Welcome from Kate
Miller
As the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris capture the world’s
attention, we are again reminded of the power of sport to inspire, unite and
transform. This is reflected in this month’s Bulletin as we showcase work
across the game that is breaking down barriers and engaging more people in cricket.
From inspiring junior
journos in Kent, to walking cricket in Worcestershire and launching our My Way
To Play campaign, we’re collectively continuing to find new ways to open up the
game. I feel really excited and encouraged by the level of creativity we’re
seeing across clubs, counties and here at the ECB to inspire a new generation to
pick up a bat and ball.
But we know that getting
more people involved in the game calls for concerted action around inclusivity
and accessibility. It’s a message we’ve seen emphasised at the opening of the
Paralympic Games, and why – in our own sport – it is brilliant to see the recent
coverage and developments in disability cricket, some of which are highlighted
in this Bulletin. At their core, the Games are a vibrant celebration of
cultural diversity, connecting athletes from opposite corners of the world. This
has been reflected in our South Asian Heritage Month celebrations, where the
Race in Cricket Employee Network have done a wonderful job spotlighting South
Asian colleagues across the game and sharing their stories. Thank you.
I hope you enjoy
reading this month’s Bulletin and thank you again for all your hard work.
Best wishes Kate Miller Chief Communications
Officer |
My Way To Play campaign launches
On Tuesday 13 August we launched ‘My Way To Play’, a new campaign urging more children to give cricket a go and
find different ways to play. Whether in the back garden, at school, the park,
on the beach or at a local club, there are lots of ways for people to pick up a bat and ball.
England captains Ben Stokes and Heather Knight, alongside
Men’s record wicket-taker Jimmy Anderson and England Men’s Deaf team
international Joel Harris feature
in a new video, accompanied by a group of children from Mayfield Primary School
in Oldham. They each provide their own perspective on what cricket is to them
in celebration of what is set to be a record year for kids’ participation.
Alongside the new video, we’ve
collaborated with campaigning organisation, Playing Out, to raise awareness of how local communities can safely
close roads for outside play. Their new blog features a quote from former
Lancashire cricketer, John Abrahams, who shares his memories of ‘playing out’
whilst growing up in South Africa.
Find out more about the campaign here. |
|
Celebrating a successful Taste
of Cricket tour
Our Taste of Cricket tour highlighted
in last month’s Bulletin has concluded, having brought together over 2,000
people from across the cricket community this summer, celebrating diversity and
culture through match teas.
Eight recreational clubs doing outstanding work in
making the game more inclusive were given extra special match teas attended by
England players and celebrity chefs including Ainsley Harriott.
800 portions of jerk chicken, 500 samosas and 300 slices of
cake, amongst many other delicacies from around the world, were enjoyed by guests at cricket
clubs up and down England and Wales during July. Stay tuned for the Taste of
Cricket cookbook coming this October!
Watch the full wrap video for all the
highlights. |
SPOTLIGHT ON DISABILITY SPORT |
History
was made last month as the first ever elite disability game was held on the
main pitch at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Since then, we’ve seen some exciting
coverage and developments from across the disability game…
Lord’s disability showcase featured on Sky
As part of its FYI: Weekly News Show, Sky has
released a new video showcasing the Lord’s day of pan-disability cricket. Led
by young host, Jeriah, the video captures all the activities that took place –
from the fiercely contested opening match, to taster sessions with players and
interviews with young fans. Watch the full feature
here. |
ECB intern and Super1s
participant, Rosina Cotton shares her reflections in a new Lord’s Taverners
blog
Rosina Cotton (Cricket 4 London
Intern, currently placed with the ECB) also shared her reflections, remarking on
the power of disability cricket in breaking down barriers and celebrating the
diverse talents of athletes. You can read her full
blog here. |
England Men’s Disability squads
take on an England Golf challenge…
Whilst the day at Lord’s was a celebration of disability cricket,
it was also an opportunity to raise awareness of disability sport more broadly.
We were delighted to welcome Kris Aves from the England Disability Golf Team,
who put some of the players from our England Men’s Disability squads to the
test!
You can have a
watch of the feature to find out how they got on… |
The Disability Premier League (DPL) is back for a third year
The DPL started on Sunday 25 August, bringing together players from
three different disability groups – physical disability (PD), learning
disability (LD) and hearing impairment / deaf. Four teams - Black Cats, Hawks, Pirates
and Tridents – are facing each other in T20 games held over three
weekends across August and September. The top two will then play in a final on Friday
13 September at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.
Each squad is made up of 16 players and they’ll each play a
minimum of two games each during the competition. Each disability group must
bowl at least 20% of a team's overs, so a minimum of four overs are to be
bowled by at least one player from the PD, LD and hearing impairment / deaf
pool.
