news, latest-news, Mongolia, Illawarra, Rob Moran, Glenn Bridge, Cricket Illawarra, Battulga Gombo

Believe it or not, cricket is enjoying a sharp rise in popularity in Mongolia. And a group of Illawarra cricket fanatics deserve credit for the rapid growth. Hundreds of kids grab their bat and ball to play cricket each weekend in cities and provinces across Mongolia. At a national level, the process is under way to obtain an International Cricket Council licence. See more: Alexander Volkanovski claims UFC featherweight crown Illawarra's connection to Mongolian cricket began two years ago. Rob Moran, a former Wests and Dapto cricketer, journeyed to East Asia after he saw an Australian Volunteers International advertisement looking for a cricket coaching mentor. "They advertised a role for a cricket coach in Mongolia to do a four-month stint, so I threw my hat into the ring," Moran said. "They were looking for someone who could train the trainers, teach the coaches how to coach the game. I wrote the cricket [program] for all the primary schools and high schools PE teachers to teach them how to understand cricket. "I like to throw out in conversation, every now and then, that I was a former international cricket coach in Mongolia. And they say 'wow... people play cricket in Mongolia'?" During his stint, Moran met former Olympic wrestler and founder of the Mongolian Cricket Association, Battulga Gombo. Moran said Gombo became a passionate cricket supporter after spending time in Australia. "Battulga said there were no real team sports like cricket in Mongolia," he said. "They'd tried rugby, a bit of soccer, a bit of basketball, but nothing encapsulates the people like cricket. So he decided to start cricket up in Mongolia. "They're trying to get kids to play because they realise it's generational. The kids playing now won't be the ones who will be on the world scene, it will probably even be the kids after that. They have an aim of 2050 to be in the Cricket World Cup - it's a long-term goal." As the sport slowly grew in popularity, the Illawarra connection strengthened last year when local resident Richard Hutton approached Cricket Illawarra about providing cricket equipment to Mongolian kids. Cricket Illawarra's Glenn Bridge put a call-out on social media and the community's response was enormous, with 1200 kilograms worth of gear being donated. "We plan on doing another collection in February," Bridge said. Gombo, who is now Mongolian Cricket Association's president, has returned to Australia this week to learn more about the administrative side of the sport. His itinerary included a trip to Figtree on Monday afternoon to oversee a junior training session and to meet Bridge and Moran. "The point of Battulga's visit is to come over and see what cricket is really about," Moran said. "Battulga had been gone [from Australia] about six years, he had vague recollections of cricket. He wants to see it's run, how it's administered, what facilities we have and what kind of equipment we have." While you're with us the Illawarra Mercury is offering sport readers 20% off an annual digital subscription. Sign up to stay up to date with all the local sports you love for only $3 a week. Terms and conditions apply.

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