Gloucestershire Deaf retain ECAD indoor cricket title in thrilling finish

Gloucestershire Deaf retained the England Cricket Association for the Deaf (ECAD) indoor title they won at Edgbaston at the end of 2012 by once again beating Surrey Deaf in an enthralling match that went down to the last ball.

The Willows Sports Centre in Derby, an ECB Indoor Cricket centre, was packed to the rafters with the Deaf community, and was well supported by the Derbyshire Cricket Board.

Surrey batted first and their total of 113 looked to be very competitive but Gloucestershire, led by England Deaf players George Greenway and Michael Weathersby, were always slightly ahead and sensible batting from player of the tournament Jamie Sorbie guided the team home. 

A wicket off the final ball would have changed the result but Surrey’s Martin Henderson just could not get the breakthrough.

The future looks bright

Of the thirty three players taking part, sixteen were under 25 years of age demonstrating the growth in Deaf cricket over the past 18 months, with the numbers of players involved in Deaf cricket having grown by 70% over that period.

With at least four counties expecting to be involved in the ECAD Outdoor Twenty20 competition in Surrey on 5^th July, the future for looks very bright indeed.

The next event for ECAD is a Possibles v Potentials trial match for the ECAD Lions team on Bank Holiday Monday 4^th May at Horley Cricket Club near Banbury, Oxfordshire.

ECAD are actively seeking support to help develop Deaf cricket and would love to hear from any interested parties and discuss with them how they can play their part alongside ECAD’s plans. ECAD are always on the lookout for prospective deaf cricketers from all areas of the UK to get involved.