Table Cricket

I must confess that I’d not heard of table cricket until I was asked to umpire a regional final of the Macquarrie National Competition. The game was originally developed by Doug Williamson at Nottingham Trent University in 1990. The aim was to give a sporting opportunity for youngsters who could not take part in the traditional Paralympic sports. It was created especially for those with more severe physical impairments, such as muscular dystrophy. The game is played on a table tennis table. The ball is rolled down a slope, and the batter has to hit it to designated areas on the side of the table to score runs. There are fielders who can try and block the ball with sliding panels. You certainly need to be on your toes as an umpire as the action can be quite frenetic. The excitement of the kids matched that of any junior cricket I’ve been involved with, and it made for the kind of day you never forget. There’s a version of the game called target cricket, which is designed for those with learning difficulties. The batter has to try and hit the ball to targets or gaps. Once a target has been hit, it’s reversed and is no longer a “live” scoring option. It occurs to me that it would be a good idea if there were also the option of using a ball that rattles, as in blind cricket, so those with visual disabilities can play the game as well. I think I’ll suggest that. David Donner