Wicketz: Delivering cricket coaching and change in Hartlepool

For cricket read Wicketz, the Lord’s Taverners project which is making a big impact in deprived areas across the country. The note was finely and personally crafted by one of the kids who has become a regular at the sessions.

The sport and the programme, held at Lynnfield School – there’s also a session at Brierton Sports Centre - is used as a platform to help social change, while introducing them to the game. It’s not necessarily about coaching kids the merits of off-spin or a cover drive. This is about developing their personalities, their social skills and outlook.

The only boundaries Wicketz is really interested in is those which can be broken down.

There’s 16 different programmes across the country, with the aim of more to come.

Pearce, has worked and coached for the Durham Cricket Board, kept wicket for Durham seconds and now plays for Burnopfield.

And while he may get a buzz from scoring a century in the Durham Cricket League for his club side, the satisfaction he gets from the sessions take some beating.

He admitted: “It’s rewarding, it really is. It’s tough at times, but then you see a kid come through and develop and enjoy what they are doing and you see the change in them.

“This is a different sort of town, a different environment. There’s a small number of ethnic minorities in Hartlepool, a lot of them come to our sessions and, to be honest, it took time to build a relationship with a lot of them.

“But we see a change in the kids, in their behaviour.’’

The expression on the kids faces says a lot as they run around the school sports zone, chasing soft cricket balls, it’s about smiling, joking and encouraging during the games introduced by Cole and his sidekick Malcolm Foster.

Also associated with Seaton Carew Cricket Club, Foster said: “We have two girls who came in here who were very subdued and we may not have brought them on fantastically as cricketers, we have witnessed a real change in them – they are smiling, laughing and joking. The whole confidence issue and self-worth is part of what we do.

“Some kids are very quiet, some lively lads, but they come here with a smile and get a bit louder and more engaging.

“We see them flourish and we have a young Chinese lad here every week. He’s a different person now. He’s loving it. We have helped the kids in a lot of different ways.’’

Within those methods of assistance some real stark issues have arisen. Some kids were taking to binge drinking, and a 14-year-old boy admitted he had to have his stomach pumped. Alcohol awareness became part of their programme.

Social media understanding and healthy eating are two other areas to have come under consideration.

“The kids we target throughout the project, they really haven’t been cricketers,’’ reflected Pearce. “They may have known what it is, hit a ball with a bat before but not of any high level.

“No-one is at a cricket club. We work at Lynnfield School and cricket has never really been on their radar. But that’s the case in a lot of schools now.

“We have a good relationship with the school and the staff, we use the facility and help deliver some of their PE lessons.

“Cricket programmes, coaching programmes, are popular these days, but our main objective isn’t necessarily about coaching the finer details and the mechanics.

“We help bring the kids out as individuals and develop their personal skills. We delivered a social media workshop for them – who to accept on Facebook, how to be aware of who you are talking to on-line and the like.

“We did one on healthy eating and drinking… what’s inside the drinks, what the food is all about.

“The kids aren’t being lectured by us, perhaps how they feel they may be by their teachers in a formal environment, but it’s fun and relaxed.

“We do try and help them in a lot of different ways and I think they take notice because we are dressed in shorts and t-shirts and not in a shirt and tie.’’

There’s relaxed discipline in the sessions, there’s plenty of fun and enjoyment. The kids listen to their leaders and take notice with a smile and an avuncular outlook. They sit and go quiet when they are told to, they get up and run and chase and bat and bowl with gusto.

Pearce added: “We keep the sessions short, sharp and entertaining. We do work on skills, but nothing technical and we do the basics – it’s not the sort of stuff you would be doing with juniors at a cricket club.

“They aren’t too bothered about on-drives and off-spin, they want to come here and enjoy it, have some fun and make some new friends.

“You might get the odd one who we can develop and we have tried to do that over the winter, by putting on sessions with kids who have shown a little bit more interest and have a little bit more ability.

“We want to develop them when we can. Our numbers drop off in the winter, but are still pretty good. We move indoors, but the majority of kids keep coming – same time, same day so it becomes part of the routine.’’

Kids from different backgrounds and cultures are playing together. It wouldn’t necessarily be the case otherwise. It wasn’t at first and Pearce had to cajole them together. He told them he was building a team. It worked. Hartlepool United.

Dan Wilson is the national manager of Wicketz. He’s been to Lynnfield School to see his scheme in operation.

The message from Peace and Foster is mirrored by Wilson.

“There’s a lot of youngsters come to the programme and we offer some guidance for them,’’ he admitted. “They open up, they develop and feel a sense of happiness.

“We operate in Hartlepool, in a deprived area with lots of social issues and problems. There’s a lot of factors which come into play when we pick an area to work in – we worked on the index of deprivation. Hartlepool has areas of low income, high unemployment and crime. Our aim is to educate, through cricket, and help the youngsters develop their personal skills.’’

And back to the letter. A personal touch, which said everything about the scheme is working. It should be used to promote the scheme across the land.

“I decided to join Wicketz because not only did I think it was fun and fit for me, I thought cricket was my type of sport. As soon as I arrived at my first lesson I knew I wouldn’t regret it. As time went on, I built more confidence in every game I took part in. Although I’ve met people who are unfriendly to me, I’ve always got a teacher who is there to stick up for me. I wouldn’t be who I am now if it wasn’t for cricket.’’