It was first played in the 1940s as a means of recreation for servicemen injured during the Second World War.

But blind and partially sighted people in Dorset are now being offered the chance to compete on equal terms with the launch of a new Blind Cricket team. The project has been set up by Peter Marshall, vice president of Hampshire County Cricket Club and a trustee and director of the Dorset Blind Association (DBA).

“Last year at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton I saw the impressive work there to encourage cricket for the visually impaired and the support they get from the national organisation Blind Cricket in England and Wales (BCEW),” he said.

“There was nothing similar yet in Dorset, so I thought I would try to combine my two interests and try to get something started here.”

Peter and Jonathan Holyhead, chief executive of DBA contacted the Dorset Cricket Board and found them very enthusiastic about the idea.

Blind Cricket is played with a size three football filled with a quantity of ball bearings so it can be seen by partially sighted players and heard by blind players. Of the 11 players in a team, at least four must be totally blind. The MCC Laws of Cricket have also been adapted in other ways in an attempt to allow blind and partially sighted people to compete on equal terms. The major variations are:

  • The wicket is larger, making it easier for the partially sighted players to see and easier for a batsman or bowler to touch for the purpose of orientation.
  • The ball must pitch at least twice before the crease of a totally blind batsman but must not be rolling.
  • The ball must pitch at least once before the crease of a partially sighted batsman.
  • A blind batsman is given one chance before being given out LBW and cannot be stumped.
  • The bowler must ask the batsman if he is ready before beginning his run up and shout ‘play’ as he releases the ball.
  • A blind fielder can make a catch after the ball has bounced once.

This year’s BBS Primary Club National Knockout Cup features 13 teams and is believed to be the longest running disability cricket competition in the world, taking place every year since 1979.

“From the initial sessions they have planned, I am very hopeful that we can eventually develop a Dorset team ready to take on Hampshire for a local derby,” said Peter.

“I will have to decide which team to support – and so will Wilfred Weld, of Lulworth Castle, who serves as patron of the DBA and of Hampshire County Cricket.”

  • For more about coaching sessions for Dorset’s Blind Cricket team at Rossmore Leisure Centre contact Greg Parsons, cricket development officer at Dorset Cricket Board, on 01202 881349.

dorsetblind.org.uk.