UKC Sports: Cricket
Photos by Sam Street
Meg Warwick speaks to the Chairman of the University of Kent Men’s and Women’s Cricket Club, Sam Street:
For new students who may never have heard of the sport, what is cricket?
It’s a tough one to describe so I’ll leave it for Wikipedia to explain: “Cricket is a sport which is played between two teams of eleven players each who score runs. This is done by hitting the ball across the boundary, or by running between two sets of three small, wooden posts called wickets. The team with the most runs is the winner.”
What enticed you to join Cricket?
My dad played cricket to a particularly high standard and so my weekends growing up were spent watching him play. The other kids and I would play our own game off the pitch for hours and I instantly fell in love with the sport. I played my first proper game at the age of 7 and haven’t looked back since! It’s a brilliant team game that tests you physically, technically, tactically and psychologically. Joining Cricket when coming to university was a no brainer really.
What were the highlights and biggest achievements of Cricket over the past year?
The main highlight from last year was our indoor varsity victory against CCCU (you can’t beat a victory over the poly!). If I’m being honest, we underperformed in our BUCS matches across the club last year and this is something we will be looking to make amends for this upcoming season.
What’s the sports side like of Cricket?
During the winter we play indoor cricket in the BUCS league and also the local Kent indoor league so there’s plenty of matches and opportunities available.
In the summer, we have three men’s teams and one women’s team. Our men’s first team are in division 2 and our women are in division 1, so we play against some really strong opposition.
We also have a full time level 2 qualified cricket coach. He’s been with us for two years now and he has really helped us improve. Whether you’re trying it out for the first time or play regularly, he’s great at identifying strengths and weaknesses and developing drills to help improve your skills.
What is the social side like of Cricket?
We are a very social club. Unlike some society’s, our men’s and women’s teams all socialise together which creates a great togetherness in the club. We are regulars at Venue on a Vensday. All of our training is on a Saturday and we always go to Woodys afterwards to socialise also.
We also run a number of charity events (including our legendary quiz night) and host club meals throughout the year.
Why should new students consider joining Cricket?
Whether you’re looking to join a society to meet new people, try a new sport, join a sport you’ve played for years or just join a social group, we cater for all! Anyone can join our society, regardless of ability so come and give it a go!
On a different topic, what is your opinion on the new sponsorship deal with Leydon lettings that Kent Union have secured?
It’s brilliant that the union have acquired this sponsorship deal and hopefully our society’s across the university benefit from the extra funding.
If you are interested in joining or following either the men's or women's side of the cricket club you can join their Facebook Group or like their Facebook Page.
