WCB’s Chris Kenny is in the Indoor School at Edgbaston for his “favourite time of the week” - his weekly coaching session with the Warwickshire Access cricket team. The players in the Access team have a range of disabilities, but Chris says they all have something very much in common.
“They all love to be here and work hard; they give it everything. All the players enjoy the sessions. I can see first-hand how much it means to them.”
After their training session, Phillip Turton (aged 25, opening bat and wicketkeeper) talks of his enjoyment and the importance of coming to Edgbaston each week.
“That was a good session. I made lots of improvement and learnt to use the slinger. It’s the highlight of my week, coming here. Matches are important, but we also have to train. It’s like a job, in that to succeed you have to work hard to get to the top. If I wasn’t coming here, I would be sitting in my room all the time.”
Phillip’s mum, Patricia, agrees that Warwickshire Access cricket has helped Phillip immensely. “With Phillip’s learning disabilities (ADHD, autism and dyspraxia) I even wasn’t sure he would be able to play cricket when he started out. Cricket has helped him such a lot. It’s good for his physical and mental health - and it gets him off gaming all the time. It’s his lifeline.”
Patricia talks about the impact Access cricket has on families as well as participants. All the families have become close over the years and support each other. “My lifeline is here too. I’ve got my Warwickshire membership card with me, and we’ll go and watch the county match together afterwards. We feel safe here at Edgbaston.”
These feelings are echoed by other families. There is a strong sense of belonging to the wider Warwickshire cricket family. Phillip and his team-mates Daniel and Tayyab (both aged 30) talk enthusiastically about their attendance at the Warwickshire CCC end of season awards night in 2019, meeting and talking with members of the men’s first XI such as Dom Sibley and Henry Brookes. They were also delighted to receive a visit recently in May 2021 from Paul Farbrace and Mark Robinson, who presented the Access team with their Warwickshire caps. The Access players’ families highlight how much such moments mean to the players, giving them not just a sense of belonging but also how being treated as equals gives them confidence to continue and develop as cricketers.
There is a shared sense of pride that comes from playing for Warwickshire in the matches at weekends, and training at Edgbaston during the week. The players’ individual journeys into cricket, however, have been quite different. Captain, Hannah Pettigrew (aged 20) has a learning disability and was introduced to cricket at primary school via Chance to Shine. She played for Warwickshire throughout the girls’ county age groups.
Hannah’s team-mate Tayyab Khawaja has also been playing cricket from a young age and has a longstanding love of the game. He says, “Between 2012 and 2016 I was in hospital. Cricket was the only thing that kept me going.” Tayyab has been clocked by the speed gun bowling at 75mph, but is also handy with the bat and will bat anywhere from opener to number six. A look at the statistics shows Tayyab is a consistent wicket taker and talking to him there is no doubt of the importance cricket plays in his life, helping him to manage his anxiety.
Phillip Turton, in contrast to his team-mates, didn’t start playing cricket until he was in the sixth form at school in Selly Oak. His mum Patricia recalls the day Phillip came home and said, “I want to play cricket. Come and meet my teacher.” Patricia was doubtful, but having met Phillip’s inspirational teacher, Martyn Collis, she soon realised cricket was a serious proposition and the family haven’t looked back since. Patricia is full of praise for Martyn Collis, for the ongoing support he has given to Phillip and continues to give to the Warwickshire Access team. Phillip is now assisting Martyn as a volunteer, helping young people with learning difficulties, something his mum says important in his own development too.
Phillip’s friend and team-mate, all-rounder Daniel Carter, had a different introduction again. He was introduced to cricket through his uncle, Neil Loxton, and their family’s journey is the subject of the separate case study which accompanies this article. Daniel’s dad, Steve Carter, who died in February 2021, was an inspiration to the whole team and Daniel’s team-mates have supported him after the loss of his dad.
Daniel made great improvements to his bowling technique in the session. Jayne Carter, Daniel’s mum, says, “The respectful environment in cricket is good for Daniel. The coaches and players respect each other and receive respect in return.”
Patricia Turton agrees that cricket provides great life lessons, as well as being hugely enjoyable for the players and their families. “We say to them - it’s a game, enjoy it, and do your best.”
The sense of enjoyment and fun pervades the team chat after training, with the players all feeling ebullient after their successful bowling session with Chris Kenny. There is talk about their aspirations to play for England. Some of the team have already represented England in the national Access team. The chat about cricket carries on long after the session has finished, on the team WhatsApp group, where the team-mates and friends exchange messages about cricket outside training and match days.
Players, parents and coaches have all created a strong community in the Access Cricket team, which plays an important role in their lives. The great co-ordination work done by Andy Wyles at the Warwickshire Cricket Board is also highlighted and appreciated by all involved. Ultimately, however, it’s the players who train hard and give their all in matches each weekend.
“People say they have a disability and they can’t do it; but they can,” observes Patricia Turton. “There’s no stopping them.”
