Fergal O'Brien announced as Festival Title Sponsor
28 June 2019
Gloucestershire Cricket (GCCC) is delighted to announce Fergal O’Brien Racing (FOBR) as the Official Partner and Title Sponsor to the 2019 Cheltenham Cricket Festival.
The Fergal O’Brien Cheltenham Cricket Festival will take place 15-28 July and will feature County Championship, Vitality Blast and Under 19's One-Day cricket matches.
FOBR is one of the Cotswolds’ leading National Hunt yards and has enjoyed much success of late at Prestbury Park, the HQ of jump racing situated just 10 minutes across the town from Cheltenham College.
Fergal O’Brien said:
“The 2019-2020 season is a very exciting one for us all at Fergal O’Brien Racing; we have seen the development and progress of many young horses of late and in a few weeks’ time we shall be installed in brand new purpose-built stables at Ravenswell Farm just outside Andoversford.
To be involved in this year’s Cheltenham Cricket Festival is special. We have noted what GCCC have achieved investing in their young players and how they have developed their facilities at the same time, so let’s take a new guard and build an innings together”.
Fergal O'Brien
An enthusiastic yet none too refined a cricketer himself, Fergal has represented The Glos Gipsies CC and has strong local cricketing links through the horse racing syndicate, The YesNoWaitSorries, who sport the famous red and yellow striped colours of MCC. Several former GCCC players have been members of The YesNoWaitSorries including Mark Alleyne, Mike Smith, Kim Barnett and brothers Martin and Andy Stovold.
The syndicate’s very first winner was a mare named Long Room Lady who visited the Festival shortly after her win to see off the Gloucestershire players as they headed to Lord’s for one of their One-Day cup finals. England legend Jack Russell mounted the mare dressed in racing silks and jodhpurs but was unceremoniously unseated in front of the pavilion.
Other horses have had such topical cricketing names as Nudge and Nurdle, Duckworth Lewis, Golden Duck, Miss Maiden Over, Caught in the Slips and Nervous Nineties.
GCCC are thrilled to have such a local Cheltenham based company as Title Sponsor and Official Partner to the Cricket Festival, especially one such as FOBR that shares the Club’s ambition and passion for success.
Leading Conditional jockey, Conor Brace
Will Brown, CEO at Gloucestershire Cricket said:
“The Cheltenham Cricket Festival is a massive event for Gloucestershire Cricket and every year you mark it in your calendar knowing that entertaining cricket will be on the menu. We are very excited to have Fergal O’Brien Racing as our Official Partner this year as nothing says Cheltenham like horse racing and cricket.”
For more information on Fergal O'Brien Racing visit their website here