You can
tune in to watch the DPL here. If you'd like to
find out more, please
download the DPL 2024 brochure. |
INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION |
100
children enjoy their first taste of the game through Cricket 4 London
At the end of July, 100 children from
underserved communities across Essex, Kent, Middlesex and Surrey attended
a three-day holiday camp at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, run by Cricket 4 London.
Joined by London Spirit stars, Ravi
Bopara and Ryan Higgins, plus former international cricketers, Courtney Walsh
and Angus Fraser, the children were given the chance to try cricket, plus a
variety of other activities including netball, BMX, handicrafts, water sports
and drama.
Cricket 4 London is a collaboration
project, funded by the ECB. It involves the recreational arms of the four
London counties: Kent Cricket, Surrey Cricket Foundation, Essex Cricket in the
Community and Middlesex in the Community.
You can
read a full update here. |
|
Success
stories from the GLA Sporting Internship Programme
The ECB
hosted the Greater London Authority (GLA) at Lord’s Cricket Ground in August
for an event celebrating participants of their Sporting Internship Programme.
This
initiative was created after the GLA conducted focus groups with young people
at risk of falling into violent behaviour and offending, where a common concern
emerged: the lack of opportunities to work in sport. Off the back of this
insight, the GLA’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) created the Sporting
Internships Programme which the ECB has since partnered with. This April, four
successful candidates began their 12-month internships at the ECB, with each
intern completing two six-month placements - one with the ECB and another with
a county cricket club.
The event
provided an opportunity for the interns and their line managers from various
governing bodies and sports organisations - including the LTA, RFU, Women in
Sport, and England Netball, among others - to come together to discuss their
experiences and share insights. |
|
Guardian
journalist and author, Peter Mason has written a book titled Clyde Walcott:
Statesman of West Indies cricket, which retells Clyde’s achievements as a player,
manager and political activist. The book will be published on 17 September
2024. You can
pre-order here. |
Worcestershire Cricket Foundation hosted its second national
walking cricket festival, featuring 200 participants from 20 teams across the
country. It was a very successful event with up to ten games of walking cricket
taking place at any given time. |
Exmouth CC hosted the Windrush Caribbean Cricket Festival,
celebrating the contributions made by the Windrush generation to cricket in
Devon, and demonstrating the power of the game to bring communities together. |
Raising awareness
of autism
In our
latest feature on the EDI Content Hub,
Tony Fretwell (Talent Inclusion Pathway Officer, ECB) shares his personal
journey of recently being diagnosed with autism. He talks about his diagnosis, the impact
of it and his advice to others who are seeking assessment. |
Coffee and Cake at the
Cricket
The Sussex Cricket
Foundation welcomes everyone from the local LGBTQ+ community to an afternoon of
Coffee & Cake at the Cricket on Monday 2 September (11:30 – 13:00). This
free event, hosted at the County Ground in Hove, takes place on the first
Monday of every month.
Please contact Matt
Parsons (matt.parsons@sussexcricket.co.uk) with any
questions. Click here for more info. |
EDI Calendar
Download our full 2024 EDI Calendar, giving you
all the dates of key events throughout the year.
A reminder of key
events happening in September: World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September),
International Day of Sign Language (23 September), Bi Visibility Day (23
September) and National Inclusion Week (30 September). |
UPDATES FROM OUR EMPLOYEE NETWORKS |
 Women in Cricket Employee Network
The Women in Cricket Employee Network
(WECN) hosted two networking events in August. The first, hosted at The Cloud
County Ground in Essex, took place on Wednesday 7 August as Essex Women faced
Kent Women at the Battle of the Bridge T20 Showcase.
The second was held on Tuesday 13 August at
Headingley, Leeds for The Hundred as Northern Superchargers played London Spirit.
The
networking event included an insightful panel discussion featuring:
- Dr Jane Powell – former England cricketer,
Yorkshire CCC President and ECB Performance Manager
- Kirsty Bashforth – Chair, Northern
Superchargers
- Ruth Turner – Head of Comms, Media and PR
at Yorkshire CCC
If you’d like to get in touch with the
WECN, you can do so by emailing womenincricket@ecb.co.uk
|
BEYOND THE BOUNDARY: EDI PROGRESS FROM OUTSIDE CRICKET |
|
|
