Table Cricket
Due to Polybat being so successful in providing a viable sport for youngsters with more severe impairments, we decided to develop another table based game. We did this using the table tennis format from Polybat but incorporated striking and fielding without the running.
From the range of baseball, rounders and cricket the latter was chosen because of its more universal appeal - a prototype version of baseball was created at a later date.
The prototype
The wooden prototype consisted of:
- a wooden bowling ramp
- a wooden bat and ball
- a set of 30cms long wooden fielders for the side with the red tape in the middle for the caught out area.
After trialling this at the 1992 DSE Mini Games it was decided to add the existing Polybat table sides to the game format to stop the balls going off the sides.
Further action research enabled the balance of the game to be established so that it:
- became suitable for the abilities of the more impaired youngsters i.e. those with muscular dystrophy syndrome
- reflected the ethos of real cricket on a reduced scale.
Four sets of this wooden version were made and the game was included in several DSE Mini Games from 1993 onwards.
Table Cricket is now produced in kit form by the Youth Sport Trust who have been instrumental in working with the England and Wales Cricket Board.
In recent years the Lord's Taverners have promoted the annual regional competitions and subsequent finals at Lords.
Further information on the rules and resources of Table Cricket.
