While the best of the world’s cricketers battle it out elsewhere in Britain for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty-20 crown this week, Wirral Cricket Club is demonstrating how hard it works to promote the grassroots of the game in the area.
The club, whose first team plies its trade in the Cheshire Cricket League, has one of the most active and committed community development schemes of any local club, embracing players from all age groups and both genders.
Now, thanks to financial assistance from the Your Wirral fund, it is seeking to further develop its disability cricket programme, particularly introducing the game to people who are visually-impaired.
This evening, the club is giving people a unique opportunity to come down to its home ground at Clatterbridge to witness first-hand a training session for visually-impaired players, as well as seeing the Cheshire British Association for Cricket for the Disabled (BACD) squad being put through their paces
The sessions will start at around 7pm and everyone is welcome to take part - even if you are not visually impaired there is an opportunity to don "Simspecs", which simulate a visual impairment so people can experience for themselves what a different challenge cricket is for the visually-impaired.
Roger Lambourne, the volunteer Cricket Development Officer for the club, says: “Creating awareness of blind cricket is our main theme at this time. The club has recognised that there is a perception in schools and colleges particularly, that people who have visual impairment cannot play cricket. To address this we are planning to go into schools and colleges across Wirral in order to dispel this myth and organise taster events in which the sighted participants wear ‘Simspecs’ and compete in a real match. We are close to inaugurating a formally constituted visually impaired cricket section at the club with a view to attracting sufficient membership to enable us to eventually support a competitive league side.”
This development of visually impaired cricket at the club has been made possible thanks to a successful bid to the Your Wirral fund, a grant scheme jointly administered by Wirral Council and Wirral Partnership Homes. The club received more than £4,000 to help it raise the £5,400 needed to run the project in the first year.
Brian Simpson, Chief Executive of Wirral Partnership Homes, said: “This innovative project is a great example of what the Your Wirral fund can achieve for the local community. By raising the profile of visually impaired cricket in this way, hopefully it will encourage people of all ages and abilities to get together and have fun.”
Cllr. George Davies, Wirral Council Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety, added: “People from right across the borough can take part in this project and as well as providing an enjoyable and meaningful pastime for those with visual impairments, it also helps raise awareness of issues among sighted people.”
For more information about disabilities cricket, and cricket for the blind and visually impaired, contact Roger Lambourne on 0151 336 6866 or 078 5050 6565.
Some of Wirral VI Cricket Team with Phil Baker - Your Wirral Co-ordinator, Cllrs Leah Fraser & Ian Lewis, Sally Kew - WPH's Community Development Co-ordinator and Roger Lambourne from Wirral Cricket Club
