Over 300 young people and adults attended the Sussex County Cricket Club Disability Cricket day at The PROBIZ County Ground on Wednesday 4th May.
Children and adults with disabilities took part in various cricketing activities including group coaching on the outfield, table cricket, fun with crazy catchers, and testing out various skills in the ECB Cricket Factory.
There were also a number of matches played during the day. In the morning, the Sussex Junior Hearing Impaired (HI) squad took on the Sussex Junior Learning Difficulty (LD) squad and the Sussex Sharks Visually Impaired (VI) squad took on a Sussex Staff XI. The matches were won by the HI and VI squads respectively.
Round Two of matches saw the VI squad take on the LD squad and the HI squad take on an All Stars team which included the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, SCCC Chairman Jim May and SCCC Board member David Bowden.
The afternoon and early evening entertainment saw the England Physically Disabled XI take on Portslade 1st XI in a 40 over match.
England batted first and, having struggled in the first 20 overs due to the loss of early wickets, fought back well to reach 156, and were thankful to a quick fire 51 not out from 32 balls from Yorkshire’s Matthew Partington, which included three sixes and six fours.
Portslade overcame England’s total with relative ease, losing only two wickets in the process. Dave Wainwright made the most of his Hove experience in amassing 76 not out which included 15 fours.
Sussex Cricket Board Development Manager Tim Shutt said: “The Disability Cricket Day is further evidence of Sussex Cricket’s quest to ensure cricket becomes and remains fully inclusive.
Over 200 participants with disabilities were involved in batting, bowling and fielding on the outfield at The PROBIZ County Ground, some of whom were experiencing cricket for the first time.
There are now 5 clubs spread across the County hosting cricket for disabled participants, so it is hoped that many of those involved yesterday will seek out these clubs, and stay in cricket in some capacity for years to come.
It was a pleasure to host the England side, and their opposition, Portslade Cricket Club, pulled out all the stops to make it a day to remember.”
For more information on disability cricket in Sussex, please contact Tim Shutt 07500025449 or email him on: tim.shutt@sussexcricket.co.uk.