Sussex County Cricket Club last week launched a junior deaf team which it hopes might nurture international stars of the future
The team was launched with Phil Hudson, Head Coach and Umesh Valjee MBE, Captain of the England Deaf Team at the Hamilton Lodge School and College for Deaf Children in Walpole Road, Brighton.
Mr Hudson said: “I think it’s amazing what Sussex are doing and a number of the counties are doing it now. Disability Cricket is a real focus of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and what Sussex are doing with this partnership, and trying to spread Deaf Cricket around the county is massively important so that we can build up the playing pool.
“We need more cricketers so we have some harder selection issues and some young players coming through.”
Mr Valjee said: “I visited Hamilton Lodge to give advice about Disability Cricket and to tell the deaf children about my role, and try to encourage them to be interested and involved in cricket. Deaf children don’t often have any access to mainstream sport; it is very limited to them. This setup and the specific deaf teams open the door so they can be involved in cricket.”
Sussex Cricket Development Officer, and County Junior Deaf Manager Matt Parsons said, “We’re now in a position with Disability Cricket where we can offer any boy or girl across Sussex the chance to come and have a go at playing the game.
“It is very much a county-wide initiative; the professional staff are aware of it and we’re trying to mirror the mainstream Junior County Age Group model which is headed by Keith Greenfield.
“Another key part is the link with the ECB and establishing a process where any real talented young deaf cricketers have the chance to progress into the national game.”
The team, developed through the county team’s Sussex Cricket in the Community initiative, is going to be running two boys sides (U14s and U15s) and a mixed age girls side.
They will take part in fortnightly indoor training at Brighton College, which has offered the use of its sports hall.
This will then be followed by outdoor summer training, whilst there will also be matches organised and potentially inter-county competitions during the summer.
The ECB is keen to encourage Sussex to nominate players for their talent ID development centres, where talented players can push for international honours.
