A new game trialled across Hertfordshire...
Keeping people active is a very hot topic in sport right now and quite rightly so. It is vital to us all that our mental and physical health and wellbeing is maintained as well as it could be and sport has a key role to play in this.
One area of our society that often gets overlooked is our older people. In a world where we are all living longer, the provision for the older age group needs to grow to enable more people to get involved or stay in a sport that they love.
Cricket is a game that is well used to adapting to enable it to be played by all sorts of people and with the emergence of ‘clock cricket’ we are able to deliver our game to older people (65+) in a safe way, in familiar environments and with huge helpings of fun!
Clock cricket is played with sponge equipment (bats and balls) and is played by any number of people who sit in a circle in chairs or wheelchairs.
The bat is passed around the group as is the ball. Each person gets to bat for a number of balls whilst the person sitting opposite them ‘bowls’ the ball. The rest of the circle are then fielders, who, attempt to catch the ball!!
Each person’s batting score is added up and once everyone has batted and bowled an individual winner is announced.
In Hertfordshire we have been working with Quantum Care Homes Limited and have delivered a number of clock cricket sessions in around 15 care homes.
As part of the delivery and in the name of competition, we have devised a scoring system whereby we are able to derive a ‘team score’ for each home.
These scores are then entered into a league table. This allows us develop a competition whereby each of the homes play against each other without the need for anyone to travel!
Maybe it’s time for clock cricket to chime!!
For more information on Clock Cricket or any other Disability Cricket initatives in Hertfordshire, contact Richard Hill on Richard.hill@ecb.co.uk