A LONGFORD cricketer is soon to lose his mane for charity.
On the evening of November 5, fourth grade captain Leigh Holmes will cut his hair in a fundraising event hosted at the Lizards’ home ground.
The entirety of Longford Cricket Club, including president Brett McMaster, are getting right behind the cause.
“Leigh approached us as a club and said it was something he wanted to do,” McMaster said.
“And because he’s such… I suppose an integral part of our club – he’s a great club person – we were happy to support him any way we could.”
Holmes’ hair is currently 65 centimetres in length, having not been cut in over five years.
He is no stranger to fundraising, having previously participated in Shave for a Cure – in fact, his last cut was for the very same initiative.
On this occasion, Holmes is raising money for the Cancer Council, and plans on donating what hair he loses to a wig-maker.
It’s a cause that is close to his heart, having lost friends and family to the disease, including his father-in-law just last year.
“Watching that unfold was definitely a reaffirming moment as to why I am growing my hair – so that other families can potentially not have to go through that as well,” Holmes said.
Rather than shave his head as he has done in the past, on this occasion Holmes will merely be trimming his hair back to a “standard haircut” of a more manageable length.
The lead-up to the event will see Longford’s first, third and fourth grade sides all playing at Stephenson Park, before the club migrates to the function rooms in the evening.
“In terms of the number of people we’re expecting at the club, (and) the amount of money that we think we’re going to generate or raise, it’s probably going to be one of our biggest events for the year, which is really good – it’s something to look forward to,” McMaster said.
“Leigh was wanting the club to benefit from some of that, but what we’re hoping (is) any money that we generate as a club, we’ll also be able to donate in support of that cause as well,” he said.
And as a last hurrah for his long locks, Holmes will be wearing his hair out while playing cricket for the Lizards’ fourth-grade side.
His current goal is to donate $2000 to the Cancer Council; at the time of print, he had raised $988.
Anybody wishing to contribute cause can visit his official fundraising webpage: https://fundraising.cancervic.org.au/fundraisers/leighholmes
