FALKIRK HIGH SCHOOL ENJOY LORD'S EXPERIENCE

Following their success at our National Table Cricket Festival in March, Falkirk High School became the second school to represent Scotland at the Lord’s Taverners Table Cricket Finals at the Home of Cricket.

 

The National Table Cricket Festival, delivered in partnership with Lord’s Taverners, was the culmination of a year of growth for the sport in Scotland, following the hosting of regional festivals across the country leading up to our national event.

 

Eight teams from six schools competed in Dundee, in addition to the 19 schools that had competed at regional events – with Falkirk High School following in the footsteps of Crieff High School last year, and earning a trip to Lord’s.

 

Ann Smith, Head of Health and Wellbeing at Falkirk High School, said: “For most of the pupils, this is the first sport they have competed in and played in a team in, and getting them involved in Table Cricket has given them the confidence to try other new sports as well.

 

“The opportunity to travel down to London and playing at Lords was a major highlight for everyone involved, and the opportunity to experience London, watch some cricket and then play at Lord’s was phenomenal. It’s not something they would ordinarily get to do with the physical and economic barriers they face, so to have the opportunity to experience everything on the trip was brilliant.

 

 “Everyone enjoyed it so much that they are already talking about signing up for next year, and encouraging others to do the same, so I think we will see Table Cricket continue to grow in popularity at Falkirk.”

 

 

Connor Brian, Disability Cricket Development Officer at Cricket Scotland, said: “It was a pleasure to see Falkirk High School competing at the Home of Cricket, and they represented themselves, the school and Scotland brilliantly.

 

“The pupils navigated flights, tube travel, a busy schedule of events and meeting hundreds of new people in an unfamiliar environment with ease.

 

“The support of  Anne Broadhurst and Stephen Sutton at Westquarter & Redding CC, Kevin Taylor and Charlotte Askham at Cricket Forth Valley and Lisa Male from Active Schools Falkirk, has been instrumental in driving table cricket opportunities in the Falkirk area.

 

“The growth we have seen in Table Cricket over the last 12 months has been great to see, and something we want to continue, with Falkirk High School and Crieff High School both inspiring stories for others to look up to.

 

“We hope to expand our regional offering once again this year to remove the barrier that travel places on competing, and provide opportunities for those who are experienced with the sport, and others trying it for the first time.

 

“Ultimately, we want to be in a place where there is a pathway for people to continue playing Table Cricket beyond schools, and have those opportunities to continue playing the sport.”

 

You can find out more about disability cricket in Scotland by clicking here.