Cambridge University Cricket Club Power House Games
Cambridge cricketers inspire the community
The Cambridge University Sports Centre played host to our second university-style Power House Games on 15 March.
Mills & Reeve provided the sponsorship and volunteers who captained the 12 teams all in different colours. These captains were joined by two blues’ squads cricketers, one from the Women’s team and one from the Men’s; and students from the Perse, Comberton Village College and Castle Special School, making an extremely diverse team of 6 – true inclusion!
The teams played inclusive and adapted sports boccia, goalball, basketball, walking football and to meet the cricket theme: table cricket and kwik cricket.
Cricketer Holly Tasker explained, “It has been a real eye-opener to see how the community can come together and to see how people with such a variety of disabilities can live their lives. It was the sort of event that restores my faith in humanity. It is great to see how we can adapt the sports to make them inclusive for everyone. It has been an awesome experience – super inspiring.”
These events – this cricket one follows a Rugby Club one last autumn, and others are planned – are perfect examples of what we are about: Inclusion. Not only are we breaking down barriers between able-bodied and disabled players, but also between men and women, across the ages and between different types of school.
Nick Brooking, the University’s Director of Sport, emphasised the value of learning these softer skills: “They form an integral part of our goal of greater promotion of the wider, positive aspects of recreational activity for health, educational and social benefits.”
Kevin Martin, PE teacher at Castle Special School, said: “A great day. Our kids loved it!”
Sam Ash Croft, trainee solicitor, added: “It was tremendous fun to be a part of and gave me (and many others from Mills & Reeve) a genuinely moving experience of community, for which I am very grateful.”
So far 150 people have taken part in these “Power House Games”. With plans for the football, rowing and golf clubs to join the programme, the university is introducing the community to the Sports Centre and current students to the community and inspiring local youngsters to dream big.
Festival of Inclusive Golf 2018
Cambridge Festival of Inclusive Golf 2018
We had a fabulous Festival of Inclusive Golf on Friday 29 June at the Cambridge Lakes Golf Course, a beautiful par 3 9-hole gem, tucked away off Trumpington Road in Cambridge. The whole idea is to play golf in a friendly, relaxed manner, in mixed ability teams, so that everyone is included.
The 10 teams therefore included at least one disabled player. We play a team game called Texas Scramble. Each player hits the first shot, then the team selects the best one and all four players play their shot from this spot (three moving their ball to this one). After the second shot the process is repeated, and again with the third, fourth and more shots. This allows everyone to play every shot, and from hopefully good positions. Whatever ability someone has there is always a chance their shot will count.
I was thrilled with the range of players. Sharon, a blind player, was the star player, for most of the round for Don Hutchinson’s team, TriHard. Mark Thornton took round three youngsters from Castle Special School to a commendable team score of 53. Nick Barrett used his buggy to get about the course and then walked to his ball to hit it one handed. His father, a keen golfer, commented how lovely it was to be able to play golf with his son. Les and Anne were very keen golfers until injury and operations took their toll: despite their rustiness their partnership with David and Janet proved fruitful as they won. Alex, representing CADMuS, played the shot of the day, a one-handed 20-foot putt!
Sherwood Scientific, a local company, were happy to join in. Jon Copsey, their manager, played in my team and claimed he had great fun, though he is a complete novice. We started really well with my friend Chris Smith, whom I had met through Handball, hitting the green with his first shot; I then rolled in the putt for a two! Sadly, that was as good as it got!
A big thank you to Bob Barnes, the course owner, who made the very generous donation of gifting the venue hire for the afternoon. Our volunteers were tremendous: Mick Shortland took the photographs in the following gallery; Carolyn Shortland who created order at registration; Lindsay, my wife, who stepped in to run the barbecue so expertly; and Adrienne Engelman, Power2inspire’s very own golf coach, who managed to give tips to every single player, except me, as I escaped her eagle eyes!
To conclude here are some of the comments we received: “We really enjoyed your Festival last night, and everyone else seemed to do so”; “My golf needs work but I am having a great time”; “I didn’t realise there was a blind player”.
If you’re now inspired for Inclusive Sport then do join us at our next big event:
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"Fun, inspirational and bants" Power2Inspire at the Perse
"Fun, inspiration and bants!"
Power2Inspire at The Perse
Power2Inspire at The Perse
The Year 8s from the Perse Upper School let their hair down, celebrating the end of their internal exams with a “Power House Games” day. We introduced the 140 pupils to 6 new sports and games: Boccia, New Age Kurling, Polecat, Visually Impaired Football, Goalball and Sitting Volleyball. all designed to be inclusive, these sports demonstrate that sport can be for everyone.
One pupils commented: “I have learnt that disabilities don’t mean that you can’t do sports”.
Teachers and some of the school’s charity committee members from Year 12 joined in. Sitting volleyball was a favourite, but the trust and learning from the goalball and VI football – “I have now realised how hard it is to be blind!” – made them popular too; though the pupils were adamant not one should be dropped as each sport had something for someone. It also became competitive with great enthusiasm shown for playing within a class for one’s tutor against the other tutor group.
In the afternoon the year were split into three groups, to watch Dave Weir’s Paralympic video, look at my Road2Rio gadgets (see the video here) and design some gadgets to help my life, and to participate in the Inclusive Kilometre. My favourite ideas for designs (whether they are practical or not!) were: a flame-thrower to heat up my knife for cutting my food; a straw from the kitchen to my office so I did not have to carry my hot coffee mug; a pizza cutter designed for paper cutting; a hat to hold coffee mugs with tubes to the mouth; and a mat with bumps to prevent food sliding from my knife.
The inclusive kilometre satisfyingly wore them out, while posing the challenge of being inclusive. This time around I noted a number of crutches!
To finish we invited the pupils in groups of five to commit on their day and reflect on what they had learned: “Inclusive sports are fun to play”, “We learned so much about the different ways sports and everyday objects can be changed for them to be able to be used”, “Fun and interesting x 3”, “Educational”, “Inspiring” (8 times), “Fun” (14 times!), “Thrilling”, and “We all had fun all day!”
Thank you the Perse Upper School Year 8s. I a returning on Wednesday to give a talk to the whole school assembly as they are making a donation from their Non-uniform day to Power2inspire.