Most of our work is carried out under the operational name of Dorset Cricket Board.
Under this name, our work is aimed at peoples participation and the growth of the game in the county. This includes work in schools and clubs, running festival and competition days, competitive cricket in the school network, providing cricket to people with disabilities and providing coaching opportunities to junior cricketers in the county.
Our team of community staff, working with the support of our main business partners the ECB and Lords Taverners, are focuessed on the needs of everyone and want to ensure cricket is made available to everyone who would like to play it or experience it's benefits.
We are always trying to bring cricket to the community. Making it accessible to everyone!
If you would like us to come and support an event offering cricket engagement please do not hesitate to contact us:
communityteam@dorsetcricketboard.co.uk
Some of our current partnerships are:
The Community Team have built a good working relationship with BCP council. We worked with them to develop a cricket offering to refugees based in Bournemouth, this included coaching at Kings Park and attending hubs to offer support and information. The council also assists on providing contacts and locations for other community events such as beach cricket and Healthy Body, Healthy Mind.
We have worked with Dorset Council to offer local primary schools teacher CPD. Provided locations for beach cricket and we are in the process of working together to offer cricket to the refugees currently based at Chickerell Camp.
Impact Boscombe is a charitable trust aiming to facilitate positive impact on the lives, circumstances and physical environment of children and young people living in Boscombe.
This trust resembles what us as a community team want to do across the whole of the County!
We are starting in Boscombe by working with Impact Boscombe to offer a 3-day National Programme summer camp for children in Boscombe. Impact Boscombe will be providing lunch and we will provide the activities!
We cannot wait for this camp and to continue to build upon this with Impact Boscombe!
For more details of this trust see below:
This church has a wide variety of offering to those with dementia. We have worked with this church to bring cricket back as a reminiscence session. This involved 15 people from the community sharing their experiences with us, playing some cricket (seated and standing) and completing thinking games.
In the summer of 2023 the Community Team worked with the National Trust to offer cricket to all those visiting Corfe Castle. This was during the history of sport month there. We had a constant flow of participants who varied in ages. All enjoyed playing cricket in such a wonderful Dorset landmark. We are looking forward to completing more work with the National Trust again this summer.
For the last few years, we have worked with Atlas offering cricket to their staff and families during their yearly AtlasFest. Last year we had over 20 children completing cricket skills and playing the game.
Chance to Shine is a national charity which works with the Community team to spread the power of cricket in schools.
Primary Schools
In the Academic year of '22-'23 we visited 79 Primary Schools with 1,027 hours of coaching spent in schools. 9,481 children experienced cricket in schools in Dorset.
For the ’23-’24 academic year we are aiming to achieve the same.
What we Offer:
Feedback:
"The children really enjoyed the sessions and looked forward to them weekly! They were engaged throughout all sessions" (Jewell Academy)
"Very engaging activities which all took part in. The coaches were very enthusiastic and praised lots. All were engaged and participated in all activities with smiles on their faces." (Hazelbury Bryan)
“His lessons were very engaging and effective where they accommodated all learners, especially the children with SEND. I will be using some of his activities when I am delivering sessions.” (Corpus Christi CofE Primary School)
"Both coaches were very good at getting the children active quickly in sessions and used fun activities to encourage children to get into cricket. IT was great to see so many enjoying cricket." (Bere Regis)
Schools:
For schools that wish to express an interest in receiving an engagement day or the whole school programme, please complete the form in the link below:
Teachers:
Sign up to the Chance to Shine portal for FREE session plans, resources & free tickets to cricket matches HERE
Schools we have visited in the Academic year '23-'24 can be found in our News updates.
If you are interested in hearing more about our offer for Primary Schools, please email
chancetoshine@dorsetcricketboard.co.uk and one of our staff will be in contact.
Our programme has been designed to create opportunities for teenage girls to play cricket and to support them to develop leadership skills through the sport.
In the academic year of '22-'23 8 schools received the Secondary Girls schools programme. Over 70 leaders were trained with 937 girls taking part in cricket in school.
The programme consists of three parts:
Taster Sessions
Exciting and enjoyable sessions run by Chance to Shine coaches in PE lessons to give the target group the opportunity to experience what cricket can offer.
Leadership Training
Sessions aimed at building the skills of the ‘young leaders’ to help them to run their own extra-curricular cricket club; this included cricket coaching skills, support to promote the club within the school and behaviour management skills.
The young leaders were also trained to support primary school coaching alongside their coaches. As part of the England & Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) support for our Primary School programme, cricket festivals were held at secondary schools and our young leaders were able to develop their skills with a younger age group.
Extra-curricular Clubs
The young leaders were expected to lead extra-curricular cricket clubs for other girls, of all ages, supported by Chance to Shine coaches.
Read an independent evaluation of the programme here
If you are interested in the programme please send an email to chancetoshine@dorsetcricketboard.co.uk and one of our staff will be in contact.
In association with The Lords Taverners, we are pleased to offer cricket for SEND students within the school environment.
For Special Needs Schools we can offer a programme of 30 hours per school to include soft ball cricket, Table cricket and Leadership programmes for students. Normally the 30 hours are divided 6 hours per class across 5 groups of students.
For Schools with special needs units, we can offer 6 weeks of delivery in which ever style is suitable for the school and can be delivered as a mix of either soft ball, Table cricket or both.
Sessions are delivered by our experienced Community Team staff and, if you are interested in your school becoming involved, please contact us by clicking here or by contacting your local School Games Organiser.
