Talented Players coached by Credo Cricketers!

02-09-10, by Kate Allen

Last week, a few members of Urban Seed's Credo Cricket Team coached some of the most talented young cricketers in Victoria…

 A group of 26 students from Cricket Victoria’s Talented Players Program spent a morning with Urban Seed staff, along with Credo Cricketers ‘Boony’ and ‘Kuffer’, learning the ropes of Laneway Cricket. The Laneway match of the ‘Dumpsters’ vs ‘Bin Juice’ happened in Rutledge Place, a Melbourne lane famous for its vibrant graffiti. The game was preceded by an Urban Issues Walk where the players learned about Urban Seed’s first-hand experience with issues like homelessness and addiction.

Boony and Kuffer educated the boys on the particular rules of Laneway Cricket (there’s more room in the air!), and guided them on the best places to score. They also umpired the game with plenty of laughter and camaraderie – a wonderfully empowering experience for them.

The morning allowed some young people, who have the real potential to one day play cricket for Australia, to also see the potential of their chosen sport to impact a community and bring people together. It also allowed them to appreciate some of the realities of life for people on the streets of Melbourne, and to form friendships with some other young men with whom they may otherwise never have come into contact.

“What a fantastic day!! The Urban Seed experience was simply brilliant. We loved the laneway cricket. It was a great way of challenging our stereotypes and getting us to think more openly about areas of the city that we would usually shy away from.”

“The kids have since been discussing how much they took from the day. As a personal development experience it was phenomenal. Any experience that implicitly teaches people about benevolence is absolutely invaluable.”