Ross County cricket club are benefitting from a fresh buzz after integrating a group of teenage Afghan refugees.
Following a chance contact with a local council organisation, County recently invited a number of young asylum seekers from Afghanistan to train at Castle Leod.
The teenagers have settled in the Ross-shire area, after initially arriving in London last year.
Cricket is sharply on the rise in Afghanistan, with the nation acquiring test status in 2017.
With the youngsters having shown a huge enthusiasm to play cricket upon arriving in the Highlands, Ross County batsman Chris Blake says giving them the opportunity to do so can only help to integrate them into the local community.
Blake, who is also NoSCA league secretary, said: “It happened out of the blue. We got contacted by somebody at the council who said they had Afghan kids in the area who kept asking them if they could play cricket.
“They have just been asking to play cricket ever since they arrived in this country.
“We brought them along and had a wee session to get to know them, and they have been attending training ever since.
“I don’t know all of their backstories, as to how they ended up here and what they have been through, but we were just able to give them some bats and balls.
“After about five minutes it was just the most normal thing in the world to them.
“They were laughing among themselves and really enjoying it.
“If we can make them feel welcome and at home as part of the community, that’s the main thing.”
Big numbers to choose from at Castle Leod
Along with fulfilling a crucial role in the local community, Blake says the Strathpeffer club have also felt a major boost from the influx of young talent.
Ross County’s senior side travel to Nairn County on Saturday, with their reserve team also participating in this season’s NoSCA development league.
Blake says the added numbers have brought a feel-good factor to the club.
He added: “It has worked out well for both parties. They have brought a real buzz to the place, all of a sudden we have seven or eight new young guys who are enthusiastic and mad for their cricket.
“They would play all day if you let them.
“It has really given the club a boost.
“It has also meant that selection on Saturdays and Sundays is no longer a problem. In fact, we have too many to pick from and we are having to rotate the squad.
“It has worked out really well.
“One of the guys, Shakoor Ahmadzai, is an absolute class act. He could quite easily play at a higher level than NOSCA and not look out of his depth, as he’s a really quick and accurate bowler.
“If he settles here I would be very surprised if he doesn’t go on to greater things.
“He came straight into our first team and opened the bowling in our first league game of the season. He didn’t look in the slightest bit out of place.
“None of them had ever used cricket pads or gloves, or even the hard leather ball. They had been used to playing in the streets with a tape ball, which is a tennis ball covered in duct tape.
“They had no pads or gloves, and just a basic bat.
“We weren’t sure how they would take to the modern equipment but they have absolutely thrived.“
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