I鈥檓 a badger, I love cricket. So, to see a day dedicated to African-Caribbean cricket was brilliant. Two great games took place, but for me it鈥檚 the bits in between the matches that captures the imagination. Enthused young kids embracing the game and people reconnecting over cricket. It鈥檚 fantastic.听听听
To get the kids involved right away, we set up a quick game and in traditional school playground style, the two teams were picked. What I loved most was that it wasn鈥檛 boys picking boys and girls picking girls 鈥� there was no
inhibition. It was one group of kids, irrespective of gender, just cracking on with it.听听
My favourite moment was seeing two young boys, brothers, who hadn鈥檛 played cricket before saying they wanted to play. We did some catching and bowling which looked promising and three hours later they were still playing. In such a short space of time 鈥� you could see they were captured by the game.听听
That鈥檚 the magic moment. It happened to me 鈥� I didn鈥檛 want to stop throwing a ball around when I was young and I鈥檇 love to see in five years鈥� time if those two boys continue playing. That was what the day was about 鈥� it was about capturing people that might have been at home, not doing much, that have decided to come out and enjoy cricket.听
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As someone who grew up in Barbados between the ages of four and 15, I had that passion for the game. It was in the blood. It was at the pomp of West Indies cricket and I fed off that. When I came back to the UK, people would say 鈥淵ou played cricket in the West Indies, wow!鈥� and I felt like I brought gravitas into the game here.听听
That has been lost a bit. The West Indies team isn鈥檛 performing as well and African-Caribbean cricket has probably struggled as a result.听听
Mark is hoping that events like this are a steppingstone for better engagement with the community 鈥� even if the legends playing aren鈥檛 quite what they once were.听
Syd [David Lawrence] and Norman [Cowans] were both in good nick, surprisingly! The most important thing is that former players are still so enthused by the game and want to pass down their love to future generations. That鈥檚 the role I feel I play within the game 鈥� have a presence and connect with young players to give them an incentive to play cricket. That鈥檚 what got me indulging in the game, sneaking out of school to watch my heroes in real life.听
And you could see that passion and energy from the ACE Academy and Antigua and Barbuda U19s who played a game afterwards. As a coach, I鈥檓 always looking for how up for the game they are, how much they鈥檙e enjoying it and it was great to see young players with such energy.听
The day also saw scores of kids from the ACE programme taking part in cricket, something Mark is particularly passionate about.听
The ACE programme provides a really good platform for Black kids to get involved in cricket at a fundamental level to take the game forward. The next step is to continue to expand the network and give cricket more exposure to the Black community in more places across the country 鈥� it鈥檚 a crucial link to the professional game. The key is to sustain the work and I hope I can offer some help in doing this.听听听听
My biggest hope is for the Black community is to regenerate the interest 鈥� not just the players but the parents and families. That鈥檚 the group that will help keep the game alive and keep the youngsters interested. This isn鈥檛 a short-term fix 鈥� it needs to be a sustainable growth. When opportunities happen for the kids in the setup now, you can believe that the amateur game will benefit and the community will feel more connected to the game. We need more African-Caribbean players and hopefully in time we鈥檒l see this.听听
To get involved in the ACE Programme, visit aceprogramme.com. For more information on how the African-Caribbean community can get support though cricket, visit ecb.co.uk/play/club-support/club-funding听