Leading youth and disability sport charity Lord’s Taverners has been selected as an official 'Cricket 4 Good Partner' of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in England and Wales this summer.
The charity delivers a series of national programmes including Table Cricket, Super 1s and Wicketz which support young people facing disadvantage across the UK, and the partnership will give participants of these programmes the opportunity to play an active role in the international tournament.
To launch the partnership the Wicketz project in Luton this week hosted nearly 100 youngsters from 20-plus nationalities in a mini ‘World Cup’, with the real ICC Cricket World Cup trophy and England cricketers past and present Sam Billings and Devon Malcolm in attendance.
The event was the first of a series of activities which the International Cricket Council (ICC) will run in partnership with the Lord’s Taverners, as part of plans to engage one million five to 12-year-olds through the World Cup.
In addition, young leaders from the Lord’s Taverners programmes will be given the chance to step onto the field of play as flag bearers during the tournament.
Steve Elworthy, Managing Director of the 2019 tournament, said: “We all know the power that cricket plays in uniting communities, and the diversity and colour that the World Cup brings presents us with the unique chance to positively impact lives across the country.
“As part of this commitment, we are delighted to be working with the Lord’s Taverners in 2019. They are the leading youth cricket and disability sports charity with a strong reputation for delivering world-class programmes that support the lives of thousands of disadvantaged and disabled young people up and down the country.”
Paul Robin, CEO of Lord’s Taverners, said: “Throughout the country, our programmes are breaking down barriers and empowering young people to fulfil their potential and build crucial life skills - and there is no better example than our Luton Wicketz project to demonstrate how we are uniting communities across the country.
“Our programmes tackle key issues across the country while also developing team work, confidence, leadership and independence – all using cricket as the tool to engage young people.
“We’re delighted to be named as a Cricket 4 Good Partner which will allow our participants across the country to play their part in the tournament that will unite communities.”
Find out more about the Lord’s Taverners on its ConnectSport directory page. To add your organisation to the directory, contact [email protected].
