30th May 2024
| Matt Thompson
Cricket Wales are pleased to share news of the Disability team's open trial initiative which is now live and open for expressions of interest.
The scheme - the first of its kind - follows in the footsteps of the open trial initiative piloted by Wales National County and Wales Senior Women earlier this year, and aims to appeal to players in Wales across the disability space who are already playing cricket, or who have yet to discover the game.
To be eligible for an open trial you simply need to:
1) Have a connection with Wales (we define this as having either been born in, currently living in, playing club cricket in Wales or have a relation that is Welsh)
2) Be available to travel to Wicket2Wicket Indoor Cricket Centre, Cwmcarn, Newport (NP11 7BH) on Saturday 5th Ocober 9am-12pm.
HOW TO APPLY:
Players (male or female) should follow the QR code on the flyer below to register their interest via the Google Form. Alternatively the link to the form can be found here:
https://forms.gle/MbzYMMSCgAkVKAxJA
Whilst having some form of experience in cricket is desirable, it is not essential and this will not prevent you from applying!
We will be in touch with everyone who has applied notifying them of outcomes and timings for the trials. If accessing the session in Newport (if coming from furthest West, Mid or North Wales) is a challenge then we will communicate an alternative opportunity to observe you more locally.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS ARE MONDAY 23RD SEPTEMBER 2024.
**If you have any queries about the registration process please contact Cricket Wales Head of Talent Pathway Matt Dando-Thompson on [email protected] OR Head Coach Les Randall on [email protected]
The National Squad engage in a multitude of high quality cricketing experiences, competing in the strong first division of the ECB D40 National League, after obtaining promotion back up in 2023 at the first attempt. In 2023, two teams (one in West Wales and one in North Wales) competed in the ECB Super 9s softball competition which involved a challenging fixture list against opposition counties. Feeding the Super 9s programme are three development hubs across Caerphilly, Swansea and Haverfordwest.
Head of Talent Pathway, Matt Dando-Thompson said: "There is simply no better time to get involved in Disability Cricket. With the recent emergence of the DPL (Disability Premier League) on Sky Sports there is a genuine and tangible route through for players to compete and apsire towards. We're incredbily proud of our current crop of players up and down the country who continue to represent us on the field across hardball and softball competitions. The level and standard of competition is increasing all the time and we know there will be players dotted around that we simply haven't engaged with or come across before. The open trials are just the first step towards opening out further opportunities for players to put their hand up, and potentially be part of something incredibly unique and special here in Wales. We would encourage anyone to apply who is interested, irrespective of ability as we will be able to signpost them to the most appropriate entry point."
To find out more about the various programmes that Cricket Wales offer have a look below:
Performance & Hardball Cricket: https://youtu.be/nVEotH-FPqU
Super 9s Cricket: https://youtu.be/drVQy_l1LKA
Super 1s Cricket: https://youtu.be/IUssyvt3iW4
Disability Champion Clubs: https://youtu.be/XircF082ylo