Cricket – Walking
Walking cricket is open to all members regardless of gender or sporting background, as ever in the u3a the students and the teachers are one and the same
Hello! Thank you for visiting this page, the home of Walking Cricket within the U3A. My Name is Mac McKechnie, and I co-ordinate Walking Cricket in Barnsley U3A. And I am also the U3A Adviser on Walking Cricket.
Walking cricket aims to create an interesting sport that improves fitness, and enables participants to have fun as part of a team experience. I extend a warm welcome to all members of the BU3A to consider creating groups within your U3A’s, and enjoy some stimulating exercise as part of a team once every week or fortnight.
This is an all-year-round sport, and the only current team within the U3A is one which I set up in Barnsley in Yorkshire. We played our first match in January 2019, and from there we are building a foundation which will allow us to explore possibilities with any other Walking Cricket teams in the area. There must be many retired men out there in particular who were never really into football, but remember with fondness playing cricket. Likewise, many retired ladies who don’t fancy chasing a football, but who will remember with fondness the rounders games of their youth. Mixed walking cricket is a more relaxed, yet still a powerful team game that helps to recreate some of those past sporting activities and memories.
The story so far.
Starting with just 8 “players” turning up at the first session a couple of years ago, Walking Cricket has caught fire in Surrey. Starting from that low base, almost two years ago, Epsom Thoroughbreds won the inaugural Surrey County Cricket Club (SCCC) Walking Cricket Championship and then went on to win an indoor competition at Lord’s earlier this year.
We have now been adopted by the Epsom cricket Club. SCCC Foundation is now firmly behind the project and the game is spreading all across Surrey at great speed. We have a range of abilities, ranging from those who haven’t played before to former members of local cricket clubs. The joy of having fun and enjoying the camaraderie is, however, Olympic standard. Merciless micky-taking, dropped catches, mis-fielding & waving of the bat at thin
air!!! You can’t beat that buzz.
It’s excellent exercise for physical and mental well being. A welcome distraction from the aches & pains of old age Focusing on what we can still do, despite the physical limitations. The old competitive spirit kicks in and you find yourself rising to the challenge and stretching & pushing yourself a bit more every time you bat & bowl.
The cherry on the cake last summer was lifting the Walking Cricket County Championship trophy; playing at the Oval Edgbaston and the Lord’s Indoor Centre.
We play in the summer at Epsom Cricket Club every Friday from 11.00am to 1.00pm. In the winter we play at The Rainbow Centre Epsom every Friday from 1.00 to 2.00pm.
Please come and join us – it is great fun.
Contact: – Roger Hill at rmghill@aol.com
CONTACT FORM WALKING CRICKET BELOW
