Wicketz
Worcestershire Cricket in partnership with Warwickshire Cricket Board have launched their Wicketz programme, funded by the Lord’s Taverners, where they aim to take Cricket to disadvantaged communities in the West Midlands. The key areas the programme will center around are Dudley, Redditch and West Birmingham.
This was on the back of an extremely successful Corporate Street Sixes event held in Worcester city in July. The funds raised through that were used to pilot few Street Cricket programmes in some identified areas.
Harry Kitchen has been appointed as the new Wicketz Development Officer and will work collaboratively with both cricket boards to lead this project to great heights.
Tom Hill, Cricket Development Director, Worcestershire Cricket said, “The funds we raised from Worcestershire Cricket Street Sixes enabled us to run few Street Cricket projects. That helped us to make a strong application for Lord’s Taverners for a Wicketz role in our region.”
He further added, “These are communities where there are limited opportunities for employment, education and because of that there’s the potential for higher crime rates. The programme is about changing lives through Cricket, by engaging people who perhaps wouldn’t do so in normal circumstances. With that in mind, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Harry, who will be leading the project.”
Kitchen, 22, a graduate in Sports Coaching and Physical Education from University of Worcester, has worked in Chance to Shine and Street Cricket projects before with Gloucestershire Cricket Board. He said that the intentions of the venture prompted him to apply for the role and that being given the chance to change someone’s life through the power of cricket is a challenge he very much looked forward to.
Kitchen said, “We are dealing with kids who could potentially get into petty crime, we strive to stop them and move their lives into a better place. There are kids who don’t get opportunities at Cricket because of their backgrounds, our aim is to give them an equal chance. To bring in partners and deliver workshops which could inspire them.”
As part of the first steps, a community hub to play cricket will be implemented. This will be get kids involved to play cricket.
Kitchen added, “Worcestershire and Warwickshire are very excited about this project and I’m determined to help them deliver it to our fullest potential.”