By OBAKENG MAJE
The North West Blind Cricket Club coach, Steven Visser said, persons with visual impairments can participate in any sport. Visser (38) said, they launched the North West Blind Cricket Club on 1 September 2022 and received amazing support.
“We have 25 players thus far and most are from the North West School for the Blind in Christina. We came up with this initiative in quest of giving hope and encouragement to persons who are visually impaired.
“The club represents persons, who are visually impaired across the province. In most cases, you will understand that blind people are not considered when it comes to many things,” he said.
Visser (38) further said mostly, people do not understand how can blind people can play cricket. However, he added, more education is needed to remove some of the stigma associated with having a disability.
“Remember, the game is played under special rules, which are tailored for the visually impaired players. However, most of the rules are similar to the ones in the original format.
“In blind cricket, the ball that is used is rolled on the ground and has a sound in it. Also, a bowler must bowl only underarm and the delivery must pitch twice before reaching the batsman,” said Visser.
He said, so far, they participated in T20 national championship and came fifth compared to other provinces. Visser said they are now preparing for a National One-Day Cup.
Visser said, firstly, they should beat two teams from Free State and Kwazulu-Natal respectively before they could qualify.
“We are happy with our progress, even though we still have a few hiccups. We always struggle to get our players, who reside outside the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District on time due to financial constraints.
“Our aim is to atleast have two weeks with all our players to prepare for two friendlies against North Titans and Gauteng Lions on 11 and 12 February 2023 in Pretoria. So, we do not have the financial muscle to ensure that we book accommodation for these players,” said Visser.
He said cricket as a sport, has many benefits for visually impaired individuals and has a positive impact. Visser also encourages parents to allow their visually impaired children to participate as this allows them to integrate into society with their peers without being excluded.
“People with vision impairment experience many benefits from the sport including improvement in general health, social inclusions, skill acquisition, communication, and teamwork.
“These benefits are essential for everyday living. So, let’s work together and grow the club. We will also be having a consultative engagement with all stakeholders soon inquest of creating local clubs across all four districts,” said Visser.
He also calls on business people to come on board in a form of sponsorship.
Visser said they would like to see more sponsors come on board so that they could achieve their primary goal.
“We have seen many sports adapting people with disabilities across the country. So, now is the time for visually impaired cricket players to claim their niche.
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