(posted 7956 days ago)The Times
July 09, 2002Arundel experience delights children
Junior Cricket By Ivo TennantTHE arboreal beauty and the visage of the castle is the most compelling of sights to the uninitiated upon reaching Arundel. Sussex played at the ground at the end of last month, but first-class matches constitute only a part of the cricket there. Last week, for example, boys and girls from Lambeth who had never had the chance to play on grass were learning the game on the outfield. The fifteenth Duke of Norfolk has started something, for sure.
This introduction was in the form of Kwik Cricket, which uses plastic equipment and puts the emphasis on fun for children aged between seven and ten. The 36 children, who were coached while the Sussex groundsman was tending the square, came from primary and secondary schools whose sports facilities amount to small playgrounds. Some relished the sight of grass to such an extent that before putting bat to ball they were revelling in rolling down the banks.
After they had finished, the children were shown around the castle. John Barclay, the former Sussex captain, reckons that around 170,000 children have benefited since he arrived to run the newly constituted Friends of Arundel Castle Cricket Foundation in 1986. These have included Alex Tudor, the England fast bowler, who he thought had more talent as a batsman.
“The youngsters have a very elementary introduction to the game here. We involve children with special needs as well, since they can hit and throw the ball,” Barclay said. The boys and girls appeared to take to Kwik Cricket with enthusiasm. “I want to continue playing after I leave school,” Amy Lush, 10, who is at Jessop Primary, said.
Tony Moody, the Cricket Development Officer for Lambeth, who has played for Brixton West Indians since leaving school, has been taking children to Arundel since 1993. For 12 years, Moody tried to develop a ground in Lambeth for the benefit of young cricketers who had nowhere else to play. With assistance from Surrey and Channel 4, this has finally been achieved at Kennington Park. “We are trying to involve schools, but the game can be expensive to play,” he said.
“We shall have to try to build a pavilion. I believe we shall see the benefits, but I intend to continue bringing children down to this wonderful ground at Arundel.”