Jacob's Super 1s experience

Jacob has recently put himself forward as one of Somerset's young Super 1s ambassadors who can choose from three different roles: inspirer, promoter or leader. Jacob opted for both inspirer and leader and his task was to share his experiences of the programme in the hope it may inspire or provide the courage for others to join.

Jacob's report

The Super 1s programme is a great stepping stone into cricket for young people between the ages of 12-25. In addition to being a great introduction to cricket, Somerset Cricket foundation run 'Ready Steady Cook' and volunteering for the Somerset County Cricket Club on T20 match days and loads more, which as well as helping your cricket skills, it also helps your mental and physical wellbeing!

Somerset Cricket Foundation run seven Super 1s hubs in Bath, Bristol, Street, Taunton, Bridgwater, Yeovil and Weston-Super-Mare. All sessions are coached by the amazing coaches at the Somerset Cricket Foundation!

A bit about me

I’m Jacob Lunn, I have autism and I love cricket! I play for several cricket clubs as well as Somerset Disabled CC.

You may have heard of me through social media. I have over 1.4K Twitter followers and I use my Twitter to express my views and support and also talk about how cricket has helped me in my life!

When I was young, I used to go on cricket tour with my dad and also watch my dad play cricket, that’s where it really started.

When I was five I was diagnosed with autism, and at the time it seemed a bad thing and I felt like the odd one out. However as I’ve got older, I’ve realised actually it does have negatives like at school, but it has created so many opportunities and has made me the person who I am. If I didn’t have autism, I wouldn’t have such a passion about cricket.

At first, the club I was part of, nobody understood me and I felt like I shouldn’t be there. I persisted and now the coaches and players have started to understand me, and now, I think, they accept me for who I am!

A few years ago, my mum got in contact with Steve Gass and I joined the Super 1s sessions at Street. Since then, I have joined the Weston-Super-Mare hub.

I have now been part of Super 1s for nearly two years and it has helped my mental wellbeing so much, I love chatting to people and feeling accepted.  The Super 1s sessions have helped me with my social skills so much and it has opened so many doors for me. I would suggest Super 1s to any young person with a disability!

This also helped me get involved with Somerset Disabled CC, and I have been with them just over a year and heading in to my second season with them!

They are an amazing and inspirational bunch of people, with wide ranging disabilities from learning disabilities to physical disabilities!

I would like to thank anyone on my cricketing journey and to make sure other people get treated as they should!

If I could give a message to any coach from any club cricket through to the professional game is that “just because someone has a difference, shouldn’t mean that they can't be an amazing person, so just accept them as who they are and help them become the best version of themselves”

Thank you to the Somerset Cricket Foundation for their great work!