Disability Open session planned in Shropshire
Cricket Shropshire is staging a Disability Open Session at Shrewsbury School’s Cricket Centre next month.
It aims to showcase what disability cricket is all about – and could lead to players joining one of Shropshire’s squads in national competitions leading to the possibility of an England call up in the future.
Cricket Shropshire Lead Officer Steve Reese said: “This session will be open to anyone. If you’re a cricketer and have a disability and want to find out more, or even if you’ve never tried the game before, why not come along and give it a go.”
The session for people aged 16 and over is on Tuesday, December 9, from 6-8pm and will be run by qualified ECB coaches.
Cricket Shropshire have for many years had both a S9 (softball) squad and a D40 squad which play in a national competition with games on a Sunday during the season.
Participation in the D40 side can lead to national recognition and selection for one of the squads in the Disability Premier League which features on Sky Sports – a number of Shropshire players have taken part in recent seasons.
That in turn could lead to selection for the England Disability squads – Shropshire’s Matty Bailey has played for the England Deaf squad, while Oli Harrison represented the England and Wales Transplant side in 2025.
Pictured left: Shropshire’s D40 openers prepare to go out to bat against Northamptonshire at the County Ground in Northampton.
To qualify for ECB disability cricket, players must have a learning disability, physical disability, hearing loss, or be neuro-diverse.
A formal classification process is required, which includes a diagnosis form completed by a health professional for physical disabilities and eligibility profiling for learning disabilities to ensure a level playing field which is supported by our Inclusion Officer Tyler Ibbotson.
Physical disability
This could include conditions such as amputees, cerebral palsy, significant mobility problems, or other conditions that affect mobility.
The profiling process is generally needed only once unless a condition fluctuates significantly.
Learning disability,
Eligibility is for those with significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior, which originated before age 21.
Conditions like ADHD, Autism, or Dyslexia on their own are unlikely to meet the eligibility requirements for learning disability cricket.
Other disability groups
Deaf/Hard of Hearing: Specific criteria are in place for players with hearing impairments or who are deaf.
Neuro-diverse: Players who are neuro-diverse may also be eligible.
Anyone with any questions about the Disability Open Day or the qualifying criteria can contact Inclusion Officer Tyler Ibbotson tyler.ibbotson@cricketshropshire.co.uk
Picture at the top of the page is Shropshire’s Oli Harrison representing the England and Wales Transplant side this year.
.