The important bit!
Our group meets (weather permitting) weekly on Thursday afternoons from 2.00 to 4.00 at the Minehead Community Centre, Irnham Road, Minehead. Meetings will continue until October – but no meeting if it is raining!
Our group is led by John Batt, and he may be contacted by email at
Somerset Cricket have created a short video of the group in action! – https://youtu.be/W2bPI10r-B0
It’s not cricket – well actually it is!
If you think cricket is a slow game, what will you make of walking cricket? But seriously, the emergence of a wide range of ‘walking’ versions of popular sports -including football, rugby, basketball, netball, hockey, rounders and tennis – has seen thousands of those aged 50+ with conditions which limit their participation in the traditional versions, discover a new way to remain active. Not only is it proving physically beneficial but engaging with others in sports is shown to improve mental health and general wellbeing.
A Walking Sport is, understandably, a slower version of a game and rules are adapted to accommodate the slower pace. Those who are addressing weight-related issues or recovering from operations or treatments and undergoing rehabilitation have found walking sports a real aid to improving their condition. Some who suffer from social isolation or loneliness testify to the positive effect these sports have brought them. So, if you are finding that age or disability mean you are having to make adjustments, then a Walking Sport may offer you a continuing opportunity to participate in an activity closely associated with one you have previously enjoyed.
Update
After our 6 week introduction to the game finishing on Friday 29th July, we are planning to keep the group going but not on Fridays, probably Thursday afternoons from the first week in August, weather permitting, until October.
The game is played on the hard court area at Minehead Community Centre with plastic cricket bats and a soft ball. You bat for a number of overs. You are never out, you just lose runs from your total. You score ‘runs’ by hitting different parts of the fencing. Everyone bowls, overarm if you can, but underarm is fine. It’s great light exercise and good fun.
Somerset Cricket have kindly offered to donate our first set of equipment, which will be stored at the Community Centre, so we are good to start a u3a Walking Cricket group, but a few more members are needed.
Please contact to find out more