sports Cricket given a fun twist for disabled kids at Newlands Table Cricket Festival

• Published date: 26 April 2024
• Author: Byron Lukas byron.lukas@inl.co.za
• Publication title: Cape Argus (Cape Town, South Africa)

This came as the Sporting Chance Development Foundation and Lord’s Taverners South Africa hosted its third Table Cricket Festival for children living with disabilities

Table cricket is an adapted version of cricket played on a table tennis platform, providing those with disabilities an inclusive platform to participate and compete.

Using their fingers, the bowler rolls the ball to the batsman, who then attempts to score as many runs as possible by striking the ball with a miniature bat onto the points areas on the table’s side.

In 14 teams, 100 girls and boys with various degrees of disability, aged 9 to 15 years, participated in the Table Cricket Festival yesterday.

The exciting game is centred around team building, said Natalie Pollock, general manager of Sporting Chance. She said the sport was being rolled out at special needs schools in and around the Western Cape.

Developed in the UK by Doug Williamson of Nottingham Trent University, the game was introduced to SA five years ago.

It is designed to enhance hand-eye co-ordination, numeracy skills and self-esteem among its players.

“A lot of the Paralympic sports are individual, so this is an opportunity for them to feel part of a team,” she said.

“Every child that is part of Table Cricket at their school was able to come and participate.”

Each team played three matches at the festival, during which the learners displayed cricketing skills despite their...