Amputees given first taste of cricket
12 November 2014
Children who have lost limbs through meningitis were given a chance to play cricket for the first time in a special event at the Bristol County Ground.
Run by the Gloucestershire Cricket Board (GCB) in partnership with the Access Sport and the Meningitis Research Foundation, the two hour coaching session proved to be a memorable experience for both players and coaches alike.
In total around 30 children aged between three and 14 took part in games and practices covering the full range of cricket skills.
The GCB’s Ralph Hardwick – who ran the morning with fellow community coach Masoor Khan – said: “It was one of the most fun and inspiring sessions I have ever done. The kids were so enthusiastic and were just loving it.
“The focus was on what they could do rather than what they couldn’t and it was remarkable to see the way they adapted to cope with the different challenges they faced. The majority had never played cricket before and a number of them showed real potential. Hopefully this will help spark their interest and get them to think about joining one of our disability teams in the future.”
The cricket session was part of 'Pushing the Boundaries' a whole day of activities at the home of Gloucestershire Cricket. The event was designed to be an opportunity for child and adult amputees and their families to come together, have fun, share experiences and get support and advice from experts. The day also featured inspiring talks from Paralympians and a range of other activities including multi-sports and indoor curling.
Gloucestershire currently has two cricket teams for people with disabilities – one at Frocester CC and the other at Frenchay CC.
During the winter the two are running joint coaching sessions on Sundays at Thornbury Leisure Centre.
For more information please email GCB projects and programmes manager Chris Munden at chris.munden@glosccc.co.uk or ring 07557 924941.
The photo was taken Giulietta Verdon-Roe on behalf of the Meningitis Research Foundation.
