Best of British - Cricket and Charity

Today I can't think of anything to say, so, in the words of all my best pupils, I'll get someone else to do it for me.

In fact this is the start of a series of guest posts on the Best of British, if you'd like to join the fun just drop me a line at fab40foibles@yahoo.com.

Meanwhile, I'm very proud to present our firts man up to the crease... the one and only... NADEEM!

(source)

Cricket… well I guess for me, it defines summer. It always has, summer for me is cricket, cricket and then perhaps some more cricket.

 It must be one of the very few sports, where you have to individually apply a set of skills (batting, bowling, fielding etc.) within a team setting. So whilst you could get 10 wickets, or scored a 100 runs you could still end up on the losing side.

 This aspect appeals to me and despite the recent outcry of foul play, max fixing etc. in the international arena of the sport, it is still a sport for gentlemen and the spirit of cricket is unique me thinks.

I think that fact it is only played by countries which were previously British colonies makes it very British sport, although it continues to spread slowly to other nations as well, besides the Brits invented it.

I have been playing cricket since I was oh about 5 years old! And I still love playing it, despite the aches and pains I suffer!!

Charity...I have been contemplating getting into the coaching side of cricket for the past 6 months, and hitting the Big 40 also had a lot to do with my decision to make my mark. Priding myself in my organisational skills but never first thing in the morning, I have been making a list of the all the things I always wanted to do but never got around to doing in the first 39 years.

One of the first on the list was doing short term voluntary work which would involve me being completing out of my comfort zone abroad. I found the perfect solution with CWB. Cricket Without Boundaries (CWB) is a UK cricket development and AIDS awareness charity. It is run almost entirely by the dedication and enthusiasm of its volunteers.

Formed in 2005 it is dedicated to helping, educating and developing local communities around the world through the spread and growth of cricket. It is about personal empowerment, both for adults and for children.

Working primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa it has sent projects to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. In the process CWB has coached tens of thousands of children in some of the poorest communities in the world as well as training several thousand adults to become ICC qualified cricket coaches. CWB is committed to taking the game of cricket to a new generation of coaches and children in Africa, as well as supporting existing cricket development.

The charity has two main goals:
(i) To spread cricket through coaching children and teaching adults how to coach
(ii) Linking the sport to HIV/AIDS awareness and incorporating these messages into every day coaching sessions.

The bonus of this opportunity was it involves kids, Uganda and cricket with other like-minded individuals.....what’s not to like I thought and filled in the applications forms and was thrilled to be firstly interviewed and then invited to be part of the Ugandan Team which will visit at the end of September 2012!
I can’t wait, and have a number of activities planned to raise funds for this charity and a trip of a lifetime waits. Have a look at the website when you have a moment. There are some great videos there too which give you a better idea of the types of work the charity does and please if you can, support me.

Bestest wishes

Nadeem