Cricket club in Cumbria aims to make sport more accessible for people with disabilities

A cricket club in Cumbria is aiming to make the sport more accessible for people with disabilities and learning difficulties.

Penrith Cricket Club have teamed up with Ullswater Community College and the partnership between the club and the school is aiming to encourage more people to play the sport.

Andy Hall, Chairman at Penrith Cricket Club, said: “We've got three groups of students who have a coaching session with our volunteer coach each week.

"So it's just really trying to get them active, get them involved in the game and enjoying the game.

"I mean, the skills and drills that you see are really just adaptions of the skills and drills that our juniors or seniors would do. So it's just really getting them involved."

The club is offering weekly sessions to pupils at a neighbouring school who have learning or physical disabilities.

Donovan Zealand, volunteer coach at the club, said: “I think it's important that we go to to them instead of them coming to us.

"So we have the benefit of also just being next door so it's easily accessible for them and at the end of the day it's more just about getting them involved. Getting them to have fun and stuff and to feel part of everything."

Penrith Cricket Club say the scheme is about making the sport open to everyone.

Jonathan Greenwood, Ullswater Community College, said: “We have also managed to do some indoor stuff, so we've got a very successful program with table cricket, which has worked very well with the students perhaps who struggle a bit more physically.

"The benefits of it is fantastic throughout, as you can hear and see part by the pupils in the background there, they get such a lot out of it.

"It's great to be able to use specialist facilities as well to be able to come and use the cricket club in the outfield and the nets and things."

As well as disability cricket, the club is hoping to further broaden the demographics who step out onto their pitch by making efforts to draw in more women and girls to don their whites.

Rob Humphreys, from Penrith Women and Girls Team, said: “Traditionally, it's only been, you know, played by men.

"And I've got two daughters who who play cricket or want to play cricket and love cricket, and I want to make that accessible to everybody around in the local area."

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