Where are they now?
Thousands of young people are regularly accessing and benefitting from our programmes. While we are only telling you about a few of them, each one has their own personal story to tell. Here, we highlight a few young people we have told you about previously and how they are continuing to excel.
Harry
Harry lives with a degenerative neurological condition which affects his fine motor skills and speech. Before finding cricket, he used to feel very isolated and lacked confidence. But since being introduced to the game through Super 1s he loves it. So much so that he’s now a Young Leader, umpiring and teaching table cricket, and helping coaches run Super 1s sessions in Sussex. He particularly enjoys helping the other participants and making sure even the least confident are involved and get the most out of sessions. As Harry does more, his independence and confidence have continued to build. “The positivity of Super 1s allowed me to come out of my shell – hopefully other young people here can look at me and think they can also train to be a coach and help other people.”
Mo
Mo (16) had a very difficult home life and few friends but was determined not to be defined by this. Since joining Wicketz in January 2019, following a recommendation by his social worker, he’s become a regular and proactive Wicketz volunteer – coaching small groups and never missing a session. His communication skills and self-confidence have rapidly developed, and he now has a much healthier, more active lifestyle. Wicketz gives Mo a sense of community and friends outside of school to socialise with. His aim is to become a qualified sports coach and has already made great progress as he strives to achieve this goal.
Caitlin
Caitlin is very passionate about table cricket. Two years ago her mum said: “being part of the table cricket team has been life changing for Caitlin.” Caitlin is now in her final year at Ralph Thoresby School studying her A-levels. Caitlin lives with Rothmund Thomson syndrome, meaning her bones break so easily that she has to use a wheelchair. Caitlin can only study from home currently but she is still delighting her teachers with her hard work and amazing academic progress. Before the pandemic restrictions reached the UK, her school (which describes table cricket as their main sport), played every week and despite a demanding work schedule, Caitlin played at every opportunity. Sadly in her school, as in so many others, table cricket is currently off the menu. Caitlin misses it.
Samina
Samina first became a volunteer Wicketz coach after initially watching from the sidelines while her children enjoyed weekly sessions. From knowing almost nothing about cricket just a few years ago, Samina is now a Level 2 qualified cricket coach and very much in demand to coach girls, not only through Wicketz but also other programmes and at county level. She ran online Wicketz sessions during lockdown and has added Head Coach of Luton’s first girls team to her ever-growing list of roles. Samina’s confidence has soared, she has new skills and a new career.
Sam
Sam lives with a rare condition called TAR (thrombocytopenia-absent radius) syndrome, which means he has a blood disorder that disrupts clotting and does not have a radius bone in either forearm. He is a wheelchair user but none of this has stopped him from first playing cricket through Super 1s, and now becoming a qualified level two coach. If cricket is a tool to change lives for the better, Sam is the embodiment of it.