The community team host a large number of festivals and competitions for schools.
Skills Festivals
These are aimed at KS1 where children can learn new skills and experience a number of games.
Dynamos Schools
We encourage schools that received Chance to Shine cricket and have an interest in the sport to get involved with our schools festivals.
Last year we held 19 festivals across the county with 686 children involved.
KS3
Through our Chance to Shine secondary Girls Program, we offer Chance to Compete. These have 2 age groups: U13 and U15. The winner of the final of both age groups will go through to compete at regional finals in July. Rules follow the Chance to Compete pairs rules provided by Chance to Shine.
Table Cricket
We offer table cricket for SEN groups in both primary and secondary settings, both mainstream and special, this is a fun, engaging and inclusive offer.
Dorset Schools Cricket Association – a brief history
It was roughly after 10 years after the English Cricket Association was formed that Dorset Schools Cricket Association came into being. The initial meeting resolved to affiliate to the England Schools Cricket Association (ESCA).
1965 witnessed the first DSCA player to represent the ESCA U15 National Team – Michael Beale of Thomas Hardye School. Barry Lewis emerged and played for both U15 and U19 in the same season. He played for ESCA South in 1968. There was no West team until 1969, when 3 Dorset boys were selected, with Paul Nugent of Weymouth Grammar School captaining the side and playing in the ESCA Festival at Lincoln. 1970 saw 2 more boys make that grade.
An Extraordinary DSCA meeting was called in February 1974 because there had been significant boundary changes, bringing Bournemouth and Christchurch, with their many schools, from Hampshire into Dorset. Bournemouth School for Boys’ arrival was significant because in 1976 they reached the national final at The Oval of what had then become the Lord’s Taverners U15 Trophy.
DSCA played their first ‘international’ when Trinidad and Tobago played an U19 match and won by 7 wickets. Moreover, Richard Scott became the first Dorset Schools player to go through the system, from scoring 118 v Shropshire as an U15 to become a professional cricketer with Gloucestershire and then Hampshire.
Owen Parkin played in the DSCA U15s in 1979 and went on to carve out an impressive professional career with Glamorgan.
Lots has changed over the years but the ESCA has kept going and was entrusted by the ECB to deliver school competitions from U11 to U15. Four years ago it took over the running of the Bunbury Festival, because its significance showed that at U15 level, highly talented players were identifiable. Lewis McManus, Tom Prest and Eddie Jack are some our latest ‘Bunburys’.
Boys and Girls competitions at U11, U12, U13, U14 and U15 thrive and state schools enjoy the chance to extend their experiences in plate competitions.
Dorset Schools Cricket Association now has it's own dedicated Play-Cricket site, where the list of competitions and results can be found - https://dorsetsca.play-cricket.com/home.
DSCA has again decided to produce a full programme for the coming season. Entry forms will be sent out from the DCB Office in February. Draws will be available on the DSCA Play-Cricket site before the end of March, giving play-by dates for every round.
Yearly entry for schools is £10 per competition entered.
The Plate competitions provide further opportunity and experience for state schools who have lost in a first round. Plates will be offered depending on the number of entries at U11, U12, U14 (with a straight in option to the Plate for state schools) and the U15 Vase (as per U14s). State schools losing in the main U14 or U15 competition first round will proceed to the Plate or Vase.
Girls are allowed to play in their age group teams. Ages are dependent on being under the relevant age on September 1. Older pupils in a year group cannot play - age is all that matters.
Lord's Taverners are our primary partner in the delivery of disability cricket, who operate to the following statement "We create a range of opportunities for young disabled people and those from deprived areas to engage in sport and recreational activities in their local communities. Our programmes support some of the most marginalised and at-risk young people in the UK."
These Hubs offer fun and enjoyable cricket sessions for both learning and physically disabled participants. These sessions are run by the Dorset Cricket Board's highly committed and qualified coaches.
Ferndown
Fun indoor sessions every Friday at 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Venue: Ferndown Leisure Centre, Cherry Grove, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 9EZ
For Map Location please click here
Cost - Free of Charge
Broadstone
Sessions for participants from the Poole, Purbeck and Wimborne areas, sessions held on a Thursday at 5:00pm - 6:00pm
First week in April to the end of September
Venue: Broadstone Cricket Club, Gravel Hill, Merley, Poole, Dorset BH21 1RS
For a map link please click here
First week in October to the end of March
Venue: Lytchett Manor Sports Centre, Post Green Rd, Poole, Dorset, BH16 6JD
For a map link please click here
Cost - Free of Charge
Weymouth
Sessions at our newest hub are held on a Wednesday Evening at 5pm - 6pm
Venue: Redlands Community Sports Hub, Dorchester Road, Weymouth, DT3 5AW
For a map link please click here
Cost - Free of Charge
Verwood
We run midweek sessions in conjunction with the Helix Day Centre at Verwood. Sessions are held on a Wednesday 1.30pm to 3pm.
For a map to location please click here
Cost - Free of Charge
For any more information on a Super 1 Hub near you, please feel free to email the Community Team by clicking here.
During the course of the year, the Dorset Cricket Board Community team will provide coaching opportunities for young male and female players, as well as adult women opportunities, throughout the county.
These events take a number of formats including skills days with our Talent Pathway coaching team, winter training programmes for your club cricketers in our more remote areas and holiday activity camps around the county.
All our events will be advertised in our news feed and on our Social Media pages.
We will do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.
