visit to India, so we hope we can contribute to a good week for British Indian relations." 

The match is being sponsored by Veetee Rice and will raise funds for the Lords and Commons Cricket India Scholarship and the Chance to Shine campaign.  The Lords and Commons Cricket India Scholarship will provide education for promising young cricketers in India, keeping them in school longer than their family circumstances would otherwise permit, and the Chance to Shine campaign is working to bring cricket back to state schools in England.

There will be a formal lunch and tickets for this are available through Crispin Blunt's office in the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, on 020 7219 2254  tayp@parliament.uk  The cost will be £25 per head with tables of 10.  Spectators are very welcome to come, bring a picnic, and enjoy a good day's cricket, which is expected to last from 11 a.m. to 4.30 p.m."