Disabled cricketers arrive today

"The Pirates", a 40-member group of disabled cricketers from the United Kingdom (UK), are scheduled to arrive at the Norman Manley Airport tomorrow for a series of matches against their Jamaican counterparts, The Crusaders, in the LIME Disability Challenge.

The visiting disabled cricketers are expected to be met on arrival by officials from the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; Jamaica Disabled Cricket Association (JADCA); Jamaica Paralympic Association; the Courtney Walsh Foundation and title sponsors, LIME.

The Pirates, a visually impaired group and a mixed team of physically disabled players, will be hosted during their 10-day stay on the island by the recently constituted JADCA, formed under the umbrella of Jamaica Paralympic Association.

Community cricket

Both The Pirates and The Crusaders were established under the auspices of the UK-based Cricket for Change organisation, which was instrumental in the setting up of the Courtney Walsh Foundation, to develop community cricket for able-bodied and disabled players.

The UK-based squads will each play a series of three Twenty20 matches against their Jamaican counterparts from July 25-28 at the University of the West Indies (UWI); Melbourne Oval and LIME facilities at Chalmers Avenue. In preparation for the matches, the visiting cricketers will spend four days in training at Content Gardens in Ocho Rios, during which they will stay at the HEART/Runaway Bay Hotel. The UK team will then travel back to Kingston for the opening ceremony of the Lime Disability Challenge on Sunday, July 25 at 9 a.m. at the Sir Frank Worrell Oval, UWI.