A very successful Primary School Teacher's Taster Day was held on Friday 11th February 2011 at Shoreline Leisure Centre in Greystones.
The day was organised by the Wicklow Local Sports Partnership with the sessions being delivered by Brían O'Rourke from Cricket Ireland, along with coaches Richard Hastie and David Drane from Wicklow County Cricket Club.
The aim of the day was to introduce teachers who had little or no experience of cricket to the basic skills and principals of the game and to emphasise the enjoyment to be gained from children's participation in the sport.
It was highlighted that cricket is an all-inclusive team sport that isn't just for the strong and athletic, but also for the thinkers and strategists. It is a game for both boys and girls and is able to provide more opportunities for the lesser athletic kids to engage themselves in a sport by using "patience, technique and intelligence" to equalize with more athletic kids.
Each group of 10 teachers were given 40 minutes to "taste" the basic cricket concepts of catching, throwing, bowling and batting in a practical, hands on way.
Teachers from the below schools involved were enthusiastic about the experience they had on the day and were full of questions on how best to start cricket within their schools.
All Saints NS Carnew
Scoil Nichlais Naofa Dunlavin
St Saviours National School Rathdrum
Scoil Chaoimhu Naofa Glendalough
Bray School Project
St Ernans BNS Rathnew
St Fergals SNS
Kilmacanogue NS
Our Ladys School Rathdrum
Glebe National School Wicklow
Roundwood National School
St Philomenas Bray
St Josephs NS Valleymount
Newcourt Special School Bray
St Patricks NS Arklow
St Marys SNS Blessington
St Fergals JNS
Jonathan Swift Dunlavin
St Francis Newcastle
It is great to see that cricket is continuing to expand in Wicklow County. The support of such organisations as the Wicklow 'Sports Partnership', Cricket Ireland and Wicklow County Cricket Club, will attract further youngsters to the game.
Wicklow Local Sports Partnership over the past 12 months has continued to support the development of cricket within Co. Wicklow through the provision of support, training and advice to the Wicklow County Cricket Club and Cricket Ireland. Tracy Bunyan, Sports Co-ordinator with Wicklow Local Sports Partnership highlighted the very positive promotional & development work being undertaken by both the club and Cricket Ireland to establish cricket in the county. Also to encourage and increase participation in the sport from young to old, provide training and educational opportunities to coaches, volunteers and teachers and especially to develop club-school links, which was what the Primary Teachers Sports Taster Day aimed to do.
Tracy Bunyan "thanked the input of Wicklow County Cricket Club & Cricket Ireland in the delivery of cricket sessions and the provision of information to teachers who attended the training day". It is hoped that the links formed at the event between local primary schools and the Wicklow County Cricket Club will see an increase in the number of schools offering cricket and the number of young people participating in the sport in the county.
