Wicketz features in England v Australia match day programme

There will doubtless be some fiery exchanges during the course of this series between two of the sport’s oldest rivals, regardless of the format. History, though, has shown that cricket possesses a far greater ability to unite than divide. 

A fact that Dan Wilson, Wicketz Programme Manager for the Lord’s Taverners knows only too well. In a summer riven by social division and unrest, cricket has played a key role in bringing together communities up and down the country. 

Wicketz – a free community cricket programme that looks to engage young people living in areas of deprivation – has been instrumental in introducing the sport to an entirely new generation since its inception. 

And it has never been more important than this summer. 

“Last year we probably two and half thousand people taking part in our Wicketz programme across the UK, and hopefully that’s closer to three (thousand) by the end of the year,” says Wilson. 

“Cricket is such a brilliant game. You look at the diversity it attracts, not just in the UK but around the world. The diversity of the UK is a huge strength. If you look at the unrest that has happened recently, it’s a minority of people fuelling it, but it’s a very noisy minority. It’s terrifying for some of the communities we work with to see that in the mainstream media. 

“What we look to do is to offer that safe space. All about keeping lines of communication open and identifying role models in the communities we work in. I’m a big believer that if you can see it, you can be it. We see that with women’s and girl’s cricket and the incredible difference that has made. 

“If these communities are represented then more young people are going to be able to find a path they can follow in the game that we all love.” 

There is certainly no shortage of the role models that Wilson refers to. And they’ve never been as crucial. 

The Wicketz programme works extensively in Hartlepool, a town that was hit hard this summer. 

“It must have been terrifying, and we did see a knock-on impact a day or two after the weekend where it all seriously kicked-off,” says Wilson. “Parents were wary of their children going out and taking part in activities but thankfully, a lot of our communities are very resilient. 

“Wicketz isn’t about just playing cricket. The development officers we employ and the model we use, it’s all about building that trust, finding roles models and connecting and working in partnership to develop young people beyond sport – we want young people to be more employable, be better equipped for their education – that's all part of what the Wicketz programme creates.” 

It’s not just working with communities in areas which have been traditionally hard to reach, Wicketz also serves to identify promising young cricketers and flag up their potential to those in charge of county pathway programme. It’s a holistic approach and one that isn’t just delivering in the short-term - the learnings from the Wicketz programme last a lifetime.

“Confidence, self-esteem, and feeling part of something – they're all really useful when you’re a young person but if you feel like that when you’re young, they stay with you,” says Wilson. “From a social cohesion perspective, if you can banish prejudices from an early age, then you suddenly have a group of young people who embrace inclusion.

“We started a project in Luton in 2015, and a huge number of our coaches are the same young people that were part of the programme in its early days. It’s that investment in young people that makes a real difference. These people want to give something back.” 

And they want to do it in good times, and bad.