The Lancashire Cricket Foundation is offering free cricket programmes to 1,400 kids across the county and the Greater Manchester region this summer.
Offering coaching and games to children from disadvantaged backgrounds whilst also aiming for greater female participation this year, the Foundation’s bursary programme is being opened up to young ones all across Lancashire and various parts of 0161.
Set to deliver opportunities to a record number of kids in 2024, the scheme is part of the nationwide All Stars and Dynamos initiative – now into its sixth year and set up by the England and Wales Cricket Board – and is open to all kids between the ages of 5-11, with more than 5,600 in Lancashire last year alone.
The aim is pretty simple: keep kids active and playing as much as possible, whilst also helping nurture the world of grassroots cricket.
Last year, around 1,200 Lancashire kids and beyond were given free cricket bursaries. (Credit: Supplied)
While the eight-hour long kids courses themselves cost £30 for the younger bracket and £40 for those 8-11, bursary places are being reserved for children living in deprived areas and diverse communities, where participation would otherwise be limited.
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The programme has proved massively popular all across the North West and thanks to likes of total of the Red Rose’s Community Foundation works, who have brought the scheme to more than 200 clubs and centres across the nation, more than 20,000 children have taken part since it was introduced.
Now that’s one way to put the future of UK cricket in safe hands.
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As for the All Stars and Dynamos, in addition to providing a social outlet and activities to help develop fundamental skills on and off the pitch, organisers always ensure to make things fully inclusive and support a wide range of abilities, disabilities and different learning needs.
In addition to the coaching received, every child who registers also receives their very own t-shirt, personalised with their name and number, as well as a range of other benefits including priority access to LCC tickets, chances to meet players, discounts on merch and lots of other potential prizes.
Ready to make this summer the best one yet in Lancashire? ☀️
Jen Barden, Executive Director of the Lancashire Cricket Foundation, said of this year’s efforts:“Through a variety of programmes, the Foundation delivers cricket to more than 110,000 participants in our schools, clubs, and communities, and we have a strong commitment to growing the game of cricket across the county.
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“We are particularly proud of the Bursary Scheme that provides young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and under-represented groups with access to cricket. These programmes are vital for introducing the game to more young people, helping them stay active and develop new skills, in a fun, friendly, and inclusive environment.”
Parents can register their children for All Stars and Dynamos Cricket courses and find out whether they qualify for a bursary HERE.
Wigan unites in paying tribute to ‘much-loved’ local sports fan, Darren Orme, after body is found
Danny Jones
Wigan teams and the rest of the community have been paying tribute to local fan Darren Orme, whose body was sadly found earlier this week.
The passionate Wigan Athletic and Warriors supporter was a regular at both The Brick Community Stadium and the Latics’ former home, Spingfield Park. He was tragically found dead on Monday, 24 March, after being declared missing nearly three weeks ago.
As a “much-loved” personality among the regular footy and rugby crowds, his loss has hit both fan bases and the town as a whole hard, with countless locals sharing their condolences over the past few days.
Paying their respects to “a popular supporter” known to “thousands” for his “tireless efforts following the Latics“, the club shared a lengthy tribute to Orme on Tuesday.
The 54-year-old was last seen around 9pm on 5 March around the junction between Woodhouse Lane, Scot Lane and Beech Hill. Large-scale searches had been carried out by the local authorities and groups of volunteers following his disappearance.
His body was eventually located the body along a stretch of the River Douglas near Stadium Way just down from The Brick and Robin Park Arena.
Greater Manchester Police have since said they believe there are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.
The Official Wigan Athletic Supporters Group – which Orme was a member of for the best part of four decades – said they have been left “devastated” by his passing, adding: “Darren was Wigan Athletic through and through, and he lived and breathed blue and white.
“We know that Darren will always be cheering Latics on in spirit.”
As for Wigan Warriors, who recognised him as an equally beloved character up in the stands, the team joined their footballing counterparts in paying a heartfelt tribute, with hundreds of fans laying flowers and wreaths outside the ground.
🌹 This morning, Wigan Warriors players and staff laid a wreath outside The Brick Community Stadium in memory of Darren Orme.
Writing as part of a joint statement on the club website, the rugby league side said: “We join in sending our sincerest condolences to Darren’s friends and family, and we ask supporters to respect their privacy during this extremely difficult time.
“As a Football Club, Wigan Athletic will pay tribute to Darren with a minute’s applause at the home fixture against Barnsley on Saturday, 29 March (3pm kick-off) whilst a minute’s applause will be held at Wigan Warriors’ game against Salford on Sunday.
“We would like to thank the Wigan community, including supporters of both Clubs, for coming together over the last few weeks in search of Darren. We encourage supporters to pay their respects and share their memories of Darren.
“Flowers, shirts, and scarfs can be laid at The Brick Community Stadium alongside Dave Whelan’s statue, while a Book of Condolences will be located in the Stadium Reception for fans to sign.”
Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, his fellow supporters and all those whose lives Darren Orme touched – rest in peace.
Featured Image — Greater Manchester Police/Wigan Warriors
Sport
Two Greater Manchester-based Paralympians pick up MBEs following Paris 2024 heroics
Danny Jones
A pair of Paralympians born just down the road and honed two discipline-leading national performance centres here in Manchester have officially been awarded MBEs.
The Northerners doing the country proud – sounds about right.
First off, if the name Poppy Maskill doesn’t ring a bell, the promising Paralympic was Team GB’s best-performing para-athlete at Paris 2024 this past summer, contributing a total of five medals towards the nation’s joint-third-highest tally.
After her heroics at the Games, the teenager who turns 20 this weekend (Saturday, 29 March) was the recipient of an early and very prestigious birthday present, becoming one of the youngest individuals to be made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in history.
She was named on the New Year’s Honours list back in December but finally collected her latest medal in person this week following a ceremony at Windsor Castle, being honoured by King Charles III personally.
Hailing from Middlewich just less than an hour away from our city centre, Maskill might be a Cheshire girl by birth, but this young sporting gem is being polished right here at the state-of-the-art Manchester Aquatics Centre (MAC).
The youngster became the first Paralympian to pick up gold back in August after not only winning the 100m butterfly but smashing the world record in the process, too.
Competing in the S14 class – a category for athletes with intellectual impairments – she finished the heat with in just 1:03, surpassing the previous best by more than half a minute. But her impressive performance didn’t stop there.
MAC regular Maskill went on to win two more golds in the S14 100m backstroke and 4 x100m S14 freestyle relay, as well as a pair of silver medals in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley S14. Just incredible.
Poppy Maskill wasn’t the only Greater Manchester-based para-athlete who was recognised this month, though, as Stockport‘s very own two-time Paralympic champion Sophie Unwin was also presented with the accolade for her services to sport.
Named a member of the Order along with her co-pilot Jenny Holl, Unwin’s Paris 2024 medal haul included a double of golds in the women’s B 3000m individual pursuit and the road race tandem B, not to mention a silver in the road time trial and a bronze in the 1000m time trial at Paris 2024.
Following in the footsteps of fellow MBE and Stopfordian cycling legend, Dame Sarah Storey, who won her 19th gold medal to become Britain’s greatest Paralympian of all time – having made the most of MAC and the National Cycling Centre over in East Manchester during her career – the borough did us proud.
30-year-old Unwin has kicked on just as strong in the new year as well, notching a narrow victory to set an unofficial (unfortunately) world record of 4:36.737 in the women’s tandem at the 2025 Lloyds National Track Championships here in Manchester.
Danny Jones -
2nd May 2024 
