Middleton Sports Club: working hard to ensure everyone enjoys their opportunities
Middleton Sports Club is working hard to be inclusive and accessible for disabled people of all ages. Over the last two years they have been supported by Veolia and West Sussex County Council Short Breaks team and spent over £100,000 to provide better access, permanent ramps, automatic doors, accessible toilets and much more. They are now building on these accessible facilities with new events and participation opportunities for disabled people.
Situated in a beautiful setting in the village of Middleton on Sea, Middleton Sports Club has around 1000 members. The age of members range from 5 to 95.
On 27 July, Middleton sports club held its first County disability cricket match, held between Sussex and Hertfordshire for players with a learning disability.
After the game was held up because of bad traffic, Hertfordshire batted first and scored a very credible 142, Sussex were going well at 98 for 4 but then, after some excellent bowling and catching, fell 20 runs short.
Over 100 spectators were treated to a game played with team spirit. The crowds were elated every time a wicket went down.
Matthew Hansford, cricket chairman said:
"It was a fantastic game to watch. There is so much many of our club cricketers could learn from these talented players. Every league in the country would benefit from seeing how they behave and conduct themselves in a way that was really competitive, but made sure every single player (no matter how well or badly they did) enjoyed every single minute. Surely what cricket is all about! In the future we hope to see many more matches like this and start our own disability cricket section. It was so good to see and I am sure that it is the way forward for a club that wants to include everyone."
This game was made possible by the hard work that Middleton sports club has put in to make the club more accessible and inclusive.
Middleton has been holding inclusive sports days, disability cricket matches and wheelchair tennis. They hope to offer more in the future. Later this year, they intend to start a table cricket section and will be the first club in the country to do so. Next year, with the help of Sussex county cricket club, Middleton will have coaches available to help any disabled person to learn about the fantastic game of cricket.
The club is holding a golf day on the 29 August (including guest speaker John Barclay) to raise funds for Table cricket equipment. Please contact matthew@extracover.org.uk if you would like to attend or would be interested in getting involved in any way.
