What is Cricketforfun?
Cricketforfun is a new Ealing-based project aimed at making the sport of cricket more accessible to people, especially women, who are short of time, skill and ability. So it gets ordinary residents like small business-owners, school mums, unsporty women, and older/injured players away from usual frustrated routines and into the fresh air and open space of a cricket field, to play one of the nation’s favourite sports. 

Why Cricketforfun?
– not everyone wants to be clattered with a hard leather ball
– especially parents who have to go home to look after other people
– not everyone has a whole day to devote to playing a game
– especially if we’re running our own business
– not everyone is good enough to play competitive cricket
– especially if we’ve come to the game as older players
– BUT! Everyone who wants to play Cricketforfun is welcome in our group!

How will we play Cricketforfun?
– weekday games – Fridays – so we have weekends for family time (i.e. helping with homework)
– mid-afternoon games, 1-2pm, so we don’t have to find childcare, or compete with our family’s extra-curricular activities
– we’ll only play for an hour, that’s quite enough time for a bit of a run around for extra-busy people
– all equipment provided, so we don’t have to splash out on expensive gear
– we’re playing with an Incrediball (softer ball), so we’re less likely to get hurt
– everyone bats and everyone bowls on a rotating field, so nobody is standing still for an hour!
– minimum 5, maximum 14 players
– great atmosphere because nobody is playing to *win*
– rules based on Pairs cricket (see below), so it’s easy for absolute beginners to join in
– video coming soon

Rules for playing Cricketforfun (assuming 10 players; 10 overs)
– meet at 12.45, players are matched into pairs (or announce themselves if they’ve chosen each other beforehand)
– everyone takes the field at 1pm
– starting pair takes up their bats and their positions at the wicket
– rest of players spread out around the ground, including one as umpire (to record runs/deliveries), and one as wicketkeeper
– each batting pair faces two overs
– starting bowler bowls the first over with six balls
– batters play the deliveries as normal, and every time the bat connects with the ball, the pair must cross for at least one run
– if a player gets out during their two overs, her/his opposite pair gets to face the next delivery 
– field rotates by one position to make way for the second bowler; the first bowler takes the place of the second bowler
– fielders must stay alert, walk in for every delivery, and run hard to stop any boundaries (i.e. when the batter hits the ball hard toward the rope)
– note that the wicketkeeper and umpire/recorder also rotate with the field, handing over gloves/scorebook
– second bowler bowls her/his over from the opposite end, then the field rotates again
– at the end of the second over, the first batting pair hands over to the second batting pair
– the third bowler bowls his/her six-ball over to the second pair, then the field rotates, and so on until everyone has had a chance to bowl and bat, until about 2pm
– ways to get out: bowled, caught, stumped, run out (NOT lbw)
– we’ll have a bit of ‘tea’ afterwards, before everyone rushes back to their Friday schedules
– contributions of £2 from each player very welcome

The aims of the game
– to give ordinary people in Ealing a chance to play cricket
– play cricket without the commitment to club fees
– to give ‘non-sporty’ people the experience of what cricket is like
– to boost the confidence of newer cricketers in a non-competitive environment
– a first and easy step to try out cricket before joining a big club
– to have fun, get some fresh air, and be active in a group
– to stage key games every second Friday of the month throughout summer 2015 (May-August)

Cricketforfun is affiliated with Old Actonians Ladies Cricket club. Male players are not excluded.

Cricketforfun is funded by Ealing Council’s Bubble fund; W5 Physio on Haven Lane Ealing Broadway; and Contactus (Ealing) local business magazines.

Contact person Carlene Bender 07960 392677

Dates (all 1-2pm at Old Actonians sports ground, Gunnersbury Drive W5 4LL):
1. Fri 8 May
2. Mon 18 May
3. Fri 12 June
4. Fri 10 July
5. Mon 20 July 
6. Tue 11 Aug
– extra dates may be added.