Cricket stars going into bat for hospice

BATTING boost . . . Kyle Hogg with (left) Dr Kershaw’s volunteer co-ordinator Barry Ulyatt and volunteer Barbara Kindon

Lancs aces inspired by their mums
CRICKET aces Luke Procter and Kyle Hogg are offering all-round support to Dr Kershaw’s Hospice.

And they will take their message to the Middle East next week, when they play in two events in Abu Dhabi with cricket bats emblazoned with the Royton hospice’s logo.

Luke and Kyle play for reigning county champions Lancashire, and are in the squad which takes on a multi-national MCC team in English cricket’s traditional curtain-raiser to the new season, which for the third year running will be played under floodlights at the Zayed International Cricket Stadium, from March 27 to 30.

This will be preceded by the Emirates Airline Twenty20 — a four-way tournament featuring MCC, Lancashire, Durham and Sussex — played at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai on March 23.

The local players have stumped up support for Dr Kershaw’s by signing on as patrons, inspired by their mothers.

Kyle’s mother, Sharon Ramadhin, spent a month in Dr Kershaw’s, and now goes every Friday.

Her 28-year-old son, who grew up in Greenfield, has nothing but praise for everyone at the hospice.

He said: “When mum went in I thought it was pretty much the end, but she came through it.

“The hospice is an amazing place. They made us all feel very welcome and they were realistic about what we could expect.

“Many of them are volunteers and they do it from the goodness of their hearts.

“I can’t speak highly enough of them all. Until someone you know is in there you don’t understand what they do and how good it is. “

Kyle added: “I felt bad because I am from Oldham and didn’t even know it existed.

“I told them that if there was anything I could do I would be more than happy to help, which is how I came to be a patron.

“Mum still has lung cancer and we don’t know what’s round the corner, but going to Dr Kershaw’s every week gets her out of the house, she has her nails done and she gets involved in things.”

Luke also offered his services as a patron to say thank-you for the care given to his mother, Jackie, who died in Dr Kershaw’s in 2010.

She was a lifelong cricket fan, former Pride in Oldham nominee, one of the first women to umpire in the area, in the Oldham Alliance League, and was heavily involved with both Oldham and Royton cricket clubs.

Luke and Kyle will act as ambassadors for the hospice, and play the season with bats carrying the Dr Kershaw’s logo.

“We will be more than happy to talk to anyone about Dr Kershaw’s if they ask us about the logo,” explained Kyle.

The Lancashire team leaves for the Middle East next Monday and returns on March 31